Guided tour around the only Blackbird Interceptor in the world - the Lockheed YF-12A
Join me in this detailed tour around the only Lockheed Skunkworks YF12A Blackbird that was an A-12 based Cold War Interceptor. The production F-12B was ordered but cancelled before production begun. Three were made and two were destroyed so this is the last one and on display at the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton Ohio.
Thumbnail photo credit: National Museum of the US Air Force
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0:00 intro
0:35 background
1:10 the nose, Hughes AN/ASG-18, chines
3:20 nosewheel
3:45 storage holds for AIM-47 Falcon missiles
5:25 Pratt & Whitney J58 (JTD11D-20A) afterburning turbojet with compressor bleed bypass, 20,500 lbf (91 kN) thrust each dry, 31,500 lbf (140 kN) with afterburner
6:56 tail end and unique fins
7:44 titanium triangles to reduce radar return
8:29 afterburner and tertiary doors
8:56 two tail fins
9:25 larger central ventral fin
9:47 USAF logos
10:07 main landing gear
10:50 panel gaps and aerodynamic heating, JP-7 fuel and TEB
13:16 starter motor AG330 startcart
13:34 cockpit and fire control officer seat
14:15 M-61 gun
14:26 record breaking flights
15:05 YF-12 fleet
15:19 SR-71C
16:15 mach 6.4 radar testing
16:42 top secret
17:04 bomber B-12 plan
17:22 test pods
17:28 F-12B order and cancellation
Thanks for watching everyone! As always, if I've made a mistake then please let me know. I make this videos in the evening after work and sometimes make some silly errors. Otherwise please give the video a 'thumbs up' as it helps promote the video. :)
Was a pretty good video overall. One thing I'd definitely say was about the camera resolution. While it was impressive it was never close to being good enough to make our a person's face, or read license plates etc.
I was surprised too. That was mentioned at the evergreen museum - in fact if you pause my video when im panning past the written info next to the display, you will be able to see it.
@PaulStewartAviation I've seen those too at museu, even been to that one a few times. A lot of info goes back to when these aircraft were still classified so a lot of rumors persist. Just like the myth of why they "leak fuel". They often mention that 8" resolution of the cameras which is true, the was per pixel. So you could see something 8" but never be able to see a face or read a plate as those details require A LOT more pixels.
An absolute stunner of a video man, thank you. Many miss this one of only three ever made and I am lucky enough to have a blueprint page of this variant.
This was my grandfather, Vic Horton's, aircraft when NASA had it in the 1970s! It was used for high speed, high altitude flight tests. Grandpa usually flew as a team with Fitz Fulton, but also made flights in it with Bill Dana, Tom McMurtry and others. He and Fitz made the last flight in it for NASA on Halloween 1979 before it was flown to the museum, stripped of its NASA markings, by Col. James Sullivan and museum director Richard Uppstrom, about 2 weeks later in early November. Sadly, never to fly again. Grandpa actually liked the YF-12A better than the more famous SR-71A, which he also flew. Someday, I'd like to visit the museum and see if they'll let me sit in the rear cockpit where he sat, just to see what it was like.
You’ve got a cool ass grandpa.
Why did he like the YF12 over the SR-71?
@@daniellewis1789 it was slightly faster than the SR and a bit more robust. And it was the first Blackbird version he flew.
I've had awful good luck with the people at the Air Force Museum. Although I can't speak for them about sitting in the seat. I would imagine that you could get a pretty good up close look. If you contact them.
I can’t imagine just how strong the missile bay doors have to be to be able to open at the speed the YF-12A operates at without being ripped off.
Came for the jet, stayed for the Chevy jokes. Absolutely rolling about the fuel leak punch line.
In the early 70's I worked in a small automotive engine rebuilding shop. One day a pickup full of Buick heads showed up for valve jobs. The shop that built the start carts was close by and these had been ordered for spares.
Skunkworks had a skunkworks. That's some good trivia! Thanks!
"No, actual art." Love it!
The first pic you show of the Delta Dart is from Griffiss AFB Rome, Ny, where I grew up. We'd rude our bikes around Periminter rd, to the Observation point and watch them do their touch n go's, many many days.
The graal. With the xb70 in the back, these are 2 marvels. What an impressive machine. I can't imagine the pride and excitement of the people who worked on this beast in the early 60's. The project of a lifetime.
