Aviation historians, scholars, enthusiasts and aviators judge aircraft of the 20th century by a variety of standards. Some will judge planes by how good they look, or by how well they do their missions, or by their technical advancements, or by their contribution to a particular war effort. Throughout this debate the one plane of the 20th century that always comes to mind is the SR-71 Blackbird. This web site is dedicated to the SR-71 Blackbird family of planes.

Sitting on the ground the SR-71 looks like it's traveling at mach 3 speed, its black color making it look sinister and deadly. Its shapes seems to be part plane, part space ship. Crews in their pressure suits appear part pilot, part astronaut. Cruising routinely at 2,100 mph, at altitudes over 80,000 feet, the SR-71 and its two-man crew fly in the upper limits of the stratosphere. Here the outside air temperature is -65 degrees F., and yet skin friction will cause the leading edges of their plane to reach temperatures of 500-600 degrees F. From heat alone, the plane will "grow" five to six inches in length every time it cruises at mach 3.

Flying highly classified reconnaissance missions all around the world, the SR-71 has been despised by hostile countries. During its 22 years of operational flying, the Blackbird has encountered numerous SAMs and MIGs attempting to shoot it down, but to no avail. The SR-71 Blackbirds were operational from 1968 to 1990, providing six US Presidents, the CIA, NSA, DIA, foreign nations and our own military leadership with the intelligence necessary to make crucial and timely military and political decisions. The SR-71 shaped the future of the world we live in.

This web site is developed to give you a sense of what it was like to fly the SR-71 Blackbird and belong to the small fraternity of highly trained SR-71 crew members. Enjoy the site!

Col. Rich Graham