Cool Google Maps Overlay showing SR-71 Blackbirds
See the final resting places of the US’s Fleet of Blackbirds. Brilliant stories to read here about the testing of the SR’s, and the fates of many of the planes. Those jets were just too cool for words..
I like this excerpt from their wikipedia entry: “The aircraft flew so fast and so high that if the pilot detected a surface-to-air missile had been launched, the standard evasive action was to simply accelerate. No SR-71 has ever been shot down.”
That thing can still kick every other planes ass in the speed department. A great piece of engineering. To think that they created the first one in the 60’s is unbelieveable.
A source from Boeing Museum in Seattle (weird city) informed that they leaked while on the ground, due to the spaces inbetween the titanium. The titanium got so hot in flight they had to make room for expansion. Pretty nuts, especially for being 40 years old. Makes you wonder what’s up there now.
NASA research brought four of them out of retirement recently. I’m pretty impressed with the level of biographical information provided for each plane. Especially The Lost Blackbirds catagory.
