Warbird Information Exchange

A-12 Unveiling

I can't help but think the situation with the A-12 has left the wrong impression. Is "Do a good job taking care of the aircraft and we'll take it away from you and give it to someone we favor more" really the right message to send to organizations caring for loaned aircraft?

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Dan Johnson

Thats for sure!!!!

I am not a fan of taking planes from museums, but it went to the CIA headquarters. That is where it should be. The common person is not allowed over there to see it, but veterans that flew and maintainded these aircraft are allowed to go there. This is to honor them.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Where was the plane before it was moved?

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Curtis Block

I've seen too many airplanes destroyed by the term "Static Restoration."

It had been on display at the Minnesota Air Guard Museum in Minneapolis. It was moved from there this past Feb.

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

But why does the CIA HQ need an A-12 when there are three Blackbirds (including an A-12) within a 250 mile radius, including one only a half-hour away.

I don't know.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Well, since the CIA footed the bill for most of the development and initial production of the A-12, seems approprite that they should have one. But taking one from the ANG folks for no apparent reason was wrong.

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Bob

Actually the US taxpayer shelled out the greenbacks for them. Seems
to me it should be accessable to all to see and appreciate

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Don't touch my junk!!

'Tis true, Jack, and most of them (save a few still stored) are..Most of those are listed here: http://www.visi.com/~jweeks/sr71/index.html



Just wonder, tho, what the AF's gonna do about displaying the F-117...They're being stored at Groom Lake when they come out of service, not Davis-Monthan...

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Bob

From what I've been told they won't be avaliable to museums for a long time. With the exception of prototypes and test planes all the F-117s will be in protected war reserve storage for quite a while.

Even if they do become avaliable it isn't likely many will be seen in museums. The Air Force Museum was shopping around one of the prototypes a few months ago to museums but the demil costs were so high that noone in their right minds would be willing to pay them. It was well over $1 milllion just to demil it. That didn't include the cost of dissassembly and transport. As far as I know they didn't find anyone willing to take it.

James

The demil costs on all of these things is highly inflated to discourage anyone to take them.

AMARC got $25,000.00 from Evergreen to cut the mounts and tow the F-105 over to Terry Shelton's yard. Terry's people then disassembled it for transport for an additional fee.

I know the Minnesota ANG has a long history flying the Blackbird...(where's the sarcasm emoticon?)

One should be at Langley...a nice addition to their secret (or is it blank?) list of operatives killed in the line of duty.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

Yeah, and I want my own A-12 since my parents were paying taxes back then.

Dave

Last time I looked at Google Earth it clearly showed 9 of em parked in Palmdale.... it's been updated since then tho

What happened to the white one?

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

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