Fun in the desert again

a reply to: Zaphod58

Looks like the FBI took down all the pics.

I hate when they do that.

Lockheed Martin is run by jerks. We went back to Palmdale today to retake some pics, and they had the doors to the Skunk Works hangar cracked open on the street side, but had screens up.

Nice to see SR-71 17973 is still looking like new.Wasn't this the one that broke the record for crossing the Atlantic in under two hours when it visited our Farnborough airshow in the 1970s? (or was it 17972?)

The best thing about the '71s was watching them start up.No namby-pamby compressed air here,just a couple of Chrysler V8s on the back of a truck to get the fans spinning.

I got some good pics today. I'll upload them when I have the chance. I got SOFIA sitting on the ramp, the 787s that are stored at Palmdale, went back and got the D -21, A-12, and U-2 at the park.

You didn't answer my question?

originally posted by: Imagewerx
Nice to see SR-71 17973 is still looking like new.Wasn't this the one that broke the record for crossing the Atlantic in under two hours when it visited our Farnborough airshow in the 1970s? (or was it 17972?)

PM incoming bud

a reply to: Zaphod58

a reply to: Imagewerx

972 set both records from London.

a reply to: Zaphod58

wow thats crazy ive never heard of anything like that before

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Imagewerx

972 set both records from London.

Thank you Zaph.

Awesome pictures. Been meaning to respond, but have been busy this week. I forgot about the Rotary Rocket!

Edit to add:
Just saw the pictures of SOPHIA! That's awesome! I would love to be on one of those flights.

I completely love the look of those F14 Tomcats!

a reply to: cmdrkeenkid

My wife is getting pretty good at pics out the window of a moving vehicle.

I have a few questions. How was the D-21 drone carried by the SR-71 recovered? How many times was it used and where?

a reply to: buddah6

I think the Wiki page tells you a lot about the d21, including answers to all those questions

a reply to: buddah6

It parachuted down and was recovered.

Successful uses, or uses?

a reply to: buddah6

The D-21 was carried by a modified SR-71 re-named the M-21. They were never meant to be recovered. They would eject their payload (film canisters) to be recovered in mid air and then self destruct.
Only 4 D-21's ever flew operationally, all had failures of some kind IIRC.

a reply to: Sammamishman

It never ceases to amaze me the things that comes out of the Skunk Works.

a reply to: Sammamishman

One was sunk by the recovery ship when it ran it over. One missed a turn over China. I believe one crashed, and one was shot down. But don't quote me on that.

a reply to: buddah6

There's a horrific video of an attempted high speed launch where it comes back down onto the M-21 and pitches it up, snapping it in two right behind the cockpit.