Though I fly through the valley of death I shall fear no evil...

[Johnmcl7]

...for I am at 80,000ft and climbing.

I was looking for a good video on how the SR-71's inlet control nozzles worked (after someone incorrectly claimed they were copied from a bird beak) and struggled to find a good video but more recently I came across this excellent video which I thought some members here might enjoy which gives a great mix of real footage, some CGI and good animations on how the engines worked:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

My Dad was always very loyal to British planes and rarely would give credit to American planes but he couldn't hide his admiration for the Blackbird and I first saw it as a model hanging from the ceiling as a child. A few years ago I went to the Imperial Duxford Museum to see a Blackbird and there's a couple of aspects that really stand out, the first is how basic and old the interior of the cockpit is which gives away the plane's age that it's sleek exterior doesn't and the second is that like Concorde sitting in a nearby section it doesn't look like it should be there amongst the other old retired planes.

 

[DoomMeister]

Just thought I would share a photo of the one at the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles airport outside Washington DC.

 

[Johnmcl7]

Just thought I would share a photo of the one at the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles airport outside Washington DC.

That's a great shot and one of the only good parts of the second Transformers film when they're running up both sides of the Blackbird in that exhibit and the camera stops looking down the plane. Unfortunately it's hard to get a good shot of the one outside London as the plane is so dark but it's against a very bright background.

 

[dronerdave]

There is a small air museum a few minutes from my home. The SR-71 is only a few feet off the roadway.
Our Collection

 

[Johnmcl7]

There is a small air museum a few minutes from my home. The SR-71 is only a few feet off the roadway.
Our Collection

I was envious you had an SR-71 nearby but even more so when I looked through the impressive selection of planes they have and all outdoors as well rather than packed in tightly. I'm pleased to see the Vulcan there as well and hadn't realised there were any on display outwith the UK (I see there's a few in the US now I've checked), I was fortunate to see the XH558 on one of its last flights and the sound was just incredible like rolling thunder approaching before we could see it.

In a rather odd twist a class 37 diesel locomotive (my favourite of the British locomotives) was refurbished and renamed to Avro Vulcan XH558 and the numbers on its side changed from 424 (its actual number) to 558 since it was originally built at the similarly name Vulcan Foundry:

Avro Vulcan XH558 to take to the rails

A locomotive is restored and renamed in tribute to the last airworthy Vulcan bomber following the aircraft's retirement last year.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[dronerdave]

I was envious you had an SR-71 nearby but even more so when I looked through the impressive selection of planes they have and all outdoors as well rather than packed in tightly. I'm pleased to see the Vulcan there as well and hadn't realised there were any on display outwith the UK (I see there's a few in the US now I've checked), I was fortunate to see the XH558 on one of its last flights and the sound was just incredible like rolling thunder approaching before we could see it.

In a rather odd twist a class 37 diesel locomotive (my favourite of the British locomotives) was refurbished and renamed to Avro Vulcan XH558 and the numbers on its side changed from 424 (its actual number) to 558 since it was originally built at the similarly name Vulcan Foundry:

Avro Vulcan XH558 to take to the rails

A locomotive is restored and renamed in tribute to the last airworthy Vulcan bomber following the aircraft's retirement last year.

www.bbc.co.uk

You hardly ever see people there. Years ago I was working on base and one of the guys that takes care of the place said that Vulcan was still active and basically on loan. But that was a long time ago. They're always adding to their fleet. I've always wanted to fly my drone around but it's an active airport.
A good buddy of mine was the mechanic of a B-25 they kept at Castle. Unfortunately "Old Glory" was sold. I had been asked to visit but never did and now it's back east somewhere.

 

[23tony]

I got some really good looks at one when I was at March AFB (California). One time before an air show it was flying a large circle around the nearby city - The direction of the sound was more than 90 degrees from where it actually was - and it was going slow.

Speed was listed as "Mach 3+". I actually heard a transatlantic flight live. Let's just say, emphasis on the plus...

 

[Johnmcl7]

You hardly ever see people there. Years ago I was working on base and one of the guys that takes care of the place said that Vulcan was still active and basically on loan. But that was a long time ago. They're always adding to their fleet. I've always wanted to fly my drone around but it's an active airport.
A good buddy of mine was the mechanic of a B-25 they kept at Castle. Unfortunately "Old Glory" was sold. I had been asked to visit but never did and now it's back east somewhere.

This is my local aircraft museum here:

Highland Aviation Museum | Inverness Scotland

Discover a unique aviation experience at the Museum, where visitors can explore various aircraft exhibits and even climb into cockpit sections.

www.explore-inverness.com

In case you're wondering what else they have that is everything in the photo and it's doubled in size since I last saw it. I guess it's a bit of the way up here but it is near two major airbases, it is good to see they have the Nimrod cockpit since it used to be based just east of here.

The Vulcan was apparently a nightmare to keep flying due to its complex internals so they clearly did well keeping the last one going as long as they did. It's a shame the likes of the SR-71 could never fly again after it was retired and will never have a chance to see one in person.

 

[itsneedtokno]

Favorite Plane EVER.

welllll, that and the X-15, F-117, U-2 and B-2.

But SR-71 is still the bee's knees.