Had the opportunity to see this shortly after it was first delivered to WP in the early 80's. The museum was much smaller than it is today, with the Valkyire and B-52 sitting outside, along with a couple other planes I don't recall. (maybe a B-36?) The YF-12 was shoved into the back corner of a hangar they called the annex where they put stuff they didn't have room for in the main galleries. The annex was about 1/4 mile from the main building. It was nose first into the corner and you couldn't even get a good look at the thing because there were no lights on, just the light coming through the windows on the hangar door. So nice to see all these planes properly displayed instead of collecting dust in a remote hangar.
Chevy really catching some strays this episode
As a self-proclaimed Ford Man, I can't help myself. 😂
I and many others don't subscribe to the whole "I'm a **insert car brand here** guy" in this day and age. Because everyone* produces great cars these days. Ford has awesome cars. Chevy has awesome cars. And Dodge does too. Enough that we choose to just be "car guys".
@@J.C... yeah you're right. Most cars are fine these days and if you get a lemon, it's usually just bad luck (and any brand can have them). Back when I was growing up, there was a huge variance between Fords vs GMs vs Germans vs South koreans but now they're mostly the same. The South Korean cars are brilliant these days! I have a German car now (after having many Fords... of course...) and I'm not sure it was worth the extra cost. I'll prob get something South Korean next.
All good since my '01 S-10 4 door has over 200k with no issues other than common wear, my friends '75 454 4 door over 300k. 🎉
Stunning beautiful plane the only presentation I have ever seen on the interceptor.
I just saw this plane last Monday it was crazy. It is still one of my favorite planes
Knowledgeable commentary, enjoyable to watch, as an aviation nerd
Taking my dad there again tomorrow! Great timing!
Hope you enjoy it!
Great job again, Paul! I noticed the views of the J-58 (and start cart) were taken at the Evergreen Air Museum in McMinnville, OR, (also home of the "Spruce Goose" Howard Hughes' magnificent flying boat!) which I visited back in '07 while attending the CORSA (Corvair Society of America) Convention in Portland that year. I mentioned that because the CORSA International Convention happens to be in Dayton, OH this year, and I intend to spend a great deal of time at the NMUSAF while there, my first time back since the newest hangar was built. Your presentations are TERRIFIC! As much as I know about these aircraft from my reading on the subject, I ALWAYS learn something new from you!
Yep some of the extra footage was from McMInnville. That's a great museum there.
I was able to touch this ship on its way to museum @baton Rogue. It was probablly stopping at all the Military and naval show in route to I thought The Smithsonian. Last trip I made with my kids before they became adults. I remember another family group and a girl wasn't having a good time so I (wingman'd) for my oldest and set them up. You can guess how that went. But they all had a good time and a laugh too. Beautiful craft this one
Later versions of the start carts used Chevy 454 V8s when the Buick Wildcats became scarce.
At night the afterburners on F14S put out a flame like that with the rings in it, being between two of them was awesome
Fun fact: the only other surviving YF-12 partially burned on the ground and had it's whole forward fuselage replaced with an SR-71 test frame. This became the only SR-71C model, A.K.A. "The Bastard", currently on display at Hill Aerospace Museum in Roy, Utah.
You showed the XB-70. That was the first non cesna plane i ever saw. So beautiful
Again, awesome episode! 😊
I really love your videos since I’ve been in most of the museum you’ve been and watch your walk around and explanations bring me nostalgic memories
Glad you like them!
This is one amazing video. I’m lucky enough to have Bob Gillilands autograph from Duxford museum here in UK. So cool to see everything up close. Thanks
I lived around Dayton for 40 years and only went to the USAF museum a handful of times. Wish I had gone more. Its free too. I was only a few miles away on woodman dr.
Incredible looking thing - great job as ever mate!
Thanks a lot!
Another great video Paul as we've come to expect! Thanks!
I hope you enjoyed your time in Dayton . That museum is a few minutes from me and absolutely one of my favorites.
I did!
ty for this added to my Sr-71 playlist.
The Conny is a beautiful plane glad it made an appearance
I got to meet Jim Irwin, one of the YF-12 test pilots (and later an Apollo astronaut), back in the 80s as a kid. He was nearly killed when he was in a crash training another pilot to fly the thing. Very cool guy and his stories of flying the plane are pretty wild to read.
Nobody with that name ever flew the aircraft. Have the last name wrong?
