What supersonic looks like

On a very sub-sonic note, the local warplane museum was flying their B-17 today. It went over my house when I was out side earlier.

I googled "shock diamonds" after reading up on the SR71 engine and found this...

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/04may_methaneblast.htm?list208336

Click the picture in that link to watch a sweet video.

confuZion3 wrote: Do they still fly those planes (SR-71)? I know they're essentially useless now, but they have to get some of them off the ground, right? Or are they all grounded with their engines removed and stored in warehouses? Or Decepticons?

I heard that a lot of them recommissioned. I heard that the Russians had figured out a way to block out a lot of satellite imagery, so they're running passes with the SR-71 to get spy footage.

My grandfather foams at the mouth about the decommissioning of the SR-71.

And I maintain that afterburners are one of the fastest ways of converting fuel into awesome.

Salanis wrote: I heard that a lot of them recommissioned. I heard that the Russians had figured out a way to block out a lot of satellite imagery, so they're running passes with the SR-71 to get spy footage. My grandfather foams at the mouth about the decommissioning of the SR-71. And I maintain that afterburners are one of the fastest ways of converting fuel into awesome.

Negative. They were reactivated after Desert Storm, but then put back out to pasture in 98 or 99. You can't hide a plane like that, either.

I'm harboring suspicions about their replacement we have running around... If there wasn't, that would be really lame.

I've had farts that would put those to SHAME!

Hal wrote:

confuZion3 wrote: Or are they all grounded with their engines removed and stored in warehouses?

How about being on display in museums

It's amazing how decieving those look in pictures. They actually very tiny aircraft, in reality were not much bigger than the engines themselves, you would think they would be huge with the monster engines and all that spyware, the camera pod if I remember correctly was only about 4 foot long and about 20 inches in diameter, and the quality of the photos from the edge of space are amazing, especially when you consider how fast that machine would be moving when it was shooting. They were horribly labor intensive, requireing a refuel immediatly after take off, as they couldn't ( or wouldn't)take off with a full fuel load, as they were so loosely put together they leaked fuel on the ground, and continued to do so till friction heated them up and they expanded to seal themselves up. My old man was stationed at Beale AFB where they were housed. The U2 can do basicly the same job, and while not as fast, and it can be shot down by other aircraft it flies high enough that most ground fire doesn't bother it. Still it was an amazing machine especially considering it was built in the 80's

Salanis wrote: . And I maintain that afterburners are one of the fastest ways of converting fuel into awesome.

One of my uncles used to be a test pilot for the SAC, but he has long since retired, Most of what he did was extremely classified, but if you get him out on a golf course with a few scotches in him, he starts to recall stories..

When he speaks about the thrill of turning a jet straight up and kicking in the afterburners, there comes a glint in his eyes that could be best compared to a child in a toy store.

And I thought autocrossing was cool...

Still it was an amazing machine especially considering it was built in the 80's

U2 first flight was in 1955.

A12 (SR-71) first flight was in 1963.

All the more amazing now isn't it?

I now work in the building where they make a ton of components for the J58's and the Raptor engines.

They make the raptor thrust vectoring section 3 cells down from my cell.

I work on engine parts and it's cool.

edit: sorry, just cooled out by my new job..

What causes the "pulses" in the Blackbird afterburner plume?

I assume it would also be the cause of the "braided" look of the Methane test fire plume.

ignorant wrote: I now work in the building where they make a ton of components for the J58's and the Raptor engines.

Are you in EH or Middletown? I'm in EH...

EDIT: I see you are elsewhere... Nevermind...

The_Jed wrote: What causes the "pulses" in the Blackbird afterburner plume?

I don't pretend to understand the complex flow coming out of the nozzle, but they are basically visual indications of standing shock waves in the plume. Heres the F135: