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Blackbird: The Untouchable Spy Plane
The American 'spy' aircraft, the SR-71 'Blackbird' was deliberately designed to be the world's fastest and highest-flying aircraft and has never been approached since.
It was conceived in the late 1950s by Lockheed Martin's highly secret 'Skunk Works' team under one of the most (possibly the most) brilliant aero designers of all time, Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson. Once fully developed in around 1963/4 the Blackbird represented the apogee of jet-powered flight. It could fly at well over three times the speed of sound above 85,000 feet and had an unrefuelled range of 3,200 nautical miles. It flew with great success until 1998 (with NASA 1999). Despite extensive use over Vietnam and later battlefields none was ever shot down (unlike the U2 in the Gary Powers incident).
The Blackbird's capabilities seem unlikely ever to be exceeded. It was retired because its job could be done by satellites, and in today's steady trend towards unmanned military aircraft it is improbable that anyone will ever again need to design a jet aircraft capable of such speed.
It was conceived in the late 1950s by Lockheed Martin's highly secret 'Skunk Works' team under one of the most (possibly the most) brilliant aero designers of all time, Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson. Once fully developed in around 1963/4 the Blackbird represented the apogee of jet-powered flight. It could fly at well over three times the speed of sound above 85,000 feet and had an unrefuelled range of 3,200 nautical miles. It flew with great success until 1998 (with NASA 1999). Despite extensive use over Vietnam and later battlefields none was ever shot down (unlike the U2 in the Gary Powers incident).
The Blackbird's capabilities seem unlikely ever to be exceeded. It was retired because its job could be done by satellites, and in today's steady trend towards unmanned military aircraft it is improbable that anyone will ever again need to design a jet aircraft capable of such speed.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published September 5, 2017
12 people are currently reading
412 people want to read
About the author
James Hamilton-Paterson
41 books93 followersJames Hamilton-Paterson is a British poet, novelist, and one of the most private literary figures of his generation. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford, he began his career as a journalist before emerging as a novelist with a distinctive lyrical style. He gained early recognition for Gerontius, a Whitbread Award-winning novel, and went on to write Ghosts of Manila and America’s Boy, incisive works reflecting his deep engagement with the Philippines. His interests range widely, from history and science to aviation, as seen in Seven-Tenths and Empire of the Clouds. He also received praise for his darkly comic Gerald Samper trilogy. Hamilton-Paterson divides his time between Austria, Italy, and the Philippines and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 9, 2017
Of all the aircraft ever developed the SR-71 ‘Blackbird’ is probably one of the most distinctive. Conceived by Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson along with a team of brilliant engineers at 'Skunk Works', Lockheed Martin's highly secret military development site, the design first saw the light of day in the late 1950’s. That is seventy years ago and it still looks futuristic now. Built to replace the U2 spy plane, it was designed to be the fastest and highest flying aircraft. When development finished in the mid-1960’s it was the pinnacle of aero and jet development, it could fly at 85,000 feet at a speed of Mach 3 (approximately 2000mph) for a range of 3200 miles. The various versions of the plane flew missions over the world from then until the end of the nineties and it was never shot down. It was only retired as the job it was designed to do could now be done better with satellites.
The Blackbird is an engineering marvel. The engineering team had to solve so many problems in using titanium, then an exotic material, even finding that the cadmium plating on their tools would affect it. The pilots had to be dressed as astronauts as the plane flew so high and the fuselage was mostly fuel tanks. They had a reputation for leaking fuel all over the place, but that was not entirely true. The plane holds various speed records including one for travelling from New York to London in just 1 hour 54 minutes, which is just staggering. It is a plane that looks fast even on the ground.
Hamilton-Paterson has managed to bring us a distilled history of an aircraft that is eminently readable and full of details and anecdotes on the development and challenges that the creation of this aircraft too. There is a limited amount of detail on the operations that the SR-71 undertook, probably because most are still classified. It is a good introduction to the aircraft, with some interesting photos as well, but if the book has one flaw, it was that it was too short.
The Blackbird is an engineering marvel. The engineering team had to solve so many problems in using titanium, then an exotic material, even finding that the cadmium plating on their tools would affect it. The pilots had to be dressed as astronauts as the plane flew so high and the fuselage was mostly fuel tanks. They had a reputation for leaking fuel all over the place, but that was not entirely true. The plane holds various speed records including one for travelling from New York to London in just 1 hour 54 minutes, which is just staggering. It is a plane that looks fast even on the ground.
