The SR-71 Blackbird is a testament to what some men can achieve with a slide rule and a piece of chalk. The Mach 3 long-range reconnaissance aircraft was developed long before CAD software and supercomputers, hell, even the game Pong would have been futuristic back in 1964 when the plane was built by Lockheed Martin’s infamous “Skunkworks” division.
Over 85% of the Blackbird was made from titanium and the top speed was such that when a surface to air missile launch was detected, the SR-71 would simply accelerate and outrun the missile using pure speed. There isn’t a red blooded male alive who doesn’t think that that is the coolest thing they’ve ever heard.
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Ben Branch has had his work featured on CNN, Popular Mechanics, the official Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
Flying boats were initially considered to be the only way to feasibly build large aircraft successfully due to the fact that they didn’t need heavy and complex landing gear, just a hull-shaped underside allowing them to touch down on water – the water itself would act as shock absorber and runway. The great benefit of…
The W. R. Case & Sons Hobo Knife is actually three utensils in one, and each can be detached to give you a full three-piece cutlery set for dinners when you’re on the road (or on the rails). Hobo knives were originally developed for American wanderers and migrant workers, the name “Hobo” is though to…
Although it’s a controversial thing to say to an American, the Harley-Davidson XR750 only really exists because of the British. Now before you start heating the tar and plucking yourself some feathers, hear me out. The Harley-Davidson XR750 – A History Speed Run The AMA Grand National Championship Class C rules which governed flat track…
The Plymouth Hemi Cuda is now recognised as one of the most collectible of the original generation of muscle cars, it was first offered in 1970, but due to its significant cost increase over the other Cudas it sold in relatively limited numbers. Plymouth charged a $871 premium for the Hemi 426 V8 option –…
Arthur Schening is an artist and graphic designer who is perhaps known best for his automotive art, characterized by its close attention to detail, clean minimalism, and well-researched historical accuracy. Arthur runs Schening Creative, his own design and illustration firm. He has well over 20 years of experience working for all manner of clients around…
Jean-Yves Delitte is an artist who started out working for the famous and much beloved Tintin series of comics, he paired with writer Philippe Richelle on the Donnington series of comics in the Tintin universe that started in 1984. Over the next few years Jean-Yves worked with a series of writers to create the graphic novels…
