Yeah, this belongs here

[Alaric]

Major Brian Shul, US Air Force (Retired) was a SR-71 pilot and so much more. If you don't want to watch the whole thing, at least watch the first 3:15. While idiots are wearing shirts with that psychopathic animal, Che Gueverra, on them this guy was accomplishing things that were great individually. The collection is jaw dropping.

[Lex]

This is an amazing story and amazing titanium haul a$$ jet!!! WOWOW! I loved the story, and the videos!

[Alaric]

When the SR-71 was retired one was flown from CA to Dulles airport in Washington DC for the Smithsonian. It took a couple minutes over an hour for the flight. The pilot couldn't use the last two stages of afterburner because they hadn't budgeted for the special fuel they would have had to refuel with. So 2500 miles in an hour sounds like 2500 mph, right? Well, no....
When an SR-71 takes off it uses so much fuel it immediately flies to 30,000 feet to meet a tanker and take on 10,000 lb. of fuel. Then it climbs to 80,000 feet where the engines are the most efficient. On the last coast to coast that one hour flight was wheels up to touchdown. So, to do it at 2500 mph that would be crossing the west coast at 2500 mph and crossing the east coast at same. If you factor in the refueling, the climb to 80,000 feet, then the descent from 80,000 feet in to the pattern at Dulles and landing that thing at a commercial airport, then the actual flight speed goes up a little. If the flight was one hour and a quarter (75 minutes) and 15 minutes were spent climbing, refueling, descending, and landing (not a long time at all, really) then we can add 20% to the speed, having shaved 20% off the actual flight time. That takes it to 3000 mph ground speed. Without using two of the three afterburner stages. The actual top speed of the SR-71 is still classified. That is one heck of an airplane.