
The SR-71 Blackbird in flight video. This video is shot with the SR-71 flying at near minimum flight speed as there are few aircraft that could match the speed of SR-71, for more than a few minutes at best, even at it's lower end operation speeds. During the refueling sequence, note that near the end of the refueling cycle, the KC-135 appears to be nose down in flght attitude. This is because as the SR-71 nears fuel capacity, it must increase speed, so the KC-135 must go into a shallow dive with the throttles to the firewall, and fly at maximum operating speed, with the SR-71 wallowing around behind it at near minimum flight speed. I know an SR-71 pilot or two, and I have been told the true maximum speed of the aircraft was never actually reached, or at least that speed was never declassified and so is not stated. This aircraft is the source of the infamous $500 hammer. As usual, the claims of waste for buying hammers for $500 is made by people who don't know anything about what they are saying. The $500 hammer is made of Titanium, as is a lot of the SR-71, and because dis-similar metals cause corrosion on contact, a Titanium hammer was made to work on this aircraft. The same is said for those who comment of the "leaking" of fuel on the ground and at low altitude. The aircraft is designed to expand, due to friction with the atmosphere, as much as 1 foot in lenght at operational speeds and altitude. The fuel, JP-7 is only used on the SR-71 and is actually part of the heat <b>...</b>
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TJDOZIER