Sunday, March 12, 2006
SR-71 Blackbird........Huge, Fast, High Altitude and powerful. This bird is all black and set several speed records, it is reported it can fly at Mach 3.3 and beyond. The sign says it could fly 2000 miles per hour, there are other sources who say 2,800 or more. It was a spy plane to photograph the enemy, and it was never ever shot down, only two are operational and they are used for testing, one at least by NASA the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This was a two seat trainer. A pilot was in a space suit to fly this plane, it leaked fuel on the runway before taking off then got to operational tempature, was re-fueled in the air and went on its mission, soon as it got to tempature the plane quit leaking the fuel. It is said this is still the record holder for a jet airplane for speed records.
Hill Aerospace Museum on the edge of the Hill Air Force Base in Roy, Utah
The main hanger is behind the huge transport plane to give you an idea of the size of it and the B-1B Bomber
B-52 Bomber produced in 1952 for the United States Air Force, it is still in service and is one of the mightest bombers in the world, it flies about 650 miles per hour and can fly worldwide and deliver it's huge payload of bombs, it has 8 Jet engines which have been upgraded through the years. It can re-fuel in the air.
C-47 transport, some of these were converted gun planes with a hydraulic machine gun and they flew over Vietnam and were called Puff the Magic Dragon because of the flames from the gun as they flew over, they were awsome and deadly, this aircraft flew about 230 miles per hour. Details about Puff the Magic Dragon can be seen here at this url, very interesting: http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-air-support/vietnam/spooky-puff.htm
Idaho Air National Guard transport plane, Idaho is printed in gold on the top of the tail, I believe this plane could fly about 230 miles per hour
B-29, first plane to have a pressurized compartment to give the crew comfort from high altitudes, it had four 18 cylinder radial engines of 2,200 horsepower each. The guns were computer controlled for windage and the gunners sat behind clear bubbles to be out of the weather. The B-29 aircraft was the first bomber to drop an atomic bomb over Japan, two were used, the Enola Gay and the Bochs Car. Photos of them are in this web page near the bottom. This B-29 is on exhibit at the Hill Airfield Museum
C-130 Transport also sometimes is equiped with high speed hydraulic cannons and can hit every foot of where they are shooting, said to be one of three the safest planes flown considering it's flight records
B-1B undercarriage and bombay doors from rear of plane looking forward
