03-14-2023, 09:36 PM
I love visiting that A-12 aircraft at the California Science Center along with the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour. The SR-71 and Space Shuttle Orbiter were a big part of my life. My dad spent most of his career programming, updating and maintaining software for the Nav System on the SR-71 until it retired. During much of my childhood, I never knew that since he couldn’t talk about it. Most of my career was working on Space Shuttle Orbiter until priogram retired, so I do enjoy visiting Endeavour from time to time.
The aircraft at California Science Center by USC is an A-12 Trainer, elevated cockpit behind the forward cockpit allowed for the training. Can read about it here: https://californiasciencecenter.org/exhi...-blackbird
Some timeline and relationship information between A-12 and the SR-71 found here: https://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/a-12/
I would be hard pressed to remember the year, but I recall the SR-71 flying to Pt Mugu Airshow, not to land though. The SR-71 arrived to perform two or three flybys over the runway. The crowd was thrilled, I will never forget it! A quick google came up with this, must have been one of those years that I was there (I probably have pics hiding somewhere): https://archive.vcstar.com/news/by-1980s...5991.html/
My dad got me a SR-71 photograph that was autographed by the crew that set the speed record in 1974 from New York to London: https://theaviationgeekclub.com/from-new...on-flight/ Reminds me, I need to see where I put that photograph, not seen since one of my previous moves.
The aircraft at California Science Center by USC is an A-12 Trainer, elevated cockpit behind the forward cockpit allowed for the training. Can read about it here: https://californiasciencecenter.org/exhi...-blackbird
Some timeline and relationship information between A-12 and the SR-71 found here: https://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/a-12/
I would be hard pressed to remember the year, but I recall the SR-71 flying to Pt Mugu Airshow, not to land though. The SR-71 arrived to perform two or three flybys over the runway. The crowd was thrilled, I will never forget it! A quick google came up with this, must have been one of those years that I was there (I probably have pics hiding somewhere): https://archive.vcstar.com/news/by-1980s...5991.html/
My dad got me a SR-71 photograph that was autographed by the crew that set the speed record in 1974 from New York to London: https://theaviationgeekclub.com/from-new...on-flight/ Reminds me, I need to see where I put that photograph, not seen since one of my previous moves.