60-6924
Blackbird Airpark (annex of the Air Force Flight Test Museum)
Palmdale, California, USA · 34.60, -118.09
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Record
Career
- First A-12 built and the first OXCART aircraft to fly
- Built and ground tested at Burbank in Jan to Feb 1962, then trucked to Groom Lake in a 35 ft by 105 ft crate, leaving the Skunk Works on the night of 26 Feb 1962 for a two-day trip
- Lockheed test pilot Lou Schalk made the low unofficial hop, the first real flight (about 40 minutes) and the official first flight (30 Apr 1962, 59 minutes, 30,000 ft)
- First supersonic A-12 flight on 4 May 1962 (Mach 1.1 at 40,000 ft)
- In Aug 1964 CIA noted it was the only one of the four test aircraft to have reached the speed needed to beat the Soviet speed record; the CIA refused to use it for a record attempt
- 332 flights per CIA inventory
Fate
Retired with the A-12 fleet in 1968 and stored at Palmdale; on display at Blackbird Airpark since the park opened in November 1991, next to SR-71A 61-7973.
In the chronology
| 26 Feb 1962 | Article 121 leaves Burbank by road OXCART The first A-12, Article 121 (60-6924), was ground tested at Burbank in January and February 1962. On the night of 26 February its fuselage left the Skunk Works in a 35 by 105 foot crate on a special trailer for a two-day road trip to the Nevada test site, with road signs removed and trees trimmed along the way; the wings were shipped separately. |
| 25 Apr 1962 | Article 121's unofficial first hop OXCART In keeping with Lockheed tradition, Lou Schalk made an unannounced first flight of Article 121, flying less than two miles at about 20 feet before wobbling caused by mis-connected controls forced him down on the lakebed beyond the runway. The next day he flew it for about 40 minutes, during which titanium fillets shed from the airframe. |
| 30 Apr 1962 | A-12 official first flight OXCART With senior Air Force and CIA officials watching, Lou Schalk flew Article 121 for 59 minutes on interim J75 engines, reaching 30,000 feet and just under 400 mph. Kelly Johnson called it the smoothest official first flight of any aircraft he had designed or tested; the A-12 was christened Cygnus. |
| 4 May 1962 | First supersonic A-12 flight OXCART On its second official flight, Article 121 with Lou Schalk at the controls reached Mach 1.1 at 40,000 feet, and DCI John McCone sent Kelly Johnson a congratulatory telegram. |
Where the record disagrees
First flight dates differ by source. CIA Archangel narrative: unofficial first flight on 25 Apr 1962 (under two miles at about 20 ft, wobbling from mis-connected controls), a roughly 40-minute flight the next day (26 Apr), official first flight 30 Apr 1962. The same CIA monograph's timeline lists 26 Apr as 'First test flight'. Wikipedia and the Blackbird Airpark sources give 26 Apr as the first (unofficial) flight, with a momentary lift-off during a high-speed taxi test 'two days earlier' (24 Apr). Flight count: CIA inventory gives 332 flights, Wikipedia table gives 322; both give 418.2 hours. McIninch's earlier CIA history 'The Oxcart Story' gives 26 Apr 1962 as the unofficial, unannounced maiden flight of about 40 minutes, departure from Burbank on 26 Feb 1962, and the official first flight on 30 Apr 1962 (59 minutes). This file uses 26 Apr 1962, the first flight of real duration that both CIA histories record. Blackbird Airpark opening: November 1991 (Roadrunners Internationale) vs dedication on 27 September 1991 (sr-71.org / habu.org, per the 61-7973 entry).
Sources
- Central Intelligence Agency, Center for the Study of Intelligence. Archangel: CIA's Supersonic A-12 Reconnaissance Aircraft (David Robarge, 2nd ed.; includes 'Inventory of A-12s' table, p. 50). Open · Archived · In the register
- Central Intelligence Agency. The Oxcart Story (Thomas P. McIninch, Studies in Intelligence, Winter 1970-71; released 1994). Open · Archived · In the register
- Roadrunners Internationale (OXCART veterans association). Lockheed A-12 Blackbird Survivors. Open · Archived · In the register
- Wikipedia. Lockheed A-12 (aircraft table and accidents list). Open · Archived · In the register
- Historical Marker Database (HMdb). Blackbird Airpark historical marker (coordinates 34.6032, -118.0860). Open · Archived · In the register