SR-71 Blackbird Heavyweight Takeoff AF Plant 42, Palmdale CA

A fully fueled SR-71 takes off from Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, CA with a T-38 chase plane, October 1987, photographed by Mike Relja. The SR-71's airspeed at pullup was 390 knots (450 mph). SR-71 pilot B C Thomas, RSO J T Vida; T-38 crew: Tom Tilden, Phil Soucy. The SR-71 aircraft is #972 which now resides in The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport.