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SR-71

Amazing tech but you just need to look at the about on trillions the US is in debt because of being the police of the world, US are not the power they where.
 
Ahh, the Blackbird, was always my favourite when I was a kid :)
Sadly missed seeing it at an airshow.
One fact I always found interesting was it had special fuel for it that had a very high flash point so if you dropped a match in it the match would go out rather than ignite the fuel. When it was on the ground after a flight the skin over the airframe would actually leak fuel due to the expansion and contraction of the heat generated in flight.

Andrew
 
And special hydraulic fluid that had to be heated before a flight because it was almost solid at ambient temperature. I was lucky enough to see it fly at Fairford some years back. I don't know about those turns the text mentioned, it wasn't manouverable at all, took miles to do a 180 turn & that was at well subsonic speeds.
 
Sorry for me just another version of all the email carp that highlights the the American view that they are the only 'originators' in this world. Yes it's an interasting aircraft but historically it's a technological dead end and was always destined to be. The UK, the French, the Russians, the Chinese, the Germans, the Japanese have all had huge and important rolls in development of the Aviation industrey but it's a cold day in hell when you hear a yank admit it.
 
The most awesome aircraft there ever was or shall be. Anybody who says otherwise is clearly a poof.
 
spicypixel said:
Shame satellites made spy planes redundant and if there was any space left, UAVs took it...
Click to expand...
Actually satellites didn't make it redundant and never can make redundant.
There's very limited number of them on predictable orbits so if you want to cover something you'll just put it under roof when satellite is over head.
Sure there's some maneuvering fuel in satellites but amount/number of orbit changes it can do is still very limited.

During nights small stealthy UAVs can replace it totally but during daylight those are vulnerable to visual/optical detection and could be shot down.
Highest flying UAV, Global Hawk flies at 20km and is it's very slow.
Of course against low tech opponent UAVs can be very cost effective reconnaissance tools.
 
ajf said:
Ahh, the Blackbird, was always my favourite when I was a kid :)
Sadly missed seeing it at an airshow.
One fact I always found interesting was it had special fuel for it that had a very high flash point so if you dropped a match in it the match would go out rather than ignite the fuel. When it was on the ground after a flight the skin over the airframe would actually leak fuel due to the expansion and contraction of the heat generated in flight.

Andrew
Click to expand...

It did use special fuel (JP-7) but the comment about dropping a lit match in it and the match going out is true for any jet fuel (paraffin).
 
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