Superior Firepower

[spcombs95]

This is what I was privileged to do this past weekend ...

My brother-in-law is an Air Traffic Controller at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, home of the B-2 bomber. Quite an awesome sight up close. They give tours once a month to family members of the military, so I rode out there Friday to have a closer look.

It's as wide as a B-1 bomber, but from the side it looks really odd. More of a flying wing, because there is no fuselage to speak of. The other amazing thing is, the two engines just don't look big enough to generate the thrust necessary to lift 255,000 lbs. fully loaded of the ground!

The most interesting thing about the tour is, they let you walk around the back and look, but you cannot take photos back there. This is to protect the secrets of the Stealth technology, although upon visual inspection I sure couldn't see anything that looked top secret to me.

Anyway, it was a cool experience and I salute all the members of our armed forces, past and present, who serve to protect our great nation! Thanks for your service to our country and Godspeed!

 

[antvq]

This is to protect the secrets of the Stealth technology, although upon visual inspection I sure couldn't see anything that looked top secret to me.

See, it's working!

 

[Rentaroo]

The chemical composition of the paint is very closely guarded.......so, you saw a lot of secret stuff.....you just didn't know it.....

 

[Rogue]

The most interesting thing about the tour is, they let you walk around the back and look, but you cannot take photos back there. This is to protect the secrets of the Stealth technology, although upon visual inspection I sure couldn't see anything that looked top secret to me.

I could explain it to you... but then I'd have to kill you.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

I always enjoy seeing incredible aircraft and the SR-71 used to be my favorite by far, the B-2 is certainly right up there with the SR-71 for different reasons. Seeing the fly is even better. For some reason, it always makes me very proud to be an American Citizen.

 

[LGizmo]

I always enjoy seeing incredible aircraft and the SR-71 used to be my favorite by far, the B-2 is certainly right up there with the SR-71 for different reasons. Seeing the fly is even better. For some reason, it always makes me very proud to be an American Citizen.

The SR-71 is by far my alltime Fav and IMHO was so far ahead of its time...the fact it even existed had was such a shock too many.. It always had something that captivated me as a kid. I still remember when they retired em all it was such a dissapointment but atleast I finally got to go see one in person after that. :yahoo:

 

[RadioHowie]

This is what I was privileged to do this past weekend ...

They allowed you to wax a B2? How cool is that!

 

[Penforhire]

The SR-71 remains my favorite too. There's one often on display in Palmdale, viewed 30-50 feet away through a chain link fence.

 

[Groo]

Used to be (back in the mid/late 80's don't know if it's still the case) that you could walk right up to a Blackbird (SR-71, not the motorcycle) at the museum at Wright Patterson AFB...

 

[LGizmo]

Used to be (back in the mid/late 80's don't know if it's still the case) that you could walk right up to a Blackbird (SR-71, not the motorcycle) at the museum at Wright Patterson AFB...

Yep thats where I got to get my close up handon experiance...absolutely loved it

 

[slapnpop]

The most interesting thing about the tour is, they let you walk around the back and look, but you cannot take photos back there. This is to protect the secrets of the Stealth technology, although upon visual inspection I sure couldn't see anything that looked top secret to me.

Isn't there a big to-do about the way the jet exhaust is done so there's not as much signature from the blast?

 

[throttlejockeyTJ]

Facinating! TJ

 

[wheatonFJR]

At the SAC museum off of I-80 near Omaha, NE, they have an SR-71 hung from the museum roof structure. When you walk in the main entrance, you walk in eye-level with the nose of the SR-71!

VERY COOL

 

[spcombs95]

"Isn't there a big to-do about the way the jet exhaust is done so there's not as much signature from the blast?

Yes,somehow they reduce the heat signature, but I'm not sure how they do it. As near as I could tell, the only thing that is visible that would contribute is the fact that the exhaust exits on the TOP of the wing surface. I guess that would make it hard to see with heat detection devices from the ground anyway.

 

[antvq]

"Isn't there a big to-do about the way the jet exhaust is done so there's not as much signature from the blast?

Yep, but I hear they fixed that on the '06 models :blink:

Oh.....you meant the B2.

Never mind