You look at this and all you can say is "Oh my God!"

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+1 to Clem

I got to see one of those babies up close once. They had one declare an in flight emergency in '78 or so and make an emergency landing at McConnell AFB, Wichita, Ks where I was stationed. The tower weenies said it called short final over Kansas City and was on the ground a couple of minutes later. They whisked it away to one of the hangers and put a guard around it. After covering the security sensitive antennas and such with file folders and duct tape (I shit you not! File folders and duct tape) we were allowed to look at it. The 2nd day after it landed we were even allowed to let our families look at it. Damned impressive machine. It still looks like something out of a Buck Rodgers film.

They flew a maintenance team in to fix the bird. On the 2rd day after it arrived the SR left. I was up in the Control Tower (I worked in the shop that fixed the tower's comm gear) when it left. IIRC, it took almost all of the base's 12,000+ runway length to get off the ground (no STOL THIS bird) but when it got up the gear came up and it pointed its nose to the sky and climbed like a homesick angel. Whew! Absolutely unforgettable sight.

Killer machine. They have one hanging not too far from Wichita at an air museum. Can't recall the name but wnet there a few times when we lived outside Wichita. Saw them restoring the Apollo 13 capsule there too IIRC.

Some years back one of the 'drivers' wrote a book about his adventures. I tried to find a copy but it has become a serious collectors item and the price is very high. I would really like a chance to read that one. Did get to see the one in N.Y. though. Got to wonder if we have replaced it and if so with what?
C.G.B.

I was stationed at Offutt AFB, 1980-84. One year we had an SR-71 come in for the airshow. The pilot flew over the flight line twice before landing and pulling into the hanger and the SP's came out and surrounded the plane.

One time I was glad my office was inside the flight line.

I was stationed on Kadena AB, Okinawa from 84-86. We used to try and "catch" the Habu coming out of it's lair. They would always open the back doors of the hanger and do engine run up inside with the front doors closed. If you drove around the base perimeter road behind the hanger, and the rear doors were open, that meant it was about to go.

Used to tick off the ATC boys that they would call for clearance from inside the hanger, and ATC would have to divert EVERYONE for the Habu. I was in Comm Sqdrn, and had a bunch of ATC buddies in the dorm, used to hear them grumble about it.

We "got" it one time. We went by the hanger and it was running up engines. We then went as fast as we could to the end of the runway and parked in the grass. We sat there in my car with the windows down, taking pictures of it coming at us. Right before it went over head, I dropped my camera in my lap and covered my ears hard. My buddy didn't, he kept taking pictures. It was about 3 days before he could hear a normal conversation again.

I used to love to watch one take off at night. Those twin blow torches were at least as long as the aircraft.

It was the only bird that took of from Kadena that I could hear take off from inside our EMP hardened equipment shelter, that was up on a hill in base housing.

I worked weather satellites. Every once in a while we would get a "Tasking" for a weather pic from Ops that was far outside our normal "area", and within a few hours, you'd hear the Habu take off.

Pretty cool aircraft, and good times.

Saw the SR71 at Farnborough Air show many years ago. It was so cool to see it.

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Saw one take off from Ramstein in '82 or '83 once. They weren't supposed to be there so something must have happened.

JohnHunt mentioned the SR not being at Ramstein when he was there. I know how that works. I spent a good bit of '80 TDY to Osan, ROK. Back then there were no U-2s at Osan.

Nope. No U-2s at Osan. Nary a one. And you couldn't watch 'em take off precisely at 0700 every morning. And you couldn't watch 'em land either. They never had to circle to lose altitude because they weren't there. And being a bit of a plane nut I never got to enjoy watching them operate out of Osan since there WERE NO U-2s at Osan in '80.

I remember the first time I went TDY to Osan. Had to install some equipment in the RAPCON. I was baby sitting the new gear when one of the controllers showed me something REAL interesting on his screen. Seems one of the pilots of one of those U-2s that weren't at Osan had forgotten to turn off his transponder. He was squawking FL782. The controller keyed his mike and advised that whatever pilot that still had his transponder on after it was supposed to be shut off had better shut it off PFQ. Next time the sweep came around there was nothing there.

FL782 Imagine that. And it was still climbing.

Got to see one get off --Up close--
About 100 yds from the side--the enginges are deafening--the pulses are iridescent Violet rings of fire spewing out with the thunderous chugging sound--
then she's gone--

Will never forget it--amazing.

My favorite bird ----too bad they are no more! The F22 has replaced it as my favorite "flying" bird!

When I go out to LMSW I always try to go and look at the one we have out there on static display. The skin is Very thin.. Still my favorite.

There is an SR-71 on The Intrepid in NYC.

I look at it everytime I'm on the westside hwy.

It is much smaller than I thought it would be.

Never have got to see one, but read a book about the development. Talks about the SR71, the new stealths, etc.
The book is written by Ben Rich who used to run Skunk Works where all of these were developed.
Awesome book....... hard to put down one you've started it.

Book is called: Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed