The Blackbird
The Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft were the basis for the long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft known as the SR-71, or “Blackbird,” as it was informally called.
The 4200th (later 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California, received the first SR-71 to begin service in January 1966. The first SR-71 flight occurred on December 22, 1964.
Everything that had come before the Blackbird was not comparable. “Everything had to be invented. Everything,” renowned aircraft designer Kelly Johnson of Skunk Works recalled in an intriguing article that appeared on the Lockheed Martin website.
The SR-71 was created to operate at extraordinary velocities, altitudes and temperatures: actually, it was the first aircraft constructed with titanium, as the friction caused by air molecules moving over its surface at Mach 2.6 would melt a standard aluminum frame.
No cockpit demands as much intense focus as an SR-71 Blackbird’s
The SR-71’s mission was to capture images, detect electronic surveillance using its sensors, and fly in a safe manner near the enemy’s border. The Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO) handled all of that and more.
According to Curt Mason, the owner of the Project Habu website, who kindly shared the unique images in this post, “No cockpit demands as much intense focus as an SR-71 Blackbird’s, and in frustrating irony, no cockpit offers a better view,” because of the Blackbird’s special capabilities.
“There was no time to look out the window. The plane knew when your eyes started to wander to the spectacle of earth from 85,000 feet; that’s when something would go wrong. There was much to monitor.* The many “steam gauge” instruments reflect a bygone era, giving the pilot information ranging from heading to compressor inlet temperature, each dial representing a critically important system.
“Even though this cockpit was operated through 2,854 flight hours, it looks brand new. That’s because it was only ever flown using the gloved hands of a crew member wearing the essential high-altitude pressure suit. Every control is large enough to be adjusted with those bulky pressure suit gloves.
“You sit atop your throne, the SR-1 ejection seat, which carries a rare 100% success rate. To operate the circuit breakers, you must reach beside and behind your seat, outside your field of view through the pressure suit helmet. To make sure you actuate the correct breaker, you count down the rows and columns by feel.”
SR-71A 17975 with her cockpit open
Mason concludes;
“March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California, is kind enough to display SR-71A 17975 with her cockpit open. This gives us a rare peek inside the world of the Blackbird, allowing us to look inside something that was formerly top secret and reserved only for a privileged few crew members. These photos were captured using a camera extended into the cockpit via monopod. At no point did I or my equipment come in contact with the artifact.”
Photo by Curt Mason / Project Habu and U.S. Air Force
*SR-71 pilot David Peters gives more details about “looking out the Blackbird window.” He recalls: “Buzz Carpenter (pilot) and John Murphy (RSO) were flying a DMZ mission out of Kadena and were about 75,000 in bound when John spotted an object out his left window, which turned out to be a weather ballon. He told Buzz to look out the left window and Buzz said no, he was busy. John gave him a bad time and Buzz finally said you don’t look outside because the airplane knows and does weird stuff. Of course, that was a joke between them but I honestly don’t know anybody after a few flights that were not comfortable with the airplane. I looked out as much as I could because it is obviously the greatest seat in the world.”
Check out Habubrats SR-71‘s Twitter profile and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder Habubrats‘s Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.