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William Seger

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67. Fun fact: It was actually supposed to be called an RS-71

Thu Dec 5, 2019, 09:45 AM

Dec 2019

Last edited Fri Dec 6, 2019, 07:21 AM - Edit history (2)

... but when Reagan announced it, he called it the SR-71, so they renamed it.

Edit: I have to correct myself. First, it wasn't Reagan; it was LBJ. Second, SR-71 was the correct name -- SR meaning strategic reconnaissance. What happened was, in those days, a stenographer took shorthand notes of presidential speeches, and it was the stenographer who transcribed it as RS-71 all three times that Johnson said SR-71. That version of the speech was handed out to some reporters, and when someone noticed that it said RS-71, an urban legend was born. (I misremembered the president, but I believe I first heard the tale on the old Discovery Channel show Wings.)

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50 years old and still the most impressive, menacing looking plane ever engineered [View all] packman Dec 2019 OP

LA to NY in six minutes The Blue Flower Dec 2019 #1

I think it was closer to one hour and six minutes Zorro Dec 2019 #5

Er, closer to sixty minutes. But still damn fast. ZZenith Dec 2019 #7

Interesting, how time catches up. 3Hotdogs Dec 2019 #32

Right, firing through the arc of the propellors caraher Dec 2019 #82

There's also a more modern example caraher Dec 2019 #84

"SLOW DOWN, DAMMIT!" I think is the lesson here. ZZenith Dec 2019 #86

More to the point, it flew faster than anything that could shoot at it caraher Dec 2019 #83

That's upwards of 28,000 mph. Codeine Dec 2019 #35

Right you are, the Blackbird has very briefly hit Mach 3.5 or approx 2593 mph. MasonDreams Dec 2019 #55

What's your favorite color? GeoWilliam750 Dec 2019 #57

Ni! nt Codeine Dec 2019 #63

Closer to 60 years now Zorro Dec 2019 #2

I always found it interesting the U-2 outlived the SR-71 Brother Buzz Dec 2019 #21

I had one of these bad boys use me for target-practice once...... lastlib Dec 2019 #22

"....and it's supporting you, then it's totally angelic looking" sarge43 Dec 2019 #23

Funky looking, but deadly El Mimbreno Dec 2019 #30

I got to see one of those landing Crabby Appleton Dec 2019 #31

AN-225 taking of at DIA.... diverdownjt Dec 2019 #74

i saw one once at dryden research centre in southern ca whilst following a space shuttle . AllaN01Bear Dec 2019 #3

I found something like that on the beach once. TheCowsCameHome Dec 2019 #4

+1 Blue_Tires Dec 2019 #6

Is it a SR-71? The Wielding Truth Dec 2019 #8

Great video. Dem2theMax Dec 2019 #29

LOL! lunatica Dec 2019 #42

Ha! That was fun. blaze Dec 2019 #58

Great story and video SnowCritter Dec 2019 #66

Hilarious! Thanks for sharing that. nt crickets Dec 2019 #68

My vote would be for the B 52 gibraltar72 Dec 2019 #9

I once saw a sortie of B-52s fly overhead at low altitude Zorro Dec 2019 #10

Carpet bombing are us. gibraltar72 Dec 2019 #17

Once saw a B-52 on a *very* low practice run on a military training route in Nebraska. The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2019 #24

I once saw James48 Dec 2019 #41

I've seen B-1s doing the same thing in ND Major Nikon Dec 2019 #44

One of the amazing things about the B-52 is its longevity NoPasaran Dec 2019 #48

To me the F-4 Phantom always looked like it was born to kick ass. lpbk2713 Dec 2019 #11

My choice too jpak Dec 2019 #14

Yeah, that was a bad ass plane... Wounded Bear Dec 2019 #25

So did I. skydive forever Dec 2019 #60

MCAS El Toro, early 70s... Wounded Bear Dec 2019 #62

During the first Gulf War (91) The Wizard Dec 2019 #59

Yes. Menacing and Yet Beautiful DarthDem Dec 2019 #12

XB-70 Valkyrie. MicaelS Dec 2019 #13

She used to greet visitors driving by the National Museum of the USAF, right by Col. Glenn Highway OilemFirchen Dec 2019 #20

I've seen it a couple of times Major Nikon Dec 2019 #45

Reminder: The YF-12 was the *armed* two-seat version of the A-11. SR-71 was the later modification. eppur_se_muova Dec 2019 #15

It has the face of a peevish Daffy Duck. Ron Obvious Dec 2019 #16

I had one join on my right wing once. trof Dec 2019 #18

If you'd snapped a pic, you'd probably have been arrested... Wounded Bear Dec 2019 #26

Pictures were OK, but not of the ground cart. rickford66 Dec 2019 #65

I always thought the F-86 Sabrejet was a beatifully proportioned plane. brush Dec 2019 #33

This message was self-deleted by its author Hotler Dec 2019 #19

The SR-71....The Blackbird.... ProudMNDemocrat Dec 2019 #27

Wicked cool. nt Ilsa Dec 2019 #28

Thanks burrowowl Dec 2019 #34

Pretty scary, but... B Stieg Dec 2019 #36

Me too. Aristus Dec 2019 #50

Phffffft! You can't draw big dicks in the sky with it. Kaleva Dec 2019 #37

The B-58 Hustler deserves mention. Marcuse Dec 2019 #38

True gwyllm Dec 2019 #69

I grew up around B-58s Zorro Dec 2019 #71

I remember Bunker Hill AFB gwyllm Dec 2019 #72

This message was self-deleted by its author PuffedMica Dec 2019 #39

This biplane looks menacing to me! Ptah Dec 2019 #40

You can get pretty close to one for free, here in Huntsville. House of Roberts Dec 2019 #43

Glad to know she is still there, I still think they should bring her indoors. MasonDreams Dec 2019 #54

Late DH worked on a component of that plane, marybourg Dec 2019 #46

Message auto-removed Name removed Dec 2019 #47

What Made the SR-71 Blackbird Such a Badass Plane Glaisne Dec 2019 #49

It was built with titanium which came from - wait for it - Russia. LastLiberal in PalmSprings Dec 2019 #76

wow! what is it? samnsara Dec 2019 #51

Knew a retired Air Force mechanic who worked on these randr Dec 2019 #52

Even before clicking, I knew it was the SR-71 yonder Dec 2019 #53

My wife and I love this plane more than any other. marble falls Dec 2019 #56

Kansas Cosmosphere has one hanging from the ceiling! lastlib Dec 2019 #61

I knew one of the engineers who worked on that beast. hunter Dec 2019 #64

Fun fact: It was actually supposed to be called an RS-71 William Seger Dec 2019 #67

There's one at the Udvar Hazy center of the National Air and Space Museum IronLionZion Dec 2019 #70

My favorite museums William Seger Dec 2019 #73

Here's Queen Amadala's space ship from Star Wars LastLiberal in PalmSprings Dec 2019 #75

It was quite the upgrade for the X-men! LaurenOlimina Dec 2019 #80

I rode a few times at a farm near the Ottawa airport. I was out when all of a sudden i noticed applegrove Dec 2019 #77

The original skunkworks building is part of the office campus I work at. Kablooie Dec 2019 #78

Fun fact about that spyplane's titanium fuselage. Guess where the titanium came from... LaurenOlimina Dec 2019 #79

And the only weapons it carried Warren_Pointe Dec 2019 #81

Favorite SR-71 story, you've read this one somewhere right? roscoeroscoe Dec 2019 #85

Aah yes, Major Shul and the boys bluedeathray Feb 2020 #87