Saw an SR-71 on Monday at the March Air Museum in Riverside, CA

[JulesMaximus]

Couple pics (not very good ones but still).

 

[Bock]

lol, I hate those things. I grew up around Wichita KS, near the AFB. Fuckers were noisy, everything shook when they took off.

 

[JulesMaximus]

lol, I hate those things. I grew up around Wichita KS, near the AFB. Fuckers were noisy, everything shook when they took off.

LOL! I bet. :biggrin:

I would love to hear one in real life.

This one has been on loan to the Air Museum for more than a decade now, at least they finally moved it inside instead of leaving it sitting out in the sun.

They have some other really cool aircraft there too. I'd highly recommend it.

 

[Bock]

LOL! I bet. :biggrin:

I would love to hear one in real life.

This one has been on loan to the Air Museum for more than a decade now, at least they finally moved it inside instead of leaving it sitting out in the sun.

They have some other really cool aircraft there too. I'd highly recommend it.

I remember the night of 9/11 more than the day. No one slept.

 

[IronWing]

Shoud'a stolen it.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I remember the night of 9/11 more than the day. No one slept.

That's why I don't live near an air base or airport. I used to work right across the street from Miramar and when those F/A-18s take off in pairs the first one is loud enough but the second in line is playing catch up so it is even louder! It was so loud that I couldn't have a phone conversation inside the building until after they were gone.

 

[Drako]

My wife got yelled at for touching one at Wright Pat USAF museum several years ago. There are signs all around the thing not to touch it - I guess she couldn't resists. :biggrin:

 

[Artorias]

My wife got yelled at for touching one at Wright Pat USAF museum several years ago. There are signs all around the thing not to touch it - I guess she couldn't resists. :biggrin:

Why cant you touch it?

 

[Drako]

Why cant you touch it?

Because that's what the signs said.


Honestly, I'm not sure. I guess they just didn't want fingerprints all over the thing. :biggrin:

 

[Bock]

Why cant you touch it?

Radar paint on those things causes cancer

 

[K7SN]

I touched one, the tech, who I outranked, said that wasn't a good idea. It was in 1968 because I was a sergeant. I doubt the same reasons would apply to one on permanent display but I could be wrong.

 

[Drako]

LOL, my wife just showed me a picture of the signs.

"Do not Touch, fragile skin"

I guess the aluminum is so fragile you can break it by touching them.

 

[crashtech]

I don't think there is much aluminum in that plane. Titanium.

 

[Bock]

LOL, my wife just showed me a picture of the signs.

"Do not Touch, fragile skin"

I guess the aluminum is so fragile you can break it by touching them.

Think about that for a second. The air frame is constructed to withstand 2k mph @ 85k ft. It's not fragile at all. The radar absorbent paint is very cancerous. Maybe they took it off maybe not.

 

[IronWing]

Maybe "do not touch" was originally an anti-espionage measure to keep people from carrying out samples of the paint or alloy on their fingers. According to Readers' Digest, Ruskies and Red Chinese used to wear sticky soles when touring American manufacturing plants in order to collect materials samples.

 

[Drako]

Think about that for a second. The air frame is constructed to withstand 2k mph @ 85k ft. It's not fragile at all. The radar absorbent paint is very cancerous. Maybe they took it off maybe not.

<tap> <tap> <tap>

Your meter seems to be busted. :hmm:

 

[preslove]

My wife got yelled at for touching one at Wright Pat USAF museum several years ago. There are signs all around the thing not to touch it - I guess she couldn't resists. :biggrin:

That's sig worthy...

 

[Drako]

I don't think there is much aluminum in that plane. Titanium.

Yep, that's what I meant, titanium.

 

[PottedMeat]

Because that's what the signs said.


Honestly, I'm not sure. I guess they just didn't want fingerprints all over the thing. :biggrin:

the airforce knows it's fucking delicious and once you get a taste you cannot be stopped

 

[IronWing]

the airforce knows it's fucking delicious and once you get a taste you cannot be stopped

They wouldn't let me touch the Peacekeeper either.

 

[MongGrel]

These guys have some pretty cool stories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpVT5Lr0BbI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeBu6mRDaro

 

[mundane]

My wife got yelled at for touching one at Wright Pat USAF museum several years ago. There are signs all around the thing not to touch it - I guess she couldn't resists. :biggrin:

The few times I have visited (past ~3 years), the SR-71 has been pretty well cordoned off. The YF-12 within the on-base hangar, however, was a different story.

 

[Brian Stirling]

lol, I hate those things. I grew up around Wichita KS, near the AFB. Fuckers were noisy, everything shook when they took off.

Funny thing is, many people, myself included, get used to the noise and grow to like it. Living on an USAF base with B-52G's, KC-135's and F4's there was always planes taking off and landing and I kind of liked it.

When I was young I used to here the trains on the track over the hill from me -- about half a mile away. I remember being in that nether world between sleep and awake and hearing the low rumble of the train as it approached from miles away. I miss that...

BTW, SR-71 is still one of the coolest, most amazing planes ever made.


Brian

 

[UglyCasanova]

Definitely one of the coolest planes ever built.