File A121-R-61-7956SR-71BArticle 2007

61-7956

SR-71B · Article 2007
NASA 831
On displayPortage (Kalamazoo), Michigan

Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center
Portage (Kalamazoo), Michigan, USA · 42.23, -85.56

SR-71B 61-7956 near Beale Air Force Base, California, during its 1,000th sortie.
SR-71B 61-7956 near Beale Air Force Base, California, during its 1,000th sortie.SSgt. Bill Thompson, U.S. Air Force · 1982-01-13 · DoD VIRIN DF-ST-83-03918 · Public domain (US government work) · Source
SR-71B 61-7956 (NASA 831) on display at the Air Zoo, Portage, Michigan, on 27 December 2019.
SR-71B 61-7956 (NASA 831) on display at the Air Zoo, Portage, Michigan, on 27 December 2019.Michael Barera · 2019-12-27 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Record

61-7956
2007
SR-71B
3,967.5
18 November 1965
Preserved, on display
Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center, Portage (Kalamazoo), Michigan, USA

Career

  • Only surviving SR-71B two-seat trainer (raised instructor cockpit, ventral fins)
  • Highest flight time of any Blackbird: 3,967.5 hours
  • First flown by Bob Gilliland and Steve Belgau
  • Flew its 1,000th sortie on 15 Jan 1982
  • Arrived at NASA Dryden 25 Jul 1991 as NASA 831; research, training and proficiency aircraft until Oct 1997, also supporting the 1995 USAF reactivation

Fate

Last flight 19 October 1997 at the Edwards AFB open house after NASA service; delivered to the Air Zoo on 28 March 2003 and placed on display 23 April 2003.

In the chronology

7 Jan 1966First SR-71 delivered to Beale AFB SENIOR CROWN
The first SR-71 to enter Air Force service, an SR-71B two-seat trainer, was delivered to the 4200th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, California. Beale stayed the Blackbird's home until January 1990.
25 Jul 1991SR-71B trainer joins NASA NASA
SR-71B 61-7956 (NASA 831) arrived at Dryden, where it served as a research platform and for crew training and proficiency until October 1997.
27 Mar 2003Last stored SR-71s head to museums Legacy
NASA announced that SR-71B 61-7956 (NASA 831) would go to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo in Michigan. During 2003 the reactivated SR-71As also left Edwards: 61-7971 to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in Oregon and 61-7967 to the Eighth Air Force Museum at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.

Where the record disagrees

Baugher says NASA 831 was used for training but not research; NASA's fact sheet says it served as a research platform as well as for crew training. Museum is often described as Kalamazoo; its address is in Portage, Michigan.

Sources

  1. NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. NASA Facts FS-2008-6-030-DFRC: SR-71 Blackbird. Open · Archived · In the register
  2. NASA. Where Are They Now: SR-71B #831. Open · Archived · In the register
  3. SR-71 Online (sr-71.org, read via Wayback Machine snapshot). SR-71B #61-7956 (17956). Archived copy · In the register
  4. SR-71 Online (sr-71.org, read via Wayback Machine snapshot). Blackbird Flight Hours (data from Peter Merlin, NASA Dryden, as of 21 May 2006). Archived copy · In the register
  5. SR-71 Online (sr-71.org, read via Wayback Machine snapshot). Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird: SR-71 Timeline. Archived copy · In the register
  6. Habu.org. Blackbird Photo Archive: 61-7956. Archived copy · In the register
  7. Air Zoo. Air Zoo announces SR-71 Spy-Posium details and events. Open · Archived · In the register
  8. Roadrunners Internationale. Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird production list (article numbers). Open · Archived · In the register
  9. OpenStreetMap (Nominatim geocode). Map coordinates: Air Zoo Flight Innovation Center. Open · In the register