There are a number of places on the web concerning the SR-71 Blackbird, the USAF’s fantastic flying machine, but the best I have seen is the one of Leland Haynes.  Leland is a retired USAF MSgt. whose job from 1969 to 1974 was to maintain, inspect, launch and recover that incredible SR-71.

He now has an extensive web site devoted to the Blackbird (or Habu, as most of those closest to it referred to it.) Leland gave me permission to use whatever I wanted with no restrictions. But the web site is so complete you need to see for yourself. Here is the address: www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/sr-71~1.htm

 I had the occasion once about 15 or 20 years ago to visit with a Blackbird pilot. It was at the fixed base office for private planes at an airport in Texas. There were dozens of 8x10 photos hanging on the wall...all of the Blackbird in flight or on the ground. I cannot remember the name of the man but he had numerous stories of his time flying the Blackbird. He said everything in his life had been rather stable and mundane until the several years he spent as a flight crew member of the Habu.

To those who do not know where the name Habu comes from here’s a brief explanation.  On the island of Okinawa there is a venomous snake called the habu. We saw many during the six months we were there.  It’s fast and the natives say it has killed many people and animals. While the aircraft has no machine guns and/or cannons, and does not carry bombs and as a result has not killed anyone as an attack weapon, there is no question it is deadly. The actual aircraft just looks sinister...and fast!

Speaking of fast....here is FAST!!!!!!
On September 1, 1974 Major James V. Sullivan, 37 (pilot) and Noel F. Widdifield, 33 (reconnaissance systems officer), flashed across the starting line (radar gates in New York) at approximately 80,000 feet and at a speed in excess of 2,000 miles per hour.
Exactly 1 hour 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds later, they had set a new world speed record from New York to London, England. The average speed for the entire flight was 1,807 statue miles per hour over the 3,461 mile course, slowing to refuel once from a specially modified KC-135 refueling aircraft.

Clarence “Kelly” Johnson of the legendary Lockheed “Skunk Works” was responsible for many of the innovative designs in the SR-71. The most prominent defensive feature of the aircraft was its speed and altitude capability. For example if a surface-to-air missile was launched at a Habu the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and outrun the enemy missile! No problem.

There were a total of 32 SR-71s built with 12 of those being lost in accidents...none to any enemy action. If you are in the Shreveport/Bossier City area go by the museum at Barksdale AFB in Bossier City if you have access to the base. There is an SR-71 on display there, along with a number of other USAF aircraft and a nice little museum.

There was a distinctive feature on the Habu that was not on most other aircraft...its chines, those sharp edges leading aft on either side of the nose and along the sides of the fuselage.
The SR-71 was originally not going to have the chines. At its early design stage it looked similar to an enlarged F-104.  Lockheed’s concern was these large surfaces would adversely affect the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft. But the government agencies paying for the project wanted drastically reduced radar cross-sections and pushed Lockheed to try chines on a few wind-tunnel models near the end of the configuration design process.
It was discovered that the chines generated powerful vortices around themselves, generating much additional lift near the front of the aircraft, leading to surprising improvements in aerodynamic performance! The angle of incidence of the delta wings could then be reduced which allowed for greater stability as well as more room for fuel which greatly increased the range of the aircraft. Another plus was landing speeds could also be reduced.

The SR-71 remained the world’s fastest and highest-flying manned aircraft throughout its storied career. From an altitude of 80,000 feet it could survey 100,000 miles of the earth’s surface every hour. It was also accurate enough to take a legible photo of a car’s license plate from 80,000 feet!

On July 28, 1976, an SR-71 broke the world record for its class: an absolute speed record of 2,193.17 mph and an absolute altitude record of 85,069 feet!

The SR-71 Blackbird (Habu) was retired, then un-retired, then finally retired for good.  There are a number of versions for each of the above three occurrences.  I do not suppose anyone will ever know the actual truth or the full story of any of it.  I do know that the SR-71 Blackbird (Habu) is one of the most unforgettable aircraft I have ever seen, heard about or read about.  It will no doubt go down in history as one of the more incredible machines built by mankind.  R.I.P. Habu!