Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are you having trouble finding the answers to your questions? Maybe others are thinking on your same wavelength. Below are some common questions that I find in my inbox all of the time. Be sure to read these before asking a redundant question, I would greatly appreciate it. If you don't find your question on this page, feel free to contact me, I would enjoy hearing from you.
- Section I: Web Site Related Questions
- Section II: Blackbird Questions
- Section III: General Military Aviation Questions
Section I: Web Site Related Questions
Q:I really like the photo on this one particular page, could you mail me prints of this particular photo? I'd be willing to pay for any of the processing.
A: I do not have a photo processing lab. I will, however, send you a high resolution image via e-mail per your request. It is easier since 1) if I do process this for you, I will take the same photo to the local photo processing lab and 2) since you can do this yourself and it could be damaged in the mail, I may as well let you do it. This site is not for profit (yet anyways), so I do not mind the reproduction of photos from the Paul Kucher Collection so long as it is not for profit.
Section II: Blackbird Questions
Q: Why isn't the SR-71 Flight Manual available in PDF format?
A: The reason why it was not produced in the Portable Document Format (PDF) is that the manual is roughly 150 MB when it became digitized. I am trying to make it available to a wide audience and since a PDF version would restrict it to broadband users only, I deemed it impractical from day one. In addition, this would consume a lot of bandwidth to host the entire manual as a single file, bandwidth that I cannot afford at this time.
Q: Where can I find a physical copy of the SR-71A Flight Manual?
A: Hard copies are now sold as a fundraiser via the SR-71 Flight Manual home page.
Q: How fast does the SR-71 actually fly?
A: Please read the second column of this page in the SR-71 Flight Manual.
Q: I am looking for diagrams of the SR-71 for a model that I am building. Do you have the blueprints of the aircraft or a detailed structural diagram that I could use for my project?
A: I do not have the blueprints to any of the Blackbirds. However, I do have a wealth of diagrams that you may use at the Blackbird Diagrams Gallery. Also, be sure to check the online edition of the SR-71A Flight Manual, which has diagrams as well.
Q: Where did you find the patches that you have on your site at the Blackbird Patches page?
A: They were obtained from several aviation gift stores, mostly in museums. There is a high-quality aviation gift shop in Lancaster, CA on Sierra Hwy that has many more patches than the ones I list. Also, check the Dryden Flight Research Center gift shop for additional patches. At least one of my patches came from the San Diego Aerospace Museum and the Cygnus patch came from Blackbird Airpark. There are also many patches available via eBay.
Section III: General Military Aviation Questions
Q: I am looking for information on [some topic that I have not covered on the site] and I was wondering if you could send me everything you have on that subject?
A: If the topic is not featured on this site, chances are that I cannot answer your question. Try to stick to questions pertaining to the Lockheed Blackbirds or some specific content on the site. My knowledge is not broad enough yet to accommodate any aviation question. However, if your question has to do with similar topics to the ones discussed on this site, do ask because I may know someone who does know the answer to your question.
