Blackbird Airpark – Palmdale, California - Atlas Obscura
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Blackbird Airpark

The Flight Test Museum Foundation
Palmdale, California

See four top-secret US spy aircraft of the Cold War era, including the legendary SR-71 Blackbird and the A-12 Oxcart. 

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Spirit of Palmdale Avoiding Regret (Creative Commons)
Spirit of Palmdale Avoiding Regret (Creative Commons)
N91FS (F-86F-30), whose first flight was in April 1954 Avoiding Regret (Creative Commons)
NASA Avoiding Regret (Creative Commons)
A view of the grounded aircraft. Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK (Creative Commons)
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This museum annex displays four of the most advanced spy planes ever built, including the SR-71 Blackbird and the A-12 Oxcart, which could fly faster than a bullet and higher than a commercial jet.

Visitors can also see the U-2 Dragon Lady, which sparked the 1960 U-2 incident, and the D-21 drone, which was designed to be launched from the back of an M-21 (a variant of the A-12.) These aircraft were instrumental in gathering intelligence during the Cold War and beyond.

Know Before You Go

While the museum itself is closed to the public, visitors can check out the airpark.

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May 18, 2023
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