South Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Spy in the Sky

Photographed by Adam Margolis, February 5, 2023

1. Spy in the Sky Marker

Inscription. Spy planes need to collect information. But they also need to fly safely through unfriendly areas. That means being hard to spot on radar, cruising high up out of reach, and flying fast enough to outrun anything in pursuit. The A-12 met all these challenges better than any plane had before.

The A-12 Blackbird plane was the first airplane made largely from titanium, a strong, light metal. So the classified projects that built the A-12 discovered a lot about how to work with this challenging material. The A-12 team also developed new methods so fuels and oil could stand up to the extreme heat in the engines. They tested new ways to make planes less visible on radar too."

Erected by California Science Center.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space.

Location. 34° 0.927′ N, 118° 17.072′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in South Los Angeles. It can be reached from State Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 600 State Dr, Los Angeles CA 90037, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Spy in the Sky (a few steps from this marker); Endeavor in Tow (within shouting distance of this marker);

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F-104 Starfighter (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Wishing on a Star, 2009 (about 400 feet away); Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (about 500 feet away); F/A-18A Hornet (about 600 feet away); California African American Museum (about 600 feet away); Historic Palm Tree (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.

Spy in the Sky image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Adam Margolis, February 5, 2023

2. Spy in the Sky

Credits. This page was last revised on February 25, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 11, 2023, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. This page has been viewed 190 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 11, 2023, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.