Do, please, click on this link; a presentation created by one of the pilots involved in the all-too-limited Blackbird Program.
Perhaps the most extraordinary airplane of all time, the Blackbird flew for decades, being fired upon by missiles thousands of times without ever being hit while still at speeds rivaling the most modern strike airplanes of today, being able to photograph license plated from altitudes of 85,000 feet ... and more.
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As a teen, I wanted to fly. I wanted nothing more than to be an Air Force pilot. But I was distracted by other considerations, and never did make the effort to accomplish my desire.
My son has somehow inherited my love of airplanes, and flying. His 'favorite' was the Blackbird, and not without reason. Of the 40 Blackbirds constructed during a 20-year period, there were no more than 93 pilots assigned to Blackbird missions.
It's difficult to imagine that the Blackbird should be rendered 'obsolete', but eventually "Keyhole" satellites were understood to be more cost effective than single-mission airplanes, and the airframes are not longer supported or even retained as options for specific purposes.
In a way, this signals the end of an era when bold pilots would risk their lives to gather information vital to the interests of their country. The airplanes were, under limited and clearly understood (by their pilots) circumstances, the airplanes were able to out-run surface-to-air missiles while continuing to accomplish their assigned reconnaissance missions.
If there remains the concept of romance in the 21st Century, it includes the idea that bold men can ride powerful 'sleds' against all odds, to invade foreign territories in the quest to gather Intelligence.
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