SR-71 Update
I was given the keys yesterday in a white envelope by an old man wearing a 70's Disco Duck hat. "Out back" he says, shuffling away quickly before I could ask any questions.On one side of the key it says "Skunk" and on the other "Works". It gleams and is made of titanium.
Intrigued, I gather my hat and walk outside to the tarmac behind the ATS tower. Because it's 200 feet away, it takes me a little while to get there. But in the distance I see it: Dark, clean, and shining? Can black shine? It looked like it just came out of Skunkworks in 1965. How is this possible? They stopped making these planes almost 50 years ago. There is not a speck of dust or dirt on this aircraft. It looks perfectly mint and factory fresh. As I get close to the aircraft, I can feel the power emanating from it. Kind of soothing.
I reach up and touch the wing. A surge of energy enters my body and the two engines instantly come online. I can control them with my mind. Incredible.
They are also electric ramjets. Apparently the entire plane has been converted to an electric vehicle. The noise is incredible, I quickly run away from the racket. The engines quickly spool down and the aircraft powers off. I hear a little 'chirp' of the alarm automatically engage. I stand back and admire the thing. It is absolutely perfect.
And it's ready. But do I even remember how to fly even a basic airplane? At the time, the SR-71 was one of the most complicated airplanes ever developed. It remains the fastest plane ever created by humans. I look at the cockpit display and see icons I've heard about but never really used or cared:
Tinder, Match, Bumble, and PoF.
My hand hesitates on the app and pulls back. No. No not yet. I tried to remember what it was like back when I was flying the airplane. The rush of the chase, the speed, the excitement! And rejection.
And now I even wonder if these two engines will get this plane off the ground. In time there is only one way to find out. We'll have to take that test flight. Maybe soon.
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