The historic first flight of the SR-71 Blackbird occurred on December 22, 1964. When asked about the first flight, Chief Test Pilot Bob Gilliland commented: “The first flight was relatively uneventful. Just one emergency, and another minor problem. A canopy-unsafe light illuminated at Mach 1.2 on the way to 1.5 MACH at 50,000 feet, and later, during a fly-by requested by Kelly Johnson, fuel siphoning occurred. Not bad, as initial test flights go”.
Since 1976, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird has held the world record for the fastest ‘air-breathing manned aircraft’ with a recorded speed of 1,905.81 knots (2,193.2 mph; 3,529.6 km/h). That works out to a staggering 36.55 miles/58.83 km per minute.
SR-71 Blackbird Test Pilot Bill Weaver was the only Blackbird pilot that experienced and survived a MACH 3 ejection at 80,000ft and survived after the plane broke up in mid-flight on January 25, 1966. Former NASA TV news journalist Jules Bergman called Weaver’s survival bail out at MACH 3 an “aviation miracle”.
Fellow Test Pilot William A ‘Bill’ Weaver with the SR-71 Blackbird
Fellow Test Pilot William A ‘Bill’ Weaver with the SR-71 Blackbird
The Blackbird was so fast that its strategy against surface-to-air missiles was to simply accelerate and outfly them. Below you will find an extensive gallery of this iconic aircraft along with information on the history, design and records the plane holds to this day.
World’s fastest plane, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Photograph by NASA.
The SR-71 served with the U.S. Air Force from 1964 to 1998. Photograph by James Gordon
The Blackbird was developed as a black project. Photograph by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.
The SR-71 was designed for Mach 3+ flights. Photograph by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.
The dark color led to the aircraft’s call sign “Blackbird”. Photograph by the U.S. Air Force
On the SR-71, titanium was used for 85% of the structure. Photograph by the CIA.
The Pratt & Whitney J58-P4 engine that powered the SR-71. Photograph by Nick Dowling.
A unique hybrid, the engine can be thought of as a turbojet inside a ramjet. Photograph by greyloch.
Operation was deafening. Photograph by Lockheed Martin
Blue light source star tracker, could see stars both day and night. Photograph by TSgt. Michael Haggerty, USAF
The first flight of an SR-71 took place on 22 December 1964. Photograph by TSgt. Michael Haggerty, USAF.
The world’s fastest and highest-flying aircraft. Photograph by USAF/Tech. Sgt. Michael Haggerty.
The SR-71 holds the “Speed Over a Recognized Course” record. Photograph by Lockheed Martin.
On 26 April 1971, flew over 15,000 miles in 10 hrs. 30 min. Photograph by Ken Hackman, USAF.
The SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest plane in the world. Photograph by Lockheed Martin.
Blackbird on the runway. Photograph by Lockheed Martin.
Blackbirds in the fog. Photograph by Lockheed Martin.
Moving the SR-71. Photograph by Lockheed Martin.
Blackbird at sunset. Photograph by Lockheed Martin.
Blackbird at sunset. Photograph by Lockheed Martin.
Blackbird soars through the sunset. Photograph by Lockheed Martin.