@@gr8crash en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Irwin "Irwin was also a developmental test pilot for the Lockheed YF-12, the Mach 3 fighter-interceptor variant which preceded the SR-71 Blackbird. His first flight of that aircraft was on the day that one of his five children was born." He also wrote about it in his book _To Rule The Night._ Not sure why you can't find it.
Wonderful video. I love these, the SR-71, and the one they have(had maybe) in Seattle that had the drone mounted on top. I love to imagine an alternate history with a series of XB-70's being escorted by F-12's into the battlefield.
Yep that’s the M-21 in Seattle. I’m working on a video for that too :)
@@PaulStewartAviation I can say it is entirely amazing to see in person.
Kelly Johnson the SWEDE! He was SOMETHING else as an ENGINEER! Remember the FOXBAT went to an Altitude of 123.,523Ft. Also it had the fastest climb rate..
Great content
Всём приятного просмотра
Good tour. I've seen it dozens of times!
Glad you enjoyed it
Really enjoyed this video. I have been fascinated with the SR-71 since I first heard about it, maybe 20 years ago. Its great to see all of the detail changes between the YF-12 and its successor. Even reading some of the comments, about peoples relations and family members who worked on and flew this stunning aircraft. There is some amazing stories out there still to be told, I'm sure.
I saw this plane at an air show when I was a kid at Mather afb in Sacramento. We were mad that it wasn’t an SR-71 looking back though this is way cooler.
Another great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Instant sub. Putting that small channel introduction in the beginning of the video is great, cuz you know if this channel is for you right there. Great video, thanks.
Welcome aboard!
Another wonderful tour. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
The A-12 at 7:20 flying with the YF-12A is actually SR-71A #951 on loan to NASA and was called the YF-12C with a false tail code 0937
I worked on the weapon that was intended to be used on the YF12A.
Thank you I saw this aircraft in March and thought it was a standard Blackbird. I did not realise its significance, thank you.
Another brilliant video Paul, really detailed and informative
Glad you think so!
There was a pre-cursor to the a-12. It flew out of Water Town in 1958 . YF-11. or A-11. How great this country was then !
Yes both the US and even Britian were great before conservative policies destroyed both.
I'm not sure that you can blame the conservatives entirely. It was a lefties that created the work ethic that resulted in British manufacturing (cars for example) becoming rubbish. Here in Australia it was the leftie government that reduced protections for local car manufacturing (which admittedly did result in the cars getting better) and it was the conservatives that declined to give Ford/GM Holden subsidies to stay open. Unfortunately the extremes of both sides of politics are rubbish.
@@ryanreedgibsonConservative Policies? I really hope that was a typo. If anything is true at this moment Liberalism is what has completely destroyed the back bone of the West.
@@PaulStewartAviationHas to be trolling or is a complete mainstream media brainwashed fool. Sorry for the name calling.
@yodasmomisondrugs7959 Sorry what has this got to do with the media? I've studied politics and like cars. I'm well aware of how and why both the British and Aussie car industry died. I'm also a political moderate and can listen to and understand arguments from different sides of politics. Hopefully that doesn't offend you?
freaking Tacit Blue in the background looking all like alien tupperware
It’s a bizarre thing - I have a video on that too
Excellent info on the Blackbird!
Hello, and 1000 thank you for this video. I will watch your channel of course. I am an european citizen living in a tiny European country. My father served in this country's airforce on its cargo depot (1958-1964) these dates may not be right. And he taught me lots of things about aircrafts. He still being around but he is not how he was. Alzheimer is destroying him from within. After he left the Air Force he became an engineer. All this to say that despite a few things I knew about these aircrafts, I am overwhelmed with all this... 😮😮 I do not have more words. Sorry for my limited English, and long text. Thank you, thank you so much for showing all this, and teaching us all this wonderfully matter... 😮😮❤❤
Thank you :)
The Air Force gobbled up and burned down all the junkyard Buick motors and eventually went to a Big Bock Chevy. Rip Sled Driver Brian Shul, who passed away in May of 2023. Gone almost a year now. The YF-12A truly was The Big Stick, for a short time, it was the assassins switchblade, and it made people wonder out loud,,with that big sonic boom. Lots of A-12 flights over Vietnam, which surprised me. Photograph the whole country in 12.5 minutes or less.
I had a model of this in 68. I had learned around that time that that was one way that the Russians would get information about our planes. By reading the sides of the box and instruction sheet. But I’m sure they had better traitors on the inside. Just thought that was interesting.
