Interesting Fact – Counter-balance Weights In Aircraft Are Sometimes Made From Depleted Uranium

I was stunned when I heard this.

Neither the Federal Aviation Administration nor the major aircraft manufacturers publish information about which planes and helicopters contain DU components. As one industry insider told a reporter, “No one brags about DU.” However many wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 747, Lockheed L-1011,  McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed military C-130 all require the use of counter-balance weights for proper flight control. The Boeing 747 airplane program utilized depleted uranium for its first 550 aircraft built.  The company obtained in excess of 200 tons of the radioactive material, and cast approximately 12,000 parts.

You can read more HERE and HERE.

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SR-71 Pilot Interview

Spencer Hall interviews former SR-71 Blackbird pilot Rick McCrary about what it’s like to fly the world’s fastest plane. Spoiler: It’s terrifying.

The Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” is the fastest jet ever built, a machine so far ahead of its time even its own pilots thought it looked more like a spaceship than an airplane. It is an engineering marvel, powered by innovative engines that operated most efficiently at Mach 3.2, its typical cruising speed. From 1966 to 1998, it operated in secrecy, flown only by a handful of the Air Force’s most elite pilots. Rick McCrary was one of them.

The interview is HERE.