SR-71 Blackbird

One source of facts about the SR-71 is the book "Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird" by Paul F. Crickmore, 1986.

-it is not ram jet propelled, it has J-58 (JT11D-20) continuous-bleed afterburning turbojets rated at 32,500 lb thrust at sea level.

-SR-71 skin temperature is + 500 degF during flight, requiring the use of avanced titanium alloys through out the aircraft.

-a variable inlet ram, adjusts (reduces) air flow into the engine as aircraft speed increases. You can't dump supersonic speed air into a turbojet engine.

-both it and the U-2 were high resolution aerial photo platforms. The SR-71 got there and back faster, of course. Guess what, the best high resolution aerial photos are still from aircraft.

Just the facts.

the XR -15 something... achieved a speed of MACH 6

The X-15 is a rocket plane, powered by rocket engines, unlike the SR-71 which uses a turbine engine.

actuelly the blackbird uses a ram jet system with literaly rams the air into the combustion engine(bassically a spark plug)instead of a turbine with compresses the air further for better lift at low altitudes.

The air inlets were a critical design feature to allow cruising speeds of over Mach 3.2, yet provide subsonic Mach 0.5 airflow into the turbojet engines. At the front of each inlet was a sharp, pointed movable cone called a "spike" that was locked in the full forward position on the ground or when in subsonic flight. During acceleration to high-speed cruise, the spike would unlock at Mach 1.6 and then begin a mechanical (internal jack screw powered) travel to the rear.[6] It moved up to a maximum of 26 inches (66 cm).

The original air inlet computer was an analog design which, based on pitot-static, pitch, roll, yaw, and angle-of-attack inputs, would determine how much movement was required. By moving, the spike tip would withdraw the shock wave, riding on it closer to the inlet cowling until it just touched slightly inside the cowling lip. In this position shock-wave spillage, causing turbulence over the outer nacelle and wing, was minimized while the spike shock-wave then repeatedly reflected between the spike center body and the inlet inner cowl sides. In doing so, shock pressures were maintained while slowing the air until a Mach 1 shock wave formed in front of the engine compressor.[7]

The backside of this "normal" shock wave was subsonic air for ingestion into the engine compressor. This capture of the Mach 1 shock wave within the inlet was called "Starting the Inlet". Tremendous pressures would be built up inside the inlet and in front of the compressor face. Bleed tubes and bypass doors were designed into the inlet and engine nacelles to handle some of this pressure and to position the final shock to allow the inlet to remain "started." It is commonly cited that a large amount of the thrust at higher mach numbers comes from the inlet. However, this is not entirely accurate. Air that is compressed by the inlet/shock wave interaction is diverted around the turbo machinery of the engine and directly into the afterburner where it is mixed and burned. This configuration is essentially a ramjet and provides up to 70% of the aircraft's thrust at higher mach numbers.

Glad to hear some real technical knowledge. I can tell that you have some real resource at hand!. Very impressed with your knowledge. What source do you use. I have read two very good books on the SR and do most of the tour guides here at Evergreen Air & Space Museum on the SR.

Wow, its nice to see some accurate information on the internet....so rare these days...thanks SR71man! I thought I knew a fair amount about this aircraft, but I certainly learned some more from this post!

I hope their not playing that music in the pilots pit, he'll fall asleep at the wheel

did have a computer in it to help with all of four functions. It helped with high speed stability and was the 1st so equipped

Initially the SR -71 did not have computers to help with engine control, but in 1976 they installed three 11 killo-bite computers into the SAS system to control the spike and by-pass doors thus simplifing the pilots job considerably! Up till then the pilot had to manually adjust these items with three toggle switches on the throttle control.

Don't bekieve that. There was a total of 50 aircraft built; 32 SR-71, 2 ea. M-21 drone carring versions, 3 ea YF-12A, and 13 A-12 models. Most of the aircraft flew missions over most of the world and accumulated flight hours running into the thousands. The SR we have in our museum ( 971 ) has over 1600 flight hours on it. When most missions were around four hours long, that amount to a LOT of missions.!! I presently work with Evergreen Air & Space Museum in McMinnville Oregonn, "Home of the Spruce Goose".

was used all the time. Satellites couldn't get the pictures the Sled could. The resolution of the cameras on board the Sled were the best. Satellites had to wait until their orbit came around for pictures and our enemies could time it and move what they didn't want seen. With the Sled you didn't know when it was over you.

Just prior to being de-commisioned as an active US Air Force machine, an SR-71 broke the speed record for a trans-north american flight.

Going 'feet-dry' over the California coast the SR-71 was over the US capitol in Washington DC in just over 58 minutes. That's correct. Over 3000mph.