I think I had the same model. I still have a picture of it alongside my x-15 and XB-70. These were all big models
I also had this Revell model back in the mid-to-late 60's.
Thanks Paul. A-12, YF-12 and then SR-71. But now its time to talk of the infamous Lockheed M/D-21. It's a fascinating (and scary) history, and the sole example 60-6940 is now preserved at the Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington, with drone D-21B - 90-510 - mounted on its dorsal pylon. Oh there's a teaser huh!
Yep I’ve filmed the M-21 but haven’t edited that video yet :) It’s difficult to film up on the pylons at the MoF
@@PaulStewartAviation I first saw the D-21 at Davis-Monthan and thought, is that a single-engined SF-71? I can't wait to see your video.....
Excellent, thanks sir
Most welcome
Long nose booms are still used on experimental and prototype aircraft, the X-35 in the Smithsonian's collection has a long boom on its nose, one of the primary reason that you don't see them on production aircraft is because they tend to be damaged or even snapped off quite easily.
They're also used during the prototype stage to verify that the main instruments are reading correctly. How else can you tell if your instruments are being affected by airflow issues unless you've got a second set you can trust?
At the Time, nobody in the World knew about this aircraft and nobody was supposed to know.. This happened freaking 65 Years ago... Imagine how far we are right now if you are into Tech...
Wow... really cool
Great stuff as always
Truth is, nobody knows how fast the A12/SR71 could actually go. They never took it to the limit because they never needed to. It certainly had the power on paper to go much faster than the official records. No telling if the structure would survive.
The rated speed was its public cruise speed. It could go that fast continuously without rapid damage. Have to figure actual top speed is generally a good bit higher than cruise speed. There’s been reports of them going a fair bit past their rating in emergencies.
@@NBSV1 with something that experimental, the ratings become more like guidelines really
Correct. It's not that it couldn't go faster than Mach 3.5 or whatever, it's that they didn't know if it would survive faster than that. They were confident at these speeds that the air frame would hold up
The background plane flying chase in the photo at 7:15 isn't actually an A-12, it's a YF-12C (foreground is a YF12A) - which is actually just a normal SR-71A (#61-7951) modified with YF-12A inlets and engines, and given a bogus A-12 tail number (#06937) and the designation "YF-12C" by the USAF to skirt the regulations at the time which said NASA was not legally allowed to operate the SR-71.
I live just a couple miles from the Skunkworks Plant 42. 🤘
As always Paul a great vlog
Paul, show me on the doll where Chevy hurt you.
haha
Amazing stuff. Looks like a great place. Well done mate. 🇬🇧
Thanks 👍
As explained by an SR-71 pilot in another video, it’s a common misconception the “bypass tubes” created the ramjet effect - their purpose was only to solve an engine pressure anomaly caused by the unusual set-up. The ramjet effect was done by high speed air flowing around the entire engine assembly and recombining at the tail end - hence the nacelle that’s much wider than the engine.
Thanks for those comments John and that answers a question I had about some of the diagrams that had air flowing along the outside of the engine. I assumed that was just a representation of those bypass tubes. Thanks!
No, there's 2 different bypass systems, one bypasses the engine's all together and has to do with managing the speed of the air entering the compressor, a malfunction of one of them will cause the dreaded unstart (compressor stall) that would bang the pilots head against the canopy on the opposite side of the affected engine, the other bypass system which is the bypass tubes works exactly as he explains in this video and creates a ramjet effect. Watch the interview with the SR71 pilot Richard Grahamm who later went on to command the wing at Beale AFB, he explains the 2 different bypass systems and why there's often confusion over them, there's several other pilots who also explain the 2 different bypass systems but I can't remember their names.
What aircraft at :45?
F-108 Rapier. Used the same engines as the XB-70. Never flew.
This would've made a TERRIBLE intercepter. The pilots would have to be wearing their pressure suits breathing pure oxygen while on alert, the plane would be sitting on the apron leaking fuel with the start carts idling, and it'd have to hit a tanker right after takeoff unless provided with an ENORMOUS runway.
😂 you know flying at 80k+ feet is not a requirement right? 🙄
I’ve always figured modifications would have been made to make it more suitable for interception duties
I do all of those things on a regular afternoon in my backyard 🤷🏻♂️
not to mention this was a CIA interceptor. it was never going to be a standard USAF interceptor.
@@EgoFiveFiveSix the YF-12A was a USAF Contract, PROJECT KEDLOCK
Very interesting, thanks Paul. Love you long time.
