This Overview Of NASA's SR-71 Blackbird Is A Must Watch

There is no aircraft in the history of human flight that seems to have captured the public's imagination like the SR-71 Blackbird. I have covered all aspects of this aircraft and its history, including first-hand accounts of memorable missions, the plane's celestial navigation system, very memorable flybys—and I mean very memorable—and departures, fascinating cockpit tours, tense Cold War moments, and even some of the exotic concepts that were proposed for its predecessor, the A-12 Oxcart. Even the finest details about the SR-71 and its history are extremely interesting, yet a really good general overview of the iconic black jet can be just as intriguing. A segment from Wonderful World Of Flying, shot back in the 1990s and hosted by airline pilot Barry Schiff, is exactly that. 

The video gives us a hands-on look at the broader strokes that make up the SR-71 and its concept of operations, along with some interesting factual tidbits along the way. It was shot at the very end of the Blackbird's flying career, as the final flying examples were serving with NASA, which is a civilian agency, so the video is about as straightforward and up-close and personal as it gets. 

It's amazing to think that nearly 55 years after the SR-71 first took flight, and two decades after its last flight, it still offers so many fascinating elements to study and remains arguably the most fascinating flying machine mankind ever created... Well, at least that we know of!

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com