Lockheed SR-71 BlackBird - Una leyenda aeronaútica
Video from the channel Transponder 1200 about Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 5:31. Language: Spanish. Video type: Documentary.
What it's about
Short narrated documentary about the SR-71 Blackbird: its origin, its performance and its technical solutions.
Historical context
Like other classified U.S. projects, the SR-71 was developed in secret at Skunk Works, Lockheed's advanced projects division run by Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. It first flew on 22 December 1964, and President Lyndon Johnson made it public. The Air Force and NASA used it, besides for missions, as a testbed for aerodynamics, propulsion, materials, thermal protection, instrumentation, atmospheric studies and sonic boom research. It was retired in 1998.
Key facts
It flew at more than Mach 3 and up to 85,000 feet. The structure was made of titanium alloy to withstand up to 800°F from air friction. In each intake, a movable spike that only operated above Mach 1.6 delivered subsonic air to the Pratt & Whitney J58 engines, each producing 32,500 pounds of thrust. At cruising speed the fuselage expanded by about 5 cm, so the panels only fit properly in flight. On 1 September 1974 it flew from New York to London in 1 hour, 54 minutes and 56 seconds, compared to the Concorde's 3 hours and 20 minutes. About 32 units were built.