I have this same exact one in fire engine red, but I added the hot tub and mini bar in the back. It’s also sitting on 22’s
great details - now I have to watch D.A.R.Y.L. again ... 🙂
Excellent video
Thank you very much!
I have a photo of 10 A12 sitting on ground Area 51 including the trainer - wonder what ever happened to them - also recall they were in a large hanger somewhere in a photo I no longer have
@@kitwalker520 That photo was taken in oct or nov 1963 , there are 2 YF-12A at the far end of the row. the A-12s were put into storage in 1968 and outside in 1982'sh. in 1990 they also started to go to museums.
What a machine. Wow #America
The coolest jet ever..would love to be able to take a flight in 1 ..
not the only one lool we have one down here at the air museum at March air base in Moreno valley I got to sit in it when my military school went to do awards once.
You must have been in a Sr-71 or A-12 :)
@@PaulStewartAviation you know what ...I think its the SR-71 and not the A12 now that I think about it cause from what I can remember it didn't have the needle nose
yep
Coolest aircrafts ever
wow, i never really noticed how much nose of the X-15 resembled a ballpoint pen
Interesting! "We" have the A-12 trainer 😺
On display at the LA Science Center
The tires were not impregnated with aluminum, that's a myth that several pilots dispell in interviews including Frank Murray in his interview that was shot in his home by the San Diego Air and Space Museum staff, he even had a tire in his garage to show the interviewer (although not on camera) that it was actually a coating of an aluminum paint that was sprayed on them, as he states about the one in his garage if you look at some of the A12's and SR71's that are on display that have used tires that haven't been restored you can see that the paint is worn off the tread surface from landing and taking off showing the typical black rubber of a tire.
Knew an SR pilot once, who told me: 1. If he flamed out over East coast, he could dead-stick it to land in CA, and 2. they had flown from NYC to LA in 61 minutes.
WOAH WOAH WOAHHHH
Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham AL has an A12
Doesn't the Intrepid Museum in NYC have an A-11 on the flight deck?
It's basically a gas tank with a cockpit and two giant jet engines strapped to it .
"Nobody bothers to pronounce my name correctly" Ernst Mach 😢
5:50 correction: air had to be slowed to SUB sonic speed to enter the compressor.
my mistake
I’d like to know how the guy who had to tighten all of those Phillips screws as part of maintenance stayed sane. There’s got to be a thousand or more of them.
Is Grady from the enginering channel youre brother?😂 I love this plane
No idea :D
If I’m not mistaken a YF was in Peterson AFB museum back in the 90’s. Yes or no ?
Advancef Pulse radar with look down shoot down capabilities and missiles with 100 miles range even hitting small bombers flying at 500 ft successfully and six hits out of seven ! 😲
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
That museum has a frikkin' B-36 (and at least 3 similarly-sized jets) on display indoors. Just how big IS that building? Biggest structure I've been in is Hangar One at Moffett Field.
Yep it’s huge! They need another building for the vc-25b, though 😂
@@PaulStewartAviation They could just swap-out that old 747 prototype for it.
😊😊
Did I see the X-29 hanging from the roof in the background? 😲
Yep :) check out my two guided tour videos around the whole place and you'll see it there :)
ok... real question, when are we getting this bad boy as an event or premium vehicle in war thunder
A fascinating airplane but perhaps the YF-12 was reaching too far beyond budgetary constraints.
Make Video of Canadian AVRO ARROW !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where is one for me to film? :)
@@PaulStewartAviation kzhead.info/sun/ibaqotGXf4yqe4k/bejne.htmlsi=wOFjNsTD9rBYMR9f- Edenvale Aerodrome
@@PaulStewartAviation -5195 Hiway 26E , RR#2 stayner Ontario . L0M 1S0
that's the scale model they're building isn't it?
@@PaulStewartAviation Only Full size Model exits.Real one all destroyed
I know the CIA had a front company in Russia that got hold of the titanium used on this aircraft.
Wasn't till the much later F-14 that these capabilities were normal and the F14 flew no where near this high or fast.
slow to subsonic speed for entry into the engine.
Anyone come here from the animagraphs video about the SR-71 blackbird?
Always amazed how they thought though and designed these engines. And the titanium came from Russia
Both pilots did not eject safely, the rear broke his neck and died instantly when the aircraft came apart on them and the driver woke up in free fall at the edge of space.