Fascinating Pictures That Show How The SR-71 Was Built

Scientists at Lockheed's Skunk Works in Burbank developed the plane -this picture shows their assembly line

Daily Mail: How they built the Blackbird: Fascinating pictures show birth of Lockheed's top secret SR-71 spy plane - which is STILL the fastest plane ever built after 39 years

* Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was built in the 1960s by engineers in California
* Long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft was made for US Air Force
* Classified pictures reveal how Lockheed built A, B and C versions of plane
* Held world record for the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft since 1976

WNU Editor: Life is funny. If you live long enough .... what was ultra top secret 40 years ago .... years later gets posted in The Daily Mail as a human interest story.

An SR-71 Pilot Explains How The Cockpit Works

Watch An SR-71 Pilot Explain How The Cockpit Works -- Popular Mechanics

An SR-71's exterior is all smooth, swooping surfaces. The Blackbird's interior, however, is a cramped assemblage of dials and switches need to keep the supersonic spy plane aloft.

Don't be intimidated, would-be pilots. In this video, longtime SR-71 pilot Richard Graham walks you through the bevy of controls and explains what each one tells you.

For something cool and also kind of terrifying, skip to about 14:18, at which point you can see Graham showing off the back of the plane where the navigator sat. As he explains, it was critical that the pilot and navigator were both in perfect health before each flight, because neither could fly the plane properly if the other were to be incapacitated.

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My Comment: This was once classified ultra-top secret .... today it is on YouTube.