Weekend in L.A. - At the Skunk Works

OK, I wasn't in the Skunk Works itself, there is a great outdoor airplane museum in Palmdale near the plant.  They made some of the coolest airplanes ever, including the U-2, the SR-71 and the F-117A.  Click on the pictures for much larger versions of the pictures.

This is their U-2.  These were designed back in the 1950s and are still being used today.

This isn't a landing gear.  These wheels are mounted under each wing during takeoff, and fall off after the plane leaves the ground.

Here is their SR-71 Blackbird.

This isn't an SR-71, this is the A-12.  It was a secret precursor to the SR-71 and was covertly used by the CIA while the Air Force publicly used the SR-71.  The only obvious difference I could see is the shape of the nose of the planes.

This is the business end of a SR-71 engine.

Here is their new F-117A Nighthawk.  It has only been in the airpark for a few weeks.

The area with the grating is the engine intake.  The grating keeps radar from reflecting off of the engine.

I like how they replaced the landing light bulb with a picture of a bulb.

This is a SR-71 model that was used for wind tunnel testing.  The level of detail is amazing.

I'll post some pictures of the other planes out there before too long.

Comments

[retro jordan 2]

I was there recently. It's beautiful city and the night life is better then expected.