The SR-71 “Blackbird” was a long-range, strategic reconnaissance aircraft operated by the U.S. Air Force between 1964 and 1998. It was capable of flying at Mach 3 – three times the speed of sound, or around 2,300 miles per hour.

Designed for a two-man crew, they sat in tandem cockpits, with the pilot in the front and the reconnaissance systems officer operating the surveillance systems, equipment and directing navigation from a rear cockpit. The aircrafts were painted a dark blue, almost black, to increase the emission of internal heat and act as camouflage against the night sky. The dark colour led to the aircraft’s nickname of “Blackbird.”

While the SR-71 carried radar countermeasures to evade interception efforts, its greatest protection was a combination of high altitude and very high-speed. If a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and outfly the missile!

When flying at 80,000 feet, crews needed to wear protective, pressurized suits to ensure they received the right amount of oxygen. When wearing a pressurized suit, eating and drinking takes on a whole new form: water bottles had long straws which crew members guided into an opening in the helmet by looking in a mirror; food was contained in sealed units similar to toothpaste tubes which delivered food to the crew member’s mouth through the helmet opening.

We were able to see an SR-71 up close and personal at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska, just down the road from where we are staying.