From the Archives: Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Using Drag Chute During Landing
With a touchdown speed of approximately 155 knots (178 miles per hour) and a design landing weight of 68,000 pounds, the SR-71 had significant energy to dissipate upon landing. To assist with this, a massive drag chute was deployed after touchdown.
Topics Related To: AVIATION HISTORY
Helicopter Rescue Operations Without a Tail Rotor
An McDonnell-Douglas MD-900 Explorer EMS helicopter conducts rescue operations in Lofer, Austria. While the word “Notarzt” on the side directly translates to “emergency doctor,” it unintentionally also identifies a key feature of the MD-900 – the “NOTAR” system that replaces the tail rotor.
NASA’s Shuttle Training Aircraft – A Gulfstream Business Jet, Repurposed
The Bell-Boeing CMV-22B Osprey tiltrotor takes on US Navy aircraft carrier cargo and personnel transport duties as it replaces the Grumman C-2 Greyhound fixed-wing aircraft.
Three Ways the Ford Trimotor Revolutionized Air Travel
While many undoubtedly recognize the Ford emblem and the vehicles it adorns, Ford manufactured another machine that few may recognize today, but which revolutionized the 1920s and 1930s. It was a flying machine called the Trimotor.
