drummer4468
Pre-takeoff checklist
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2020
- Messages
- 305
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Display name:
drummer4468
My job sent me out to CA for a couple of weeks, so of course I couldn't help but explore in my downtime. Naturally, I looked up the display locations for SR-71s(nothing anywhere near me in the northeast) and came across March Field Air Museum.
Man...I've seen all of the videos, read the books, watched all of Maj Shul's speeches....and still I was rendered utterly speechless when I walked in the door and stood in its silent, stoic beauty. You couldn't beat my inner six-year-old's smile off my face with a pipe wrench as I walked around it, mouth agape. It took the mustered up willpower of every fiber of my being to heed the abundant "DO NOT TOUCH THE AIRCRAFT" signage, and not to lay my hand on it just once. This plane just...exudes such a powerful presence. A sense of speed, of engineering marvel, even having sadly not flown in three decades. We built this bird 60 friggin years ago.
![301064088_10223430090634230_7368484605747251490_n.jpg 301064088_10223430090634230_7368484605747251490_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103033-d4766cc9e88bf4fa38d53d2ed91e85d4.jpg)
![301157045_10223430091794259_7976499280909754689_n.jpg 301157045_10223430091794259_7976499280909754689_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103034-f09f5ad27e840077864cb44550822f77.jpg)
![301780056_10223430090714232_5517766965915507122_n.jpg 301780056_10223430090714232_5517766965915507122_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103036-7f5e28f46970fbab35b7abb33fbd80bf.jpg)
![302421308_10223430091194244_1910178049354573108_n.jpg 302421308_10223430091194244_1910178049354573108_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103038-b41fd8e92e99a5ee235cb02617b198d7.jpg)
![302422159_10223430091674256_6772069066247984265_n.jpg 302422159_10223430091674256_6772069066247984265_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103039-640397cfa1b7d30e1aee2bae21da3ff4.jpg)
![sr71a.jpg sr71a.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103040-dae70933e6d69ab736b4cd5b3bacdd22.jpg)
![286926104_10223430090834235_5479093571318409720_n.jpg 286926104_10223430090834235_5479093571318409720_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103032-6027809910a730e135c07c854b7754ee.jpg)
"The Buick"
![302012126_10223430092434275_1262371961487440187_n.jpg 302012126_10223430092434275_1262371961487440187_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103037-cba43ea8e77c54fced1984f91391e7c2.jpg)
Even a cold shower didn't help afterward, had to run to the nearest flight school and check out in a DA40 just to scratch the aviation itch a little.
Man...I've seen all of the videos, read the books, watched all of Maj Shul's speeches....and still I was rendered utterly speechless when I walked in the door and stood in its silent, stoic beauty. You couldn't beat my inner six-year-old's smile off my face with a pipe wrench as I walked around it, mouth agape. It took the mustered up willpower of every fiber of my being to heed the abundant "DO NOT TOUCH THE AIRCRAFT" signage, and not to lay my hand on it just once. This plane just...exudes such a powerful presence. A sense of speed, of engineering marvel, even having sadly not flown in three decades. We built this bird 60 friggin years ago.
![301064088_10223430090634230_7368484605747251490_n.jpg 301064088_10223430090634230_7368484605747251490_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103033-d4766cc9e88bf4fa38d53d2ed91e85d4.jpg)
![301157045_10223430091794259_7976499280909754689_n.jpg 301157045_10223430091794259_7976499280909754689_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103034-f09f5ad27e840077864cb44550822f77.jpg)
![301780056_10223430090714232_5517766965915507122_n.jpg 301780056_10223430090714232_5517766965915507122_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103036-7f5e28f46970fbab35b7abb33fbd80bf.jpg)
![302421308_10223430091194244_1910178049354573108_n.jpg 302421308_10223430091194244_1910178049354573108_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103038-b41fd8e92e99a5ee235cb02617b198d7.jpg)
![302422159_10223430091674256_6772069066247984265_n.jpg 302422159_10223430091674256_6772069066247984265_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103039-640397cfa1b7d30e1aee2bae21da3ff4.jpg)
![sr71a.jpg sr71a.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103040-dae70933e6d69ab736b4cd5b3bacdd22.jpg)
![286926104_10223430090834235_5479093571318409720_n.jpg 286926104_10223430090834235_5479093571318409720_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103032-6027809910a730e135c07c854b7754ee.jpg)
"The Buick"
![302012126_10223430092434275_1262371961487440187_n.jpg 302012126_10223430092434275_1262371961487440187_n.jpg](https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/data/attachments/103/103037-cba43ea8e77c54fced1984f91391e7c2.jpg)
Even a cold shower didn't help afterward, had to run to the nearest flight school and check out in a DA40 just to scratch the aviation itch a little.
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