The SR-71 Blackbird is the March Aircraft of the Month! The Blackbird will be open every Friday in March from 10:00am to 3:00pm, come get an in depth experience with this amazing aircraft.
Lockheed SR-71C “Blackbird”
S/N 61-7981
Crew: Two
Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney J58 turbojet engines; 32,500 lbs thrust each in afterburner
Wingspan: 55 ft 7 in
Length: 107 ft 5 in
Height: 18 ft 6 in
Weight: max: 170,000 lbs
Speed: Mach 3+ (over 2,000 mph)
Range: 2,590 miles
Service Ceiling: Over 85,000 ft
The SR-71C, located at the Hill Aerospace Museum, is a one of a kind. There was only one C model Blackbird ever built, and it was the final SR-71 to be manufactured. The C model is a hybrid between the rear fuselage of the YF-12A and a functional engine mock up of a SR-71A forward fuselage built for static testing. The C model was built after the second of the two B model trainers crashed in January of 1968.
The C model made its first flight in March 1969. In September 1970, following flight testing, it was delivered to the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base. The aircraft only logged 556.4 flight hours, not including the 180.9 flight hours accumulated from the YF-12A, and completed its final flight in April 1976, then was removed from flying status in June 1976. The aircraft was then moved into long term storage at the Lockheed plant in Palmdale, California.
Utah Senator Orrin G. Hatch intervened and the Hill Aerospace Museum was assigned the aircraft in April 1990. Planning to move the SR-71 from California to the Hill Aerospace Museum began immediately, and members of the Air Force Heritage Foundation of Utah, the 67th Aerial Port Squadron and teh 405th Combat Logistics Support Squadron traveled to California to decide the best way to disassemble, package and transport the aircraft back to the Hill Aerospace Museum.
In August of 1990, the aircraft was broken down into three major pieces and sorted into smaller components for transport on a C-5 Galaxy. When the disassembly was completed, there was no cargo aircraft immediately available to transport the aircraft. In the Spring of 1991, representatives from the 67th Aerial Port Squadron and 405th CLSS traveled twice with large, flat-bed trucks to transport most of the palatalized components, leaving only larger components that required to be moved by a cargo aircraft. In August 1991, the final transport was arranged.
It was a two month process to reassemble the SR-71C model, but thanks to 405th CLSS, Volunteers, Air Force Reservists and many active-duty personnel the aircraft was ready for display. In October 1991 the SR-71C was placed on display at the Hill Aerospace Museum.
