The SR-71’s maiden flight took place on December 22, 1964 at Burbank airport. It was launched in the air 17 years after Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier with the Bell X-1.

The SR-71 is capable of Mach 3.2 and it was reported that the Blackbird could exceed its speed capability. Pilot Brian Shaul admitted that he once pushed a Blackbird to Mach 3.4 while hastily leaving the Libyan airspace. He reported that the SR-71 had flown smoother than ever at those remarkable and unbelievable speeds, cruising over 80,000 ft.

The SR-71 flying speed at Mach 3+ resulted the aircraft’s skin to be subjected to extreme heat due to the friction generated at that speed. The SR-71’s Titanium-composite alloy reflects its revolutionized high-speed design. During operation sortie in 1968, a total of 32 aircraft were built before the tooling was ordered to be destroyed. The aircraft’s on and off operation with the USAF resulted to retirement from military use of the last three SR-71s in 1998, although there were several SR-71s that were flown by NASA until October 9, 1999, which is the final flight schedule of the aircraft.

The Blackbird still remains a legendary aircraft since no other aircraft could exceed the Blackbird’s raw speed, mobility and technological might to such an impressive degree.