Hamilton-Paterson has managed to bring us a distilled history of an aircraft that is eminently readable and full of details and anecdotes on the development and challenges that the creation of this aircraft too. There is a limited amount of detail on the operations that the SR-71 undertook, probably because most are still classified. It is a good introduction to the aircraft, with some interesting photos as well, but if the book has one flaw, it was that it was too short.
May 2, 2021
Fabulous!
Easily the best book I've read about the brilliant SR-71 Blackbird.
The author does a very good job with the initial chapters setting context politically, especially the Cold War, but also within the US, and also scientifically explaining the limitations of the current technology.
He explained how the magnificent engines worked and why these are so efficient at Mach 3+ & high altitude – very understandably.
I also really enjoyed getting to know the designer, Kelly Johnson. A brilliant engineer, project manager and designer, who also let those in his charge soar and were empowered to problem solve themselves.
I highly recommend this book.
Easily the best book I've read about the brilliant SR-71 Blackbird.
The author does a very good job with the initial chapters setting context politically, especially the Cold War, but also within the US, and also scientifically explaining the limitations of the current technology.
He explained how the magnificent engines worked and why these are so efficient at Mach 3+ & high altitude – very understandably.
I also really enjoyed getting to know the designer, Kelly Johnson. A brilliant engineer, project manager and designer, who also let those in his charge soar and were empowered to problem solve themselves.
I highly recommend this book.
December 14, 2018
It’s not often a fiction book puts me on the edge of my seat with my heart racing and my mind lost in excited wonder. This book did just that. I picked up the book wanting to learn more about this plane, expecting a textbook experience. To my delight, that expectation was not met.
While the book touches on technical aspects, it is reachable and understandable for those of us who are not engineers or well schooled in the jargon surrounding military flight. While the first two chapters lay the groundwork for how the Blackbird program came to be, having that groundwork made the rest of the story stronger.
I also like that the author represented the perspectives of agencies, groups, and people who had influence on the program and how those perspectives helped shape what became the Blackbird. That being said, the target audience is those of us who are enchanted by these planes, and the author writes to our affections.
While the book touches on technical aspects, it is reachable and understandable for those of us who are not engineers or well schooled in the jargon surrounding military flight. While the first two chapters lay the groundwork for how the Blackbird program came to be, having that groundwork made the rest of the story stronger.
I also like that the author represented the perspectives of agencies, groups, and people who had influence on the program and how those perspectives helped shape what became the Blackbird. That being said, the target audience is those of us who are enchanted by these planes, and the author writes to our affections.
February 25, 2018
Triggered Air Force memories. I was part of the mission highlighted in the book.
February 20, 2018
Great read about a great aircraft!
Very good and revealing story of the Blackbird's development and flying life. More than a technical discussion, the book discusses the times and environment during the life of the Blackbird. Discussion of the development and testing of different variants and reviews of various missions flown and accomplishments. Highly recommended.
Very good and revealing story of the Blackbird's development and flying life. More than a technical discussion, the book discusses the times and environment during the life of the Blackbird. Discussion of the development and testing of different variants and reviews of various missions flown and accomplishments. Highly recommended.
June 26, 2018
A nice, easy read. In some ways it reads like a collection of fun SR-71 trivia (Did you know that one tire cost $18,634 in 2017 prices?), but it also goes pretty deep into the design process. Once you see the kinds of hurdles the makers had to overcome, you realize just how much the Blackbird is a technological marvel.
April 17, 2022
Excellent book. Easy to read with the context set in a very readable way. Off to Duxford I go, I need to see one of these in person.
July 9, 2023
Interesting, but very little information about the actual SR-71 until more than halfway through the book
September 5, 2025
*library*
A history of my favorite aircraft.
Lost a star because too much of it, I feel, was spent talking about other aircraft, but that's a bit of a silly criticism to have.
So many fun facts about the development, history and journey of the Blackbird.
A history of my favorite aircraft.
Lost a star because too much of it, I feel, was spent talking about other aircraft, but that's a bit of a silly criticism to have.
So many fun facts about the development, history and journey of the Blackbird.
March 16, 2023
The astonishing story behind one of the most distinctive & technically advanced planes ever built. 4.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews