YF-12 video

Get out your skinny ties and checkered pants, because it is the 1960's. Bonus points if you have a round faced oscilloscope.

This is vintage NASA/Lockheed video of the YF-12. Some bits of this video were things I was unaware of. For instance, they built a stainless steel oven the shape of the YF-12 to heat the plane for testing. The fuel was used as a heat sink. This is done in some modern aircraft, but I don't know if the Blackbirds were the first to do this.

Either the F-22 or F-35 has it's bingo limit set by the need for heat sinking rather than just running out of fuel.

reply to post by gariac


Excellent find Gariac, I had no idea about that NASA operated one of the YF-12's wired like a pinball machine to develop the comprehensive high mach analytic tools used by the modern aerospace industry.

That is a really neat variation of the A-12 planform. The folding ventral fin looks similar to the XF8U-3, I wonder if the concepts developed separately or if there was some sharing of data between the Chance Vought and Lockheed?

This is part two.

Though the author thinks this film is circa 1970, I don't think they XB-70 would have been included in the film since the fatal crash was in 1966. Just a guess on my part.

I think if I had to choose between a F-22 or YF-12 to intercept me, YF-12 would be the last choice. That thing is just badass!

Here are some close up pics.

www.primeportal.net...