LEARNING GOAL FOR TODAY:

I will be able to show why the Blackbird replaced the U2 as the premier US reconnaissance (spy!) plane during today's class

I will put the finishing touches on my "Significant 20th Century Aircraft Presentation" during today's class

ASTRONOMY OBSERVATIONS: Let's take a look HERE

WORDS O' THE DAY:

• U2
• SR-71 (Blackbird)
• Cold War

CALENDAR: 20th Century Aircraft Unit Test - Friday, October 7th

WORK O' THE DAY:

What was the "Cold War"? When did it occur?

Introducing the U2 Spy plane (nicknamed: "The Dragon Lady")

October 1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis - Let's Review HERE

Needless to say, it was a VERY scary time. The U2 took pictures that conclusively showed that the Soviet Union was building nuclear missile launching sites in Cuba-- only 90 miles away from the US.

Years ago I was in a job interview and I met some folks who were intelligence analysts during this crisis. They actually slept on cots in the operations center and made enough money in overtime to buy a brand new car :)

Let's take a gander at this short video that talks a bit about the SR-71 Blackbird

The SR-71 Blackbird flew so fast that its airframe heated up to 500^o F. That meant regular ol' aluminum (like most planes) was out of the question. What did the designers do about that?

 

 

Sooooo, the US needed a fairly large amount of *titanium* metal to make the Blackbird, but the US didn't have a supply on hand. Guess which country had plenty? Now please suggest how we obtained that titanium?

Please send someone over to the side table and cut off *about* 3 feet of butcher paper and trim the edges so it is a clean rectangle.

Please also send someone over there to grab an assortment of colored pencils or pens (one for each person in our class colors Red, Orange, Blue, Green)

Please also send someone over yonder to get a meter stick!

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Now please take the meter stick and make a diagonal line from one top corner to the opposite bottom corner.

Label one of those "U2" and the other "SR-71"

Now please do the following using your own personal color (so I can walk around and see who did what!):

• Sketch each aircraft (Do NOT take too long on this part... please!)
• Label features specs such as length, wingspan, weight etc...
• Include additional technical specs as bullet points
• Include the date that each airplane entered service
• Include the date that each airplane was retired (if it was!)
• Include the main purpose for each plane
• Include some sort of interesting tidbits that you think other folks might be interested in when your group presents your work
  

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By the way, the U2 is STILL flying, but no longer as a reconnaissance plane. What do you suppose it is up to (if you'll pardon the pun) these days?

 

This is a really technical video showing how the engines worked. Let's take a look

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Please use the remaining time to work on/practice your presentations!