Retired Colonel “Buz” Carpenter will be at the Kansas Cosmosphere Saturday, November 6, 2010 to talk about his experiences flying the world’s fastest airplane–the SR-71 Blackbird.
This is absolutely free and everyone is welcome to come meet the former Air Force pilot, get his autograph, and see the Blackbird, America’s first “stealth” plane, at the Kansas Cosmosphere.
Over 500 people attended the event last year when Buz came to speak. (Read about it at the Cosmo blog.)
Only 32 Blackbirds were ever made. They traveled at speeds of up to Mach 3.3 and the exterior surface would reach temperatures of up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. It could reach altitudes of 85,000 feet where the curvature of the earth can be clearly seen–or as some have said, “the edge of space.” In fact, the pressure suits worn by Blackbird pilots were the immediate forerunners of early Space Shuttle suits used for test flights.
Col. Carpenter will speak at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and be available for autographs after each presentation.
Admission is FREE.
