Still Amazing After All These Years.

"Tom McParland" (tommcparland) 01/27/2014 at 21:29 • Filed to: planelopnik

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Brian Silvestro > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 21:32

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Still the craziest-looking airplane I've ever stood next to.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 21:34

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If I ever become a billionaire...

Manuél Ferrari > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 21:34

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Did it really have to be de-commissioned? It just looks too badass to not be in service anymore.

Tom McParland > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/27/2014 at 21:35

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Or an X-man... :)

desertdog5051 > Manuél Ferrari 01/27/2014 at 21:36

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Wait until you see what replaced it.

AthomSfere > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 21:37

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I love this plane. Not just for what it is/ does but its quirks too... Like leaking fluids when its on the ground due to being designed for supersonic flight... Just weird awesomeness with this plane. Then there are the paper facts and it is amazing in every regard.

Bubbles22 > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 21:42

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Duxford. Still the most amazing museum I've been to.

Manuél Ferrari > desertdog5051 01/27/2014 at 21:45

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holy crap

Manuél Ferrari > desertdog5051 01/27/2014 at 21:46

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hopefully this new one stays in commission for way longer

Shoop > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 21:48

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Tons more here
http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/workday-wallpa…

ptak appreciates old racecars > Manuél Ferrari 01/27/2014 at 21:48

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Are they actually making those yet?

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 22:02

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Manuél Ferrari > ptak appreciates old racecars 01/27/2014 at 22:03

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Not yet. I read it might be ready around 2018

And it will go NYC to LA in 45 min!

DuckDraper > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 22:10

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It's crazy to think this thing came out 50 years ago. If it came out today it would still blow people minds.

Thunder > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 22:11

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Where is that Blackbird? I'm not familiar with that setting (although I've only seen a couple in the flesh).

Also, I didn't know you were a fellow aviation enthusiast. I grew up flying with my dad (he has about 2000 hours); I have my private pilot license and about 90 hours to my name.

Chumbley > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 22:11

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Not sure how to dragon

Brian, The Life of > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 22:17

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Designed/engineered with a slide rule. Greatest Generation, in-fucking-deed.

I'll never forget seeing one in the Skunkworks hanger in Palmdale. It had just rolled in and had several drip pans underneath catching various fuel/whatever leaks. The engineer I was with tossed a lit match in a pan of fuel. I didn't know it wouldn't ignite. Imagine my surprise. On another occasion I was at the end of the runway at Edwards AFB in the MobileComm waiting for one of the B-1A test planes to take off. A Blackbird flight took cuts, so I got a pretty close look at one taking off. Basically ballistic as soon as it was nose up. Leaking fuel like a sieve and madly climbing to speed up/heat up the skin so the expansion joints would seal.

Insane. Awesome. Nothing else like it.

Agrajag > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 22:31

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I like to think that it is almost impossible for there to be no replacement for this. We just don't know about it yet. Then I remember that we don't have moon bases either.

Tom McParland > Thunder 01/27/2014 at 22:31

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I don't know the location. I've loved planes as a kid long before I got into cars. While I am not as knowledgeable as most planelopnik folks, I still admire their beauty and lethality.

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 22:35

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looks like here: http://evergreenmuseum.org/

Its an awesome place to visit if you ever get the chance. I spent almost an entire day there and could have gone back for a second day if my wife would let me.

Victorious Secret > Brian, The Life of 01/27/2014 at 22:53

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It was engineering for the sake of engineering, it was amazing.

Rattleface Blouses > Tom McParland 01/27/2014 at 22:55

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I remember seeing an SR-71 at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in Oregon, even though that was almost 10 years ago. I still remember its intimidating silhouette as vivid as the day I saw it. I think it is the most beautiful yet most aggressive-looking plane in history.

mrazekan > Thunder 01/27/2014 at 23:34

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McMinnville, OR?

Duxford..see below.

Curt Styler > Brian, The Life of 01/27/2014 at 23:54

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This was such a brute force approach to pure speed. It's fantastic.

Probably THE plane that inspired me more than any other to become an Aerospace Engineer.

Howie > Brian, The Life of 01/28/2014 at 03:35

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I remember seeing them fly out of Okinawa when I was a very young lad.

There are at least two in Virginia. One in very poor condition at the Richmond International Airport and its Air Museum and another at the Chantilly Air and Space Museum in immaculate condition.

Thunder > itranthelasttimeiparkedit 01/28/2014 at 07:57

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Ah - wrong coast. If I ever get out west again, I'll stop there.

And Evergreen - I think they sponsored Bob Hoover a while back. Amazing stuff.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Brian, The Life of 01/28/2014 at 11:29

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Yeah, engineers back in those days actually understood things. Now engineers tend to be computer monkeys who don't actually understand it, we just know what data to put into the computer. There was a phenomenal amount of total blue-sky thinking that ended up turning into hardware back then.