Blackbird stuff

I have loved this airplane since I was in high school. This page is a compilation of everything I have and can find pictorially on it. For a great written historical compilation, please refer to Dan's History, a simply amazing site that I don't dare compete with.

Kelly Johnson's Skunkworks Rules...

preliminary design studies

the A-2 (CL-400), for the Project codenamed "Suntan"

Clarence "Kelly" Johnson

Ben Rich

wind tunnel development

one known remaining blackbird wind tunnel model

YF-12A configuration testing

testing a familiar config, lateral chines

testing a delta canard config blended with the lateral chines

A-12 (Project codenamed "Gusto" / "Oxcart" / "Archangel"):

A-12 / SR-71: my kids = pilots?	initial engine testing, where the exhaust from one engine was used as the intake for another engine in test	A-12 in production	A-12 in production
A-12 in production	A-12 first flight article being secretly trucked in pieces to Groom Lake test range (Area 51)	A-12 aerial refueling	A-12s on the ramp
A-12B (trainer)	A-12B	mothballed A-12s

YF-12 (of the 18 A-12's built for the CIA, 3 of them were experimental interceptors designated YF-12's):

YF-12A with pilot	YF-12A	YF-12A	YF-12A
YF-12A	YF-12A	two YF-12As	YF-12C

SR-71 'Blackbird' (Project codenamed "Senior Crown"):

SR-71 landing	SR-71	SR-71	SR-71s with pilots
SR-71 in production	SR-71 in production	SR-71 in production	SR-71 in production
SR-71s on the ramp	good frontal shot	after looking at this for many minutes, I think it's real	more cool shed vortices vapor trails
night ops	one of the few times this bird can be guilty of being too slow	gulping down JP-7 from a KC-135Q	replentishing the fuel tank inerting system (liquid nitrogen)
we sneak up on one here	SR-71B (trainer)	SR-71B	SR-71C
TEB engine start	an eyebrow-melting engine start shot	supersonic shock diamonds

GTD-21, a.k.a. D-21 [38 built, 21 expended] (Project codenamed "Tagboard", and the aircraft was originally designated as the "Q-12"):

*misc. shots*
D-21 drone w/my pilot son at the ramjet exhaust...	D-21 drone	nose, frontal	nose, side
...while another D-21 snuck up on me.	rear end	all smarts were to be ejected and recovered...	...by this.
a gaggle of D-21s on the tarmac	Ben Rich's D-21 desktop model...	...close-up.	Some good text writeups on the D-21: here & here
*D-21A on the A-12* (Project codenamed "Senior Bowl") The two modified A-12s were redesignated as M-21s, although in the 1980's these aircraft were originally referred to in some publications as M-12s.
D-21 mating to M-21	D-21 mating to M-21
M-21 w/D-21 drone, lining up for refueling from a KC-135Q	M-21 w/D-21 drone	M-21 w/D-21 drone	M-21 w/D-21 drone
M-21 w/D-21 drone	M-21 w/D-21 drone	M-21 w/D-21 drone	M-21 + D-21 at Seattle Museum of Flight today
prep for early test flights	prep for early test flights	damage from first M-21 launch attempt, March 5 1966	the disastrous 4th launch attempt on July 30 1966 (MPEG video, 16 MB) (read event details here)
D-21B on the B-52H (Project codenamed "Senior Bowl")

mating special pylon to D-21	mating special pylon to D-21	mating special pylon to D-21
the booster to get the D-21 up to ramjet start speed (M=2.2)	Booster, another angle. It was a solid-fuel rocket with a length of 44' 4", a weight of 13,290 lbs, and a burn time of ~90 seconds.	mounting booster in vertical test firing stand	test firing

		good view of the
			dropped and falling clear!
		sled firing!	D-21B flight profile

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This page was last updated on 02/19/05.