SR71 Blackbird: Unbelievable engineering [engine]

[Gillbot]

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil

 

[BlitzPuppet]

Call me a fanboi but I still think it's cool that they made the DB605 engine capable of fitting a cannon barrel through the block (while still being inverted):

 

[NikolaeVarius]

There is no greatness to be seen in doing solely that which is needed.

You could literally claim that for any massively expensive project.

I know there isn't a need for a plane like this really anymore, but it's crazy that from day 0 (wright bro's) it only took 61 years to get the SR-71. Now, 51 years later, we really haven't done much better. Just shows you how amazing it truly was.

We have done better. We just don't bother to try and break records that are meaningless because the cost/usefulness ratio isn't there.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Yeah, I saw the XB-70 at Wright Pat back in 1985 if I remember correctly. I was on a business trip visiting a vendor for IBM and during a weekend they had an airshow with the Blue Angels. The XB-70 was not the most stable aircraft as I recall and by the time it would have been put into the inventory the Russians had the SAM'S to deal with them so it just didn't add up.

So I toured the site including the Valkarye (sp?) then went to the airshow. As I remember the Angels had a fatal incident a few weeks earlier and during the show one of the solo pilots mistakenly flew down an active runway. Thankfully nothing happened, but coming so soon after a fatal incident there had to have been some review.


Brian

 

[Brian Stirling]

Oh yeah, one fun fact about the Black Bird is that at cruise each engine took in about 100,000 ft^3 of air per second.
Kelly and the Skunk Works were amazing in there ability to, through force of will, make the impossible possible. I would like to see a technology prize named in his honor.

Brian

 

[Gillbot]

http://www.nmusafvirtualtour.com/full/tour-std.html

SR71 is in the Cold War section.

 

[silicon]

Call me a fanboi but I still think it's cool that they made the DB605 engine capable of fitting a cannon barrel through the block (while still being inverted):

yes that is really cool and those inverted v's were dry sump oiling. this made the center of gravity lower in the overall planeand helped with the responsiveness of the controls. Plus this engine had fuel injection way before rolls royce even began to think about it. where the germans fell behind was the quality of the gasoline was not as good as what the allies had. the RR engine was tweaked for more power as time passed the octane of the gasoline would allow this.

 

[silicon]

This. Read that book when it came out 1996.

Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed

complements this book that came out the same year.

SR-71 Revealed: The Inside Story

that is one incredible aircraft that is still on top even 55 years later. This was done in the day of slide rules, computers were just starting to come in. They were just way ahead of their time.

 

[tcsenter]

I know there isn't a need for a plane like this really anymore, but it's crazy that from day 0 (wright bro's) it only took 61 years to get the SR-71. Now, 51 years later, we really haven't done much better. Just shows you how amazing it truly was.

$18 trillion debt and counting. I wonder how much of that was Cold War defense spending in these 'hidden true cost' secret R&D programs.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Check out this link. It shows the different stages of airflow as the SR-71 engines go from mach 0 - mach 3.... It's pretty cool thinking about how they have to adjust air pressure taking into consideration airspeed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockhe...wer/File:SR71_J58_Engine_Airflow_Patterns.svg

 

[silicon]

wikipedia says that 12 aircraft were lost during its operational years. yet no details are given as to what were the cause of the losses.

 

[Ferzerp]

wikipedia says that 12 aircraft were lost during its operational years. yet no details are given as to what were the cause of the losses.

http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/losses.php

 

[MongGrel]

One of my third or fourth favorites, F-35 what ?

http://www.wired.com/2014/12/a10-warthog-isis/#slide-id-1669611

http://imgur.com/gallery/DdaLs

BUFFS and F-15/F-18's still high on my list just for practicality, but I'm biased as used to work on those both a lot also.

B1-B's awesome too, even the B-2 of course but that's a lot of bucks to have em sitting around.

 

[OutHouse]

we had a Sr-71 land at Nellis and stay there a few days when i was stationed there in 1988. when it took off i think the whole base was on the flightline to watch it.

 

[silicon]

http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/losses.php

Ok Thanks!

 

[Brian Stirling]

One of my third or fourth favorites, F-35 what ?

http://www.wired.com/2014/12/a10-warthog-isis/#slide-id-1669611

http://imgur.com/gallery/DdaLs

BUFFS and F-15/F-18's still high on my list just for practicality, but I'm biased as used to work on those both a lot also.

B1-B's awesome too, even the B-2 of course but that's a lot of bucks to have em sitting around.

Worked BUFFs back in the late 70's early 80's -- G models mostly -- Seymour Johnson AFB.

Never worked F-15's as that was TAC and I was SAC. They did have an F-15 put on a display at SJAFB back around 1980 and holly crap was that amazing. One maneuver the pilot did was a horizontal loop at about 8 G's -- the diameter of the loop was about 1000 ft or something ridiculous. Standing next to me was a TSGt and he had tears streaming down his face -- kind of felt a little like that too...


Brian

 

[MongGrel]

Worked BUFFs back in the late 70's early 80's -- G models mostly -- Seymour Johnson AFB.

Never worked F-15's as that was TAC and I was SAC. They did have an F-15 put on a display at SJAFB back around 1980 and holly crap was that amazing. One maneuver the pilot did was a horizontal loop at about 8 G's -- the diameter of the loop was about 1000 ft or something ridiculous. Standing next to me was a TSGt and he had tears streaming down his face -- kind of felt a little like that too...


Brian

I worked on producing the avionics equipment, not on them directly.

Still feel like they are my babies a lot.

Was working on the F-15Ks South Korean ones for stand off up till about 4 years ago, yeah those things are great TAC platforms, they don't even need all the maneuverability to targets multiple things at medium range to pretty long range, and still can in close.

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[Ichinisan]

wikipedia says that 12 aircraft were lost during its operational years. yet no details are given as to what were the cause of the losses.

Here's a first-hand account from a pilot that miraculously survived a supersonic breakup:
http://roadrunnersinternationale.com/weaver_sr71_bailout.html

 

[silicon]

Here's a first-hand account from a pilot that miraculously survived a supersonic breakup:
http://roadrunnersinternationale.com/weaver_sr71_bailout.html

That is quite the story, luck was on his side that day.

 

[Subyman]

I'm impressed by the numerical mathematics they needed to calculate to come up with the optimal geometry without the use of modern computational power. Most of it would have been done by hand using ingenious analytical short cuts. Trying to solve air flow numerical problems back then would have been a huge undertaking.

 

[Printer Bandit]

Reverse engineered alien anti gravity veh

 

[Jeff7]

I know there isn't a need for a plane like this really anymore, but it's crazy that from day 0 (wright bro's) it only took 61 years to get the SR-71. Now, 51 years later, we really haven't done much better. Just shows you how amazing it truly was.

Something like the 747 or A380 is pretty impressive as well.

No, not nearly as fast, but we also went from hoisting one or two people into flight a few dozen feet off the ground to where we've got a pressurized tube that can carry a few hundred people at >30,000 feet.

 

[leeland]

marked

 

[GTaudiophile]

Makes you wonder what they are playing with these days.

The SR-71 is a reminder that best years/minds/projects of this country are now behind it. Foodstamps are a far more important investment. Or eavesdropping on your own citizens.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Do you still have it? I don't think I'd ever launch it if I had one. Be afraid of losing it. I fired a rocket once, it was a little tiny generic rocket. Went really high. Then I never saw it again lol.

Man. The memories. I had an Estes SR-71 that I built but never fired. It hung from my bedroom ceiling for ca. 15 years as a child/teen. No idea where it is today. Perhaps in my dad's basement.