Growing up, Nicole's family always heard about a special plane that amongst the family was simply called, "Dad's plane." So, when we realized we would be driving within a reasonable distance to a museum where "Dad's plane" was on display, we decided to go see it.
The Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Nebraska is quite a place for those interested in aerospace stuff.
Upon arrival you are greeted by...
This sweet looking B-1A "Lancer" - A Swing Wing Strategic Bomber,
a few missiles and a rocket
the Convair SM-65 Atlas,
the Douglas PGN-17A Thor, the Chance Vought SLV-1 Blue Scout (rocket) and the Northrup SM-62 Snark.
Let's take a tour inside...
The AQM-34 Ryan Firebee - is a remote operated drone air-launched aircraft which was controlled from a DC-130.
This FB 111A "Aardvark" is a supersonic, medium-range, tactical aircraft with some really neat variable-sweep wings.
There are two large hangars filled with a wide variety of primarily Air Force planes, engines and such as well as some really great historical information on special missions, pilots and other related info.
The U-2C "Dragon Lady" is a long range, reconnaissance plane with quite a history including a POW story.
The F-86H "Saber" - was a transonic Fighter Bomber.
The F-84F "Thunderstreak" - a turbojet Fighter Interceptor, Bomber and Escort.
B-25N "Mitchell" - an adaptable bomber which could be converted into an gunship.
Look at the size of the landing gear on this B-36J "Peacemaker" - the largest bomber ever built - it boasts a wingspan of 230 feet!
The XF-85 "Parasite" - only two were made. The program to use them as escort fighters for the B-29 and B-36 did not work as planned and was cancelled.
Intermission...
The MIG-21F "Fishbed-C" - a Soviet-built, multi-role fighter.
The KC-97G "Stratofreighter" - a refueling tanker transport - and the CH-21B "Work Horse" - troop carrier and rescue helicopter.
The B-29TB "Superfortress" - the most advanced bomber aircraft to see operation since WWII.
The C-119G "Flying Boxcar" - cargo transport.
As you can see, there are some pretty cool planes in this museum. However, we came to see one particular plane and to be honest we saw it the moment we walked into the door. Before we show you "Dad's plane" we'll provide some background.
Early in his career as an Mechanical Engineer, Nicole's Father was selected for a special project.
He had been working on this engine - the J-58 - at P&W in FLA.
Due to his familiarity with this engine he was selected to work on a top secret project in a top secret location.
That location was Groom Lake, NV but you may know it better as AREA 51.
The J-58 is quite an impressive creation. It got so hot at cruise that it expanded 2.5 inches in width and 6 inches in length. This forced engineers to design innovative components that could expand and contract.
Here is a shot of the intake.
Due to the high temperatures that this engine reached it was built with special metals.
This amazing (web acquired) shot provides a visual of the heat in the rear of the engine as it glows during full afterburner. If you look closely in the flames you will also see visuals of "shock waves".
Here are a couple of diagrams about engine air flow from a display near the J-58.
These "spikes" located at the front of each engine slid in and out to control airflow to the engine.
The J-58 engine was utilized in the YF-12 experimental fighter-interceptor (which is the plane the engine was being tested on when Nicole's father was at Area 51). The YF-12 was never adopted by the military as an operational aircraft though. The YF however was the precursor to the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft which also used the J-58 engine. And, THAT is our round about way of telling you that, in Nicole's family, we have always referred to the SR-71 as "Dad's plane".
So, we made a stop to take a look at the SR in person at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Nebraska.
Here she is - The world's first stealth aircraft!
The SR-71 is also the first aircraft constructed with titanium because the temperatures at Mach 2.6 would have melted a conventional aluminum frame. Everything about the external design was intended to avoid detection. The plane was also covered in a black ferrite (iron) radar absorbing paint.
The engineering on this plane was so cutting edge that even the tools used to build it needed to be designed from scratch.
Do you remember our mention of the U-2 POW story? After that incident President Johnson and the CIA requested the development of a surveillance aircraft that could gather photographic and electronic intelligence and could not be shot down by anti-aircraft missiles or interceptor aircrafts. Through the SR-71 this request (and more) was achieved!
The SR was the highest flying, fastest jet in the world.
It flew at altitudes so high that its pilots wore space suits. Reports indicate that it flew between 85,000 - 100,000 feet high.
Each SR-71 uses two J-58 engines. Each engine produced 32,500 pounds of thrust – enough to power an ocean liner. In the speed department the SR holds the manned aircraft speed record at Mach 3 plus. Want to go to London from NYC? This plane could make the trip in under two hours. Coast to Coast (L.A. to D.C.)? 67 minutes!
All in all, the team must have done something right. Reports indicate that upwards of 4,000 missiles have been fired by the enemy at SR-71's trying to bring them down and not one ever made contact with the plane.
The SR-71 was designed as a Reconnaissance Strike (RS-71) aircraft but when President Lyndon Johnson announced it he transposed the letters and called it the SR-71. No one was going to correct the president so over 30,000 documents were changed to reflect the new name (Strategic Reconnaissance - SR-71).
The SR-71 carried six different cameras and could photograph 100,000 square miles of the Earth's surface in an hour. It has been said that a camera on the SR-71 could accurately capture the license plate of a car from 80,000 ft.
If previous photos did not provide a good perspective of the size of this aircraft perhaps this one will!
The SR-71 served its purpose and served well for many years. However, the specialized black paint and the specially developed JP (Jet Propellant)-7 fuel proved too expensive to maintain in the long run. The SR-71 may no longer be flying however experiences, design practices and lessons learned from the Blackbird are still being applied in the development of future hypersonic vehicles.
Posing in front of "Dad's Plane".
We had a great visit to the museum and hope that you enjoyed coming along for the tour.