Classic Military Aircraft Abstract SR-71 Blackbird Intake Translating Spike
by Rick Bures
Title
Classic Military Aircraft Abstract SR-71 Blackbird Intake Translating Spike
Artist
Rick Bures
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Classic Military Aircraft Abstract SR-71 Blackbird Intake Translating Spike. In this horizontal abstract composition, the pointed chrome translating spike at the front of the jet intake on the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spy plane flows into the shape of the leading edge of the wing in the background, which itself flows into the shape of the fuselage. All but the tip of the translating spike and a few bolt heads are in shades of black, so there is a nice color contrast between the black and the chrome. The image is at once industrial and organic, and bespeaks the incredible technology that hinted at in the forms depicted. When the aircraft was at supersonic speeds, the translating spike would move fore and aft, adjusting the shock wave so that it properly engaged the lip of the engine air inlet. Since the shock wave varies not only with speed, but with pressure, temperature, and many other factors, a slew of sensors guided the movement of the translating spike, originally through analog controls, but later and more successfully through a computer. Considering how rudimentary computers were during this era, this was an amazing feat! Built in the 1960s, the SR-71 was a large 2-seat spy plane, at over 107 feet in length and 55 feet in wingspan. It’s powerful Pratt and Whitney J58-1 jet engines and special construction to deal with the heat generated by air friction at high speeds allowed the aircraft to travel at more than Mach 3, or more than 3 times the speed of sound (more than 2,200 miles per hour) and at the high altitude of more than 85,000 feet– out of range of many of the ground-to-air missiles in use at the time. It was built to replace the U2 spy plane, which had recently been shot down by the USSR. There are three aviation museums that I know of not far from Portland, Oregon, which have classic aircraft. The first is the Tillamook Air Museum, which is in a World War II blimp hangar outside of Tillamook, Oregon, on the Oregon coast. At the time of this writing, this museum is slated to be moved to Madras, Oregon, by 2016. Another is the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, in McMinnville, Oregon, which has some more modern aircraft than the Tillamook Air Museum, but also some classics, including the Spruce Goose. The third is the Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum, in Hood River, Oregon. I photographed this airplane at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, in McMinnville, Oregon. Abstract photography seeks to portray a subject not literally, but more viscerally, communicating through form (shapes, patterns, lines, curves), color, texture, and the play of light and shadow. Often, just a small portion of the whole subject is shown, in order for part to speak for the whole, to communicate deeper meaning or aesthetic appeal through the details seen which would be missed if the whole were visible. Look also for my many other classic airplane abstracts, shots of planes doing stunts, and other aircraft.
Uploaded
July 14th, 2017
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