File A121-R-61-7979SR-71AArticle 2030

61-7979

SR-71A · Article 2030
On displayJoint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas

USAF Airman Heritage Museum / Lackland air park (on-base, restricted access)
Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas, USA · 29.38, -98.62

SR-71A 61-7979 of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing taking off from Beale Air Force Base, California.
SR-71A 61-7979 of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing taking off from Beale Air Force Base, California.SSgt. Bill Thompson, U.S. Air Force · 1981-08-02 · DoD VIRIN DF-ST-83-03373 · Public domain (US government work) · Source
Ice from freezing rain on the nose of SR-71A 61-7979, the static display aircraft at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in January 2007.
Ice from freezing rain on the nose of SR-71A 61-7979, the static display aircraft at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in January 2007.Lance Cheung, U.S. Air Force · 2007-01-16 · USAF VIRIN 070116-F-2907C-176 · Public domain (US government work) · Source

Record

61-7979
2030
SR-71A
3,321.7
Not confirmed
Preserved, on display
USAF Airman Heritage Museum / Lackland air park (on-base, restricted access), Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas, USA

Career

  • Flew the first of the 1973 Middle East (Yom Kippur War) sorties from Griffiss AFB, NY (Jim Shelton and Gary Coleman): 11.13 h with 6 refuellings
  • Fourth-highest flight time of any Blackbird (per habu.org)

Fate

Flown to Lackland AFB, Texas, on 6 March 1990 (Steve Grzebiniak and Stanley Gudmundson), the same day as 61-7972's record flight; on static display on the base, owned by the National Museum of the USAF.

In the chronology

13 Oct 1973First SR-71 mission of the Yom Kippur War SENIOR CROWN
On JCS orders SAC moved SR-71s to Griffiss AFB, New York, and Lt. Col. James Shelton and Lt. Col. Gary Coleman flew the first GIANT REACH photo reconnaissance mission over the Middle East, an 11 hour 13 minute round trip supported by 14 KC-135Q tankers. Further sorties followed, later from Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina.

Where the record disagrees

One unverified secondary source gives a first flight of 10 August 1967; left null. The 1973 sortie date is not stated by the cited page (commonly given as 13 October 1973) and the 'Giant Reach' name is that source's label. Older sources name the display host as the USAF History and Traditions Museum. Coordinates are the Airman Heritage Museum site; the aircraft sits on the Lackland parade ground air park nearby.

Sources

  1. Habu.org. 61-7979 (Blackbird Photo Archive). Archived copy · In the register
  2. Habu.org. 61-7979 (Blackbird Photo Archive). Archived copy · In the register
  3. The SR-71 Blackbird (thesr71blackbird.com). SR-71 Middle East 'Giant Reach' Sorties. Open · Archived · In the register
  4. Living History Registry. 61-7979 record. Open · Archived · In the register
  5. SR-71 Online (sr-71.org), via Internet Archive. SR-71 Locations (archived copy, lists serial / Lockheed article number and fate). Open · In the register