OT and away we go!!!!!!!!!!!

[JIPJOBXX]

http://www.greatdanepromilitary.com/SR-71/index.htm- Enjoy the short presentation as one of America great treasures! Jon

[martybose]

http://www.greatdanepromilitary.com/SR-71/index.htm- Enjoy the short presentation as one of America great treasures! Jon

I got an error at first, then noticed that the URL had picked up an extra character. This one works

http://www.greatdanepromilitary.com/SR-71/index.htm

A neat video.

Marty

[Dennis Hemingway]

Living & working here between Edwards AFB and Area 51 we hear & see a lot of those types of aircraft. The SR 71 sonic boom cracked our windows before the government even agreed that they had one.

Dennis:cool:

[Frank Blackstone]

My cousin Tom and I were seated front row at an airshow in Dayton/Vandalia, Ohio when the Blackbird made a flyby. First pass was at 500mph, second at 750 mph and 3rd was a much more and then up at about 75 degrees. I have never been so overwhelmed by sound and could not hear my voice or Tom's shouting just 3 feet away. Announcer said it will take the rest of the State of Ohio, about 200 miles, to turn the plane around and it will be in California before you can get out of the parking lot.

Now at the Air Force Museum I can get close enough to put a hand on a Blackbird and was surprised to see the exposed screw heads holding on the outer panels. I guess when you are flying in thin air that drag is not a factor.

Keep 'em flying, Frank

[Frank Elder]

On modern era aircraft screws and rivets are all countersunk, not buttonhead.

This is to lessen the drag at any altitude. The vortex generated by protruding screws and rivets would change the path of the boundry layer to swirl instead of glide smoothly over the AC body thus requiring more power than the airframe was designed for, also it would go beyond the airframe stress tolerances, thats a bad thing.