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Sr-71

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We've posted about the Blackbird here before, but I've never seen/heard the cockpit explained. Fascinating.

 
Amazing how relatively primitive the cockpit instrumentation is. Other than the map projector, the panel looks not much different than a World War II aircraft. It amazes me that this plane was designed with slide rules and two-dimensional blueprints, yet the SR-71 represents the ultimate development of the airplane.
 
I've mentioned this before in previous SR-71 threads, but I was a COmputer Maintenance man i=on the NORAD SAGE (look it up) Air Defense system in the 70s. When the Black bird was in our region, we knew it! Lets just say that it's flight characteristics "stood out" from the regular commercial traffic.
 
It certainly makes sense, but I didn't realize that they would balance fuel as it was used so-as to maintain the center of gravity.
I've only seen them in two places: The Boeing Air Museum in Seattle and there is one at the Evergreen Air Museum (outside Portland). Just amazing things.
 
Speaking of fuel balancing, here's an early version of Lindbergh's Spirit, showing fuel balancing valves at bottom. If I recall correctly, as he flew over the Atlantic he often worried he'd forgotten which valves to turn.

View attachment 42326
 
SaxMan said:
Amazing how relatively primitive the cockpit instrumentation is. Other than the map projector, the panel looks not much different than a World War II aircraft.....
Click to expand...
That was very deliberate on Kelly Johnson's part. He was a master of knowing what new technology needed to be developed and what existing designs should be re-used.

My best recollection (which isn't particularly trustworthy) is that the SR-71 cockpit was mostly borrowed from F-104.
 
Not nearly as much project detail as Skunk Works, which I absolutely love, but my favorite is still the one written by the Man himself.

Kelly: More Than My Share of It All

51bFHVS8nZL._SX333_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
 
Great book.

Unfortunately, it's out of print and and used copies are seriously pricey. (Luckily, for me anyway, I got mine way back when. Gloat, gloat, gloat.)




At least if you find a Blackbird on Bring-A-Trailer that needs work, you can still get the Haynes manual.

51tqrh5NxEL.jpg
 
GregW said:
Fortunately for us, we have one not to far away from USC. Just need a long trailer and a really big tarp.
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No tarp needed..... Get doc to hot wire that bird and fly it out. Easy :eagerness:
 
That is an A-12 tainer, the "Titanium Goose" - a precursor to the SR-71 Blackbird.
 
Yeah, but it's much closer to my house.
Less that a month from now, that museum will be getting an external tank from the space shuttle. Coming into Marina Del Rey, they are going to trailer it through L.A.. Should be a good photo opportunity.
 
Somewhere there are a couple shots of the Blackbird with the Playboy bunny on the tail, over Nevada desert. Shots made into the USAF "Lithograph Series." Check out the photo credits... :smirk:
 
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