The Blackbird _ Grade_02

The builders of the SR-71 did have to overcome one problem. Like most materials, titanium expands when it is heated, but it expands to a greater degree than many other materials used in the building of planes. How do you build a plane that needs to expand when it flies? The answer is simple. It must have large gaps in the pieces of skin when the plane is on the ground. Once in the air, the pilot pushes on the throttle or device that controls the fuel to the engine and the plane accelerates up to incredible speeds. As it does, the planes skin heats up and as it heats up, the gaps close up. 

The SR-71 is literally able to fly to the edge of space and back. The pilots look more like astronauts than a typical pilot. Do you think it is hard to fly a plane that high and that fast? Believe it or not, it’s harder to fly when it is going slow. At slow speeds, the plane can be very unstable, but why would this plane need to go slow?

As you might imagine, this fast plane is a tremendous gas hog. It needs a fill-up every 90 minutes and usually doesn’t have time to land to refuel. Instead it meets up with a flying gas station. Well, sort of. Some aerial tankers, as they are called, are equipped to carry large amounts of fuel. They are essentially flying gas stations for planes.

These special planes provide planes with fuel in midair. These refueling planes are not nearly as fast as an SR-71. That means the SR-71 must slow down. When planes refuel, they reduce their speed and fly very slowly behind the refueling plane.

Would you consider starting a long trip with an empty fuel tank? Well, that’s what a SR-71 has to do. It has to refuel a lot, even when it first takes off. The SR-71 takes off with only a small amount of fuel in its tanks and this is done for a few reasons. The reduced weight makes it easier to take off. It limits the wear on the plane’s tires. Furthermore, the plane also leaks fuel while on the ground due to those large gaps in its skin.

The SR-71 is now retired but not forgotten. It still holds the high speed record. The Blackbird is an example of Science and Engineering coming together. Without the knowledge about the properties of matter, this plane would not exist. The Blackbird is one example of why it is important to learn about Science.