quote:

Originally posted by cruiser68:
Way cool. Looks cool, sounds cool. Must have taken countless hours to build.

10 years

That was awesome. Thanks for sharing it. I saw the real thing landing in Okinawa one time.

There is one in the SAC museum near Ashland NE. You can’t touch it. Well, if you have a good vertical you probably could. It is suspended about 6 ft. Above your head when you walk in the doors.

I was stationed on Okinawa 1971 through 1972. I was based across the bay from Kadena and watched SR71’s fly out of there on a regular basis.

You would hear the sound first, a wall of noise that was unique from any other aircraft. The closest comparison would be a missile launch. The 71 would rotate, stabilize, then point the nose at the stars and disappear, leaving the crackling sound of its engines in its wake.

I was at Kadena one time and was very fortunate to see/experience a take off from next to the runway fence. The crew was dropped off at the aircraft, dressed like astronauts, each hooked to and carrying an air conditioning unit (more likely a box for their oversized balls). A special refueling tanker took off about an hour prior to the 71.

I still get goose bumps thinking about it, and this was almost 50 years ago. I can only dream about what the replacement will be like.

Lance is a good friend of mine from Columbia, Missouri that I have known for many years. He started his Blackbird project with the intent of competing with it in the Jet World Masters international scale competition but despite his best efforts he just could not get it down to the upper weight limitation. He did tons of research on this jet and it is as true to scale as humanly possible right down to the textures of the skin on the fuselage. I know he worked with the manufacturer of the wheels to get the rubber on the main landing gear just the right shade of light gray!

I have seen this plane fly many times as we attend many of the same jet rallies held around the country each year. He is definitely a master builder and flyer!

Here is another really cool video of his Blackbird flying at the airport in Tecumseh, Nebraska. I generally hate when people add music to videos but it seems appropriate in this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUMCSK0o20I

Sorry. I don't know how to imbed videos.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
we have one here in Tucson - you can get up close and touch the thing, poke around in the wheel wells...its an amazing aircraft

thanks for the second video

Pima Air & Space is a must see if you're in Tucson and love aircraft. I spent over two hours wandering around the museum checking out the numerous military/civilian aircraft. If you plan ahead, 10 days, and receive a security clearance you can even take a tour of the Air Force Bone Yard at Davis-Monthan AFB.

there was another video of a large scale F104 Starfighter and the builder went to great lengths to add stains and streaks - it looked very authentic