And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
compared to what they make today, yeah. they where master craftsmen who made those wonderful machines. and they still hold lots of records today. we lost a lot of that skill. and we need to get it back again.
Brother in engineering class at Chico took a day trip to Beale. The aircraft stood inside a painted box with armed guard at the perimeter. The class was informed to not intrude into the box. But there's always one. He was arrested and expelled from the school.
Brother said the leading edges were of a special coating which is toxic to humans.
I went to an anniversary air show at Beale. The perimeter around the SR71 also had signs saying "Deadly force beyond this point authorized". I didn't want to test the validity.
On an AFROTC field trip to a base on the east coast, there was a U-2 on display. I went over and put my thumb on the plate on the end of the wing to see if I could make it flex up and down with slight pressure. The crew chief immediately came out and buffed my fingerprint off the surface. I almost got arrested.
Took a welding class held at NASA/AMES (Moffett Field), in the same hanger that a couple U-2's were kept. Divided hanger, and the rest rooms were accessed by using the second floor passage into the other side where the birds were sitting. We were encouraged to stay the hell away from them if we knew what was good for us. One doesn't often get the chance to view them from an overhead perspective. LOUD bastards when they advance the throttle off of idle when extending the flaps for landing. Lived under the approach for Moffett, and they did this right overhead of the house. The original engine is an antique design, and no sound control was ever considered for them.
Masterpieces of the slide-rule age.
ReplyDeleteultimate Zoom Zoom
ReplyDeleteNot only super fast, but the most beautiful plane, IMO.
ReplyDeletecompared to what they make today, yeah. they where master craftsmen who made those wonderful machines. and they still hold lots of records today.
ReplyDeletewe lost a lot of that skill. and we need to get it back again.
Brother in engineering class at Chico took a day trip to Beale. The aircraft stood inside a painted box with armed guard at the perimeter. The class was informed to not intrude into the box. But there's always one.
ReplyDeleteHe was arrested and expelled from the school.
Brother said the leading edges were of a special coating which is toxic to humans.
I went to an anniversary air show at Beale. The perimeter around the SR71 also had signs saying "Deadly force beyond this point authorized". I didn't want to test the validity.
DeleteOne of Kelly Johnson's masterpieces.
ReplyDeleteBiggskye in Missouri
On an AFROTC field trip to a base on the east coast, there was a U-2 on display. I went over and put my thumb on the plate on the end of the wing to see if I could make it flex up and down with slight pressure. The crew chief immediately came out and buffed my fingerprint off the surface. I almost got arrested.
ReplyDeleteTook a welding class held at NASA/AMES (Moffett Field), in the same hanger that a couple U-2's were kept. Divided hanger, and the rest rooms were accessed by using the second floor passage into the other side where the birds were sitting. We were encouraged to stay the hell away from them if we knew what was good for us. One doesn't often get the chance to view them from an overhead perspective.
DeleteLOUD bastards when they advance the throttle off of idle when extending the flaps for landing. Lived under the approach for Moffett, and they did this right overhead of the house. The original engine is an antique design, and no sound control was ever considered for them.
Just looking at an SR-71 , you know it's fast. - Nemo
ReplyDelete