http://sploid.gizmodo.com/rare-high-definition-photos-of-the-sr-71-blackbird-1670184930?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Cool!

Undoubtedly the coolest looking aircraft that ever flew - still reminds me of a sci-fy creation even after all these years!  Thanks for posting that site...

Undoubtedly the coolest looking aircraft that ever flew - still reminds me of a sci-fy creation even after all these years!  Thanks for posting that site...

I agree 100%.

"If you ever find yourself with an afternoon to kill on the Florida Panhandle, go to the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin AFB in Fort Walton Beach. The centerpiece of the aircraft collection is an SR71 parked right out by the highway. You can get an up-close look at its stealthy awesomeness."

 

I remember this one as I visited often when my son was stationed at Eglin for four years. We attended on several occasions and I was always drawn to the SR71 even with the red plywood covers over the massive business ends of the engines. B)

 

Hover over the SR71 symbol http://www.afarmamentmuseum.com/outside.shtml#

You can also see one at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. One of my classmates from my pilot training class (71-03) flew this aircraft. He told me he had only 17 minutes from takeoff to reach the tanker and start taking on fuel.

There is also one parked at the aviation museum at Richmond International Airport, Richmond, VA.

Great photos, thanks for posting the link.

 

Marko

There's also one at Duxford U.K., and you can walk around and under it all you wish. I managed to talk to a retired Blackbird pilot as we looked at the aircraft, and I asked him why the wing's leading edge curves downwards, outboard of the engine nacelles. Something to do with lateral stability, so he said. I can't pretend to have understood all that he spoke about but he was a splendid chap, and the aircraft is hugely interesting - though not quite as interesting as the B-29 that stands next to it.