It used a fuel mixture that was so volitale that if the two chemicals touched, they ignited. Its skin was titanium with ribs in it in order to survive the extreme temperatures that friction with the air caused when you go that fast. This is also why all but the black ones have really cruddy paint. The black paint was a chemical breakthrough that could survive more than one mission.

The blackbird could not fly at 3000 mph. It's engines could not achieve that speed - they weren't designed for it.

"Speed Over a Straight Course (15-25km): 2,193.167 mph SR-71A. "

"SR-71 West Coast to East Coast of USA (National Record-Speed Over a Recognized Course): Coast to Coast Distance: 2,404.05 statute miles...Time: 1 hr 07 min 53.69 secs...Average Speed: 2,124.51 mph"

The fuel was modified JP-7, kerosene basically. It was not hypergolic.

The black paint was a special derivative designed to radiate heat away from the airframe.

the fuel info and the 58 minutes from the west coast to its position over the US capitol | obtained from a book. Once | find the info | will pass it on. | may have the fuel confused with another aircraft in the book.

the speed of the SR-71 Blackbird is classified.
I would venture to guess the original engineers do not know how fast the sled will go.

Without a doubt a fantastic aircraft! What seems to have been forgotten was not only the true capabilities of the aircraft, but the instruments within. Satellites might be able to read something 1 cm, but when SR-71 flew, they didn’t. Thanks to the fine people at Kodak and others for what you don’t know the plane was capable. If you knew what the SR-71 and the people behind her were really capable, you would be impressed with the next generation, and that isn’t a predictable satellite.

it can reach a speed of mach 3.3 ...from a japanese artist

was Mach 3.5

The fastest I've heard at debriefs was 3.5 Mach.

at 72,000 ft it took the intire state of California to myake a "U" turn, no joke

The SR-71 flew from Edwards AFB to Washington DC in 1 hour 4 minutes and 19.89 seconds at a average speed of 2, 144.83 mph. It could never reach the speed of 3,000 mph because of temperature redlines.

The YF-12 weren't painted in the familiar black. The cruddy paint you speak of was far from cruddy. It was radar absorbing and had heat sink qualities to it.

is Rachels Song from the Bladerunner soundtrack. In regards to technical info, there are literally hundereds of interesting and unique facts about this bird, to list them here would be impracticle.

it explains everything how the plane was so great

Because the SR-71 is a more effective reconnaissance than for example the Mig 25(31). The Mig is a big lack in technology, and the SR-71 Blackbird’s stealth is a very good thing, which the mig doesn’t have. So, if you want to spezialize in only reconnaissance, the SR-71 Blackbird is best.

The SR-71 was stealthy in it's day, but it pales to today's technology. The U.S. now has vehicles that can stay over a target, photographing it undetected for days, if not weeks.

A cool plane, though. Turned me on to the properties of titanium, a 'super metal' if there ever was one.

they're called satellites...lol

The former Soviet Union was so tramatised by the fact that the SR-71 flew over it's airspace at will that they tried everything they could think of to shhot it down. They outfitted Mid Foxbats with the largest engines they had and the best air to air missles they had and stationed them at points all over the USSR. When they tried to intercept they did so at full afterburners and still never managed to hit an SR-71. The migs then had to glide back because they burned their engines up in the futile effort. All explained by the mig pilots themselves in the Discovery Channel's "Wings" episode about the SR-71 Blackbird.

still today holds world records and if not for the invention of this aircraft there would not be the advances we have today in stealth and technology

They say it is possible that the missing aircraft were flying so fast they went back in time.

a once experimental aircraft, it can go into the stratosphere, higher than any other plane in existence, except for space shuttles which are really a rocket with wings...

Although, Edwards and Groom lake had similar dry lake runways that were marked out in black similar to this one. My guess, Groom Lake, like you said. And yes, the SR-71 was tested extensivly at Groom Lake. In fact, I witnessed one of the Blue SR-71's fly out from Groom Lake early one morning while camping in the area many years ago. BTW, I don't buy into the conspiricy theory ideas.

is and always has been a Aerial design, research and test facility. or atleast, ill believe this until they find little green men and they better be DAMN convincing little green men

but russia is stuck in political anarchy and is unable to keep citizens loyal enough to be productive, this jet is old, and newer, faster, and better have been made, but this jet shattered the records at the time, it was the fastest, and most durable plane of its time.

if its top secret, how the hell do you know about it and survive?

You are so wrong grasshopper. Better put the crack pipe down. Oh yeah, watch out for the black helicopters following you. LOL.