Alan Kotok
SR-71 Blackbird.

The SR-71 Blackbird was a high-altitude and high-speed reconnaissance aircraft -- or spy plane -- made by Lockheed and used by the Air Force from the 1960s to the 1990s. On display at the Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of the Air and Space Museum, in Chantilly, Va., arranged by D.C. Science Writers Association. 13 July 2024

#Photography #Aircraft #Spacecraft #SpaceShuttle #Discovery #Smithsonian #AirAndSpaceMuseum #UdvarHazy

More photos: https://technewslitphoto.smugmug.com/DC-and-region/Udvar-Hazy-Center
Udvar-Hazy Center - Technology News & Literature

Tour of the Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of the Air and Space Museum, in Chantilly, Va., arranged by D.C. Science Writers Association. 13 July 2024

Jul 15, 2024 at 8:07pmWeb
Show threadAlan KotokJul 23, 2024
Good story, thanks Rich. Yes, it's quite an aircraft, even sitting in a museum. It must have looked incredible on a runway.
Show threadAlan KotokJul 15, 2024
Grrrrrr ... Edits I made at @[email protected] did not transfer to Mastodon
Show threadRich Stein (he/him)Jul 22, 2024

@TechNewsLit
Quite the plane!

Years ago I lived in L.A. area. I traveled to an open house in the high desert at Palmdale. An SR-71 was on display — not long after completing a high altitude flight as I recall. The plane was roped off to keep people a safe distance away but a pilot was there to answer questions. There was liquid dripping which I asked about. Apparently it was fuel that leaked after the plane's supersonic flights — had to do with expansion/contraction/heating/cooling cycles.