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A Toast to the XB-70 "Valkyrie" The XB-70 was destined to be the supersonic replacement of the B-52. This triple-Mach capable bomber was truly ahead of it's time, and a masterpiece of technological engineering. However, the program was doomed before it began, and the XB-70 was relegated to an experimental research aircraft. Weighing in at over a half-million pounds, she flew at over 70,000 feet at unheard-of speeds (each aircraft cost more than it's weight in gold!). Only two of her design were ever built, and their six General Electric J-79 engines tore new records daily. A tragic mid-air collision after a publicity photo shoot north of Barstow, California, destroyed one of the two prototypes and a NASA chase plane, killed two test pilots, and sealed the total demise of the program. The only remaining example of this aircraft, the first prototype built for the Air Force, was retired in 1969 to the US Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, near Dayton, Ohio.
Layer this shot, being certain to float the heavy cream on top... Enjoy responsibly. Remember, don't drink and fly.
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