I’ve seen SR-71s in various states of disassembly during major maintenance operations. Very impressive aircraft.
One maintenance procedure was the “hot gig” test where hydraulic fluid at elevated temperatures (several hundred degrees, to emulate in-flight conditions) is pumped through the system to check for leaks and check for proper hydraulics operation. The mechanics would don metalized suits for protection against the hot fluid. While this was going on one day I recall looking through Lockheed’s Palmdale hangar and seeing a blue haze or smoke rising from the hot gig cart’s heater.
Beale AFB has a great open air display of a couple of vehicles near the flight line. A pylon-mounted Blackbird about 10-15 feet above ground, gear-up flight configuration in a slight bank/nose up attitude, gives real appreciation for its size and form. In its shadow is a D-21 drone (which was originally intended to be launched by the SR-71 predecessor M21 mothership).
Beale and Kadena Okinawa. So THATwas the plane (then) Vice President -to-beBush flew to Paris in!