The King of Speed: SR-71 Blackbird

Mxsmanic wrote:
Kev writes:

One of my jobs in the distant past, was to help task where an SR-71
went each day. We used it for purposes that are still not yet released
to the public. I used to wonder if the pilots got bored if we sent
them to the same place. I can see now, probably not ;-)

At their altitude, they could barely see anything below, anyway. My
guess is that they simply enjoyed the flying experience and really
didn't care if they were going to the same place or not.

That's like saying the astronauts in the ISS or shuttle are too high to
see anything :-)

Remember, it was often used for photos, which means they flew on severe
clear days for that task.

And before the star-sensing navigation in the SR-71, they used a huge
visual drift sight to make sure they were on track. It was a periscope
centered at the top of the instrument panel, that showed the ground.

Kev