Plane Facts

Ever heard of the YF-12A, a military plane that can hit a target 124 miles away with 94% accuracy while flying at 80,000 feet?

Did you know the first Stealth plane ever built was the Blackbird A-12, a sophisticated craft that features technology considered to be extremely advanced for the early 1960s? Better yet, want to see a Blackbird A-12 up close or a spy plane known as an SR-71A, which travels faster than a rifle bullet?

You can at the Blackbird Airpark in Palmdale, which provides plenty of interesting history about high-tech military aircraft.

The park also has the world’s only display of a Lockheed SR-71A with its Blackbird predecessor, the A-12, and the once top-secret D-21 drone, which was launched from an A-12.

The three-acre air park was built in 1991 on an Air Force production flight-test installation site. At the entrance are two huge black planes, the A-12 and the SR-71A.

The A-12, which travels more than three times the speed of sound, first flew in 1962. Although its operational service is shrouded in secrecy, research indicates the plane was used in covert operations by the CIA.

“As far as we know, the Air Force never flew it,” said Blackbird Airpark volunteer docent William Welsh. “It was used strictly by the CIA.”

The A-12 is almost 100 feet long, its wing span 55.6 feet and it travels at 95,000 feet. The plane, which has been at the park since it opened, had been stored at nearby Edwards Air Force Base since its retirement in 1968.

The SR-71A first flew in 1964 and its wing span and speed are similar to the A-12’s. It was retired from official duty in 1989 and last flew at an air show in Paris a year later.

“They were the first aircraft made with titanium from Russia,” Welsh said about huge aircraft. “But interesting as that may sound, the question most people ask is, ‘How do you get into the air craft?’ ”

Welsh tells a group of visitors that pilots used crew ladders, two of which are on display at the park.

He also says that Blackbird pilots wore sophisticated pressure suits, similar to those used by astronauts, because the cockpit reached temperatures of up to 620 degrees. That’s hot enough to melt lead.

The plane’s nose got up to 800 degrees--hotter than a soldering iron--and the engine cowlings, or coverings, reached 1,200 degrees.

A young boy in the group appears intrigued by the information.

“Kids absolutely love this stuff,” Welsh said. “They really appreciate it and leave excited.”

Adjacent to the Blackbirds is a J58 engine, built in 1956, that weighs 6,000 pounds and measures 17 feet.

Blackbird Airpark also has an informative indoor exhibit that features an ejection seat from an SR-71A.

“The pilot survived 80,000 feet while traveling at speeds of near Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound),” said docent Ray Vonier. “This is the actual seat.”

There’s also a 55-minute video that includes previously unreleased footage of the A-12’s first flight and lots of behind-the-scenes footage of how the plane was assembled in Burbank.

The video also prominently features Kelly Johnson, the notorious engineer who designed the Blackbirds.

Books and photos give detailed information about various military aircraft, and a list is posted with the location of other Blackbirds. For instance, there are A-12s in museums in Alabama, San Diego and Seattle, and SR-71As in Arizona, Kansas and Washington.

Blackbird Airpark is unique because it’s the only place where both planes may be seen together. If you insist on taking one home, the gift shop sells model plane kits as well as T-shirts, coffee mugs and hats.

The real thing is, of course, more impressive. During special events, the public is allowed to climb into the cockpit to take a photo.

Blackbird Airpark visitor Rex Funk of Lancaster likes the park’s laid-back atmosphere and the fact that visitors can get a good look at the exhibits.

“It’s not so restricted and you can get real close to the planes without being bothered,” he said. “It’s amazing to learn all the history behind these great machines.”

If you don’t get your fill of military aircraft at Blackbird Airpark, you may want to head to the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum at Edwards Air Force Base about 10 miles away.

Its exhibit includes 12 aircraft, propulsion systems, personal memorabilia, photos and an extensive library.

BE THERE

Blackbird Airpark, at Air Force Plant 42 on the corner of 25th Street East and Avenue P in Palmdale. See the world’s only display of a Lockheed SR-71A with its Blackbird predecessor, the A-12. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Admission is free. (805) 277-8050. The Air Force Flight Test Center Museum is at Edwards Air Force Base, 1100 Kincheloe. It’s open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. (805) 277-8050.