[ray55classic]

View attachment 61453
Growing up I was a great fan of the Valkyrie and the X-15.
This bomber can outrun a bullet fired from your M14 at well over mach 3.
A long read but well worth it to you airplane fans
http://xb70.interceptor.com/

 

[Squid]

I remember that bird!

 

[XXIV Corps]

I remember that bird!

+1, same here...


DI5

 

[pendennis]

The first time my family and I visited the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB, the first aircraft we saw after parking was the XB-70. It looked like it was flying just in static display. I was absolutely amazed by the size and beauty of the plane. Once inside, we got to see a movie showing the history and performance of the XB-70. It was a great test bed for design of future airplanes.

It and the SR-71 are certainly beautiful.

 

[smleenfield]

I remember seeing it in flight one time over the So. Cal desert near Barstow. What an incredible sight with the big white plane and a bunch of chase planes around it.
GI1

 

[37thguy]

There's one at Wright-Patterson AFB, about 2 hrs South of me. Seen it several times.

 

[ray55classic]

I remember seeing it in flight one time over the So. Cal desert near Barstow. What an incredible sight with the big white plane and a bunch of chase planes around it.
GI1

Lucky!!! I would have loved to see one of the two built in the air. They came close once , if Carswell AFB can be considered close unfortunately I was in Houston at the time.

 

[MrM1A]

I've been enamored with the XB-70 from the very first time I heard about it. When I found myself passing by Wright Patterson about 10 yrs ago I knew what was on my agenda that day. I took my wife along and she was blown away and for me it was everything I imagined it to be. If I could only see it in flight but unfortunately that'll never happen again.

 

[Shad Cramer]

Was just at WPAF about three weeks ago, The Wife and I took the two Grandsons.
The last time I was there was in 1977.
There was a Visitor Center, and one Hanger, and the XB70 was outside.
Now there is a Visitor Center, and three Hangers, a fourth will open next year.
The XB70, and Air Force One (26000), and the other Presidents planes, plus the SR71, are in a Hanger on Base.
To get there you had to get in line, get a wristband, where you could not take any pictures while on the bus, but once in the Hanger, you could take all you want.
When the 4th hanger opens they will be housed there.
I took over 550 pictures, lots have changed in almost 40 years.
All the exhibits are well laid out.
On the way out on the road, could see a C-141 outside in yellow which picked up the POW's in Vietnam. It is being restored, as one of the Guides told us, there is Graffiti "etched" in the Fuselage which will be preserved.

Enough of my ramblings.

Out

 

[mbrokaw89]

Pretty neat airplane!

 

[PG86GT]

I was fascinated with this plane as a kid but I've never seen it in person. After I got married, I found out that my father-in-law was assigned to the design team as his first project at North American. He was an electronic engineer and worked on the flight control systems. He used to tell us that he asked for documentation to study but was told there wasn't any because nobody had ever done anything like this before and he would be writing the documentation. Later in his career he worked on the design of the flight control system for the B1 bomber, and worked on the space shuttle program.

 

[hurryinhoosier]

There's one at Wright-Patterson AFB, about 2 hrs South of me. Seen it several times.

Ship 001 is on display at the Museum of the Air Force. It is the ONLY surviving example of the XB-70. I was glad to see they finally got her in out of the weather.

 

[ray55classic]

Was just at WPAF about three weeks ago, The Wife and I took the two Grandsons.
The last time I was there was in 1977.
There was a Visitor Center, and one Hanger, and the XB70 was outside.
Now there is a Visitor Center, and three Hangers, a fourth will open next year.
The XB70, and Air Force One (26000), and the other Presidents planes, plus the SR71, are in a Hanger on Base.
To get there you had to get in line, get a wristband, where you could not take any pictures while on the bus, but once in the Hanger, you could take all you want.
When the 4th hanger opens they will be housed there.
I took over 550 pictures, lots have changed in almost 40 years.
All the exhibits are well laid out.
On the way out on the road, could see a C-141 outside in yellow which picked up the POW's in Vietnam. It is being restored, as one of the Guides told us, there is Graffiti "etched" in the Fuselage which will be preserved.

Enough of my ramblings.

Out

Thank goodness they finally got that big beautiful bird out of the weather. Sitting unprotected out in the weather is one of the hardest things cars, M/C's ,airplanes , and rockets can do. Seals & rubber dry up inviting water, corrosion , wildlife ,etc,etc. not to mention bird crap eats aluminum.
I live near NASA in Clearlake Tx , the Saturn 5 they have on display was out in the weather for well over 30 years before they finally built a metal building to protect it. All that money spent on those aircraft and rockets that are now irreplaceable being left out in the weather doesn't make a damn bit of sense to me. Metal buildings are cheap and easy to erect .

 

[Palladin]

I've never seen one but read about them when I was younger.

Pretty cool aircraft that had some potential...

 

[Shad Cramer]

Thank goodness they finally got that big beautiful bird out of the weather. Sitting unprotected out in the weather is one of the hardest things cars, M/C's ,airplanes , and rockets can do. Seals & rubber dry up inviting water, corrosion , wildlife ,etc,etc. not to mention bird crap eats aluminum.
I live near NASA in Clearlake Tx , the Saturn 5 they have on display was out in the weather for well over 30 years before they finally built a metal building to protect it. All that money spent on those aircraft and rockets that are now irreplaceable being left out in the weather doesn't make a damn bit of sense to me. Metal buildings are cheap and easy to erect .

I used to live in Houston, and Baytown till the late 80's, been to the Johnson Space Center.
Was on her side, on the left side of the Parking lot.
The Saturn 5 at Redstone in Alabama is standing erect, and they were collecting donations to restore it, back in 2006+/-.

Out

 

[ray55classic]

I used to live in Houston, and Baytown till the late 80's, been to the Johnson Space Center.
Was on her side, on the left side of the Parking lot.
The Saturn 5 at Redstone in Alabama is standing erect, and they were collecting donations to restore it, back in 2006+/-.

Out

I'd like to see that Saturn5 standing up . Near as I remember that rockets at least 350ft or about equal to a 25/30 story building. It must have been mind blowing to sit on top of something that big with the most powerful engine in the world at hand and push the throttle to the limits. Yee Haw!! I'd still be grinning 45 years later !

 

[SGT John SWF]

My Wife always liked the B-70. The problem is it was the diversion for the SR-71. The Russians tried to build Aircraft to combat it (and they were crap) and spent a lot of money to try. We developed the SR-71 ( the old A-11) and.....
The SR-71went on to be what we all know it is!

 

[Shad Cramer]

My Wife always liked the B-70. The problem is it was the diversion for the SR-71. The Russians tried to build Aircraft to combat it (and they were crap) and spent a lot of money to try. We developed the SR-71 ( the old A-11) and.....
The SR-71went on to be what we all know it is!

I thought the Russians built the Foxbat Mig-25 to "try" to catch the XB-70, it was capable of 3.2 Mach, at High Altitude.

Out

 

[jarhead714]

The Mig-25 was built to shoot it down and is STILL in service. It is the fastest aircraft in the world and STILL holds the absolute worlds altitude record and numerous time to height records as well. That is as amazing as the Valkyrie which inspired it.

 

[geepee3]

Always likes the XB70.
And don't forget its fighter counterpart that never got past the mock-up stage.
The North American XF108 Rapier.


Mock-up.


Artist rendering.

Glenn