--- title: "Behold The SR-71 Blackbird’s Nest At Dawn" description: "Two of the historic SR-71 Blackbird hangars that once lined Beale Air Force's Base's main apron are still standing today." date: "2021-01-01" modified: "2021-01-01" authors: - name: "Tyler Rogoway" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/tyler-rogoway.md" url: "https://www.twz.com/38513/check-out-this-stunning-image-of-the-sr-71-blackbirds-nest-at-dawn" categories: - "Air" - "Air Forces" - "Americas" - "Around The Globe" - "Cold War" - "History" - "Manned ISR" - "Military Aviation History" - "News & Features" - "SR-71" - "U.S. Air Force" - "U.S. Homeland" tags: - "Beale" - "Beale Air Force Base" - "Blackbird" - "Cold War" - "Hangar" - "Must Read Features" - "SR-71" - "Sunrise" --- # Behold The SR-71 Blackbird’s Nest At Dawn ![]() *www.twz.com* The SR-71 Blackbird is still giving us [wonderful images to discover]() even over two [decades after its retirement](). Case in the point, the gorgeous photograph below, showing a pair of SR-71 Blackbirds sitting idle in their hangars on the [flight line at Beale AFB]() at dawn. It was from here that SR-71s would launch and recover for stateside missions. The aircraft would ooze [its specialized JP7 jet fuel]() prior to starting in these hangars, a byproduct of an airframe designed to expand due to friction heat as much as four inches during high-speed flight. ![message-editor%2F1609543769351-sr71hangars2.jpg]() **USAF** The hangars also housed all the unique support equipment that was required to generate sorties for these extreme performance machines. This included the giant [AG-330 start cart]() that used a pair of 401-cubic inch Buick 'Wildcat' V8 engines to stir the Blackbird's J58 turbojets to life. While the tailor-made hangars may seem simple in design, the gear inside them that surrounds the Blackbirds makes the facilities look almost sci-fi in nature. You can watch what a launch of the Blackbird from these hangars was like [here]() and [here]() (great soundtracks too!). ![message-editor%2F1609546697586-screenshot2021-01-01at4.17.59pm.png]() *Blackbird ops at Beale circa the 1980s., *USAF** At one time, a dozen of the hangars dotted the apron at the Air Force's master strategic aerial reconnaissance base in Northern California, but over time they have dwindled in number. ![message-editor%2F1609548510460-130802-f-xx999-001.jpeg]() **USAF** Up until 2013, four of these original hangars still stood, when two were demolished. The remaining two still stand on the flight line at Beale and are used to support ongoing U-2 Dragon Lady and RQ-4 Global Hawk operations. ![message-editor%2F1609545669133-130620-f-na343-001.jpeg]() *The last four SR-71 hangars seen prior to the two on the left being torn down. , *USAF** The plan was to demolish the final two in 2020 as part of an ongoing initiative to get rid of or revamp Cold War-era infrastructure on the base, but that has yet to happen. ![message-editor%2F1609548626842-screenshot2021-01-01at4.50.19pm.png]() *2020 image of Beale's flight line with the two historic SR-71 hangars still seen standing., *Google Earth** It's great that a small piece of the Blackbird's legacy at Beale still stands in the form of a pair of these hangars, the likes of which were gloriously captured in the beautiful sunrise image. *Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com* ## Author Tyler’s passion is the study of military technology, strategy, as well as foreign policy, and he has fostered a dominant voice on those topics in the defense and national security space. Tyler was the creator of the hugely popular defense site *Foxtrot Alpha* before developing *TWZ*, which he continues to lead as the Editor-In-Chief to this day. ### Author social links [Twitter]()