29 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE SR-71 BLACKBIRD
COURTESY OF LOCKHEED MARTIN
By AARON MILLER
Quantifying the exact level of badass-ness the SR-71 Blackbird achieved during its active career from the 1960s to the 1990s is impossible -- partly because, as a spy plane, much of its anecdotal history remains behind a veil of security. From its very first test flight, three days before Christmas in 1964, it straddled the boundaries between physics-bending speed and safety, top secret missions and public rockstar status, and even between Earth and space.
Now basking in its second decade of retirement, Blackbird stands as a towering figure in the history of aviation, one which still holds more than its share of records. These are 29 things you you (probably) didn’t know about the SR-71.
COURTESY OF LOCKHEED MARTIN
1. The SR-71’s official speed record -- 2,193.13 mph -- has stood for nearly 40 years
In July of 1976, the Blackbird celebrated the United States’ centennial by setting an outright speed record for a manned jet. This is that very plane landing after that record-setting run, and while a few pilots took their Blackbirds faster, they weren't on an official two-way record run.