On April 26, 1962 the world of aviation was changed for ever. On that day from a remote desert location in Nevada, Lockheed's A-12 took to the air on it's maiden flight. Radical looking in design with it's delta wing, twin tails and fuselage chines, this was no ordinary aircraft. What the Lockheed "Skunk Works" had created was the worlds fastest and highest flying air breathing aircraft. Able to cruise continuously in afterburner at Mach 3+ and above 85,000 feet, the A-12 and it's follow on designs, the YF-12A and SR-71 were about to set new standards for aircraft performance.
Not only was it's design unconventional, but nearly everything used in it's construction had to be developed or invented. At Mach 3 the aircraft produced tremendous heat. Heat so intense that pilots reported seeing the planes leading edges glow a dull orange at night. New lubricants, metals, plastic composites and electronics were developed to withstand the extended periods the plane flew at these incredible temperatures. Additionally, a specially formulated fuel with a high flash point was developed, since ordinary jet fuel would ignite under such conditions.
Developed originally for the CIA as a follow-on to the U2, the SR-71 would become the worlds premiere reconnaissance aircraft. It's only defence against attack was it's astounding speed and altitude that largely remain unchallenged today. That is an extraordinary feat considering that the design of the SR-71 was primarily done by talented engineers using slide-rules over 35 year ago. The Lockheed engineers, designers and the pilots who flew the SR-71 over the last 3 decades have truly set the standard by which all others are measured.
In this spectacular print published by Tangmere Aviation Art, Michael Short depicts the SR-71 cruising together with a back-up (deployed only on extremely important missions) at high altitude where the curvature of the earth can be seen. All prints are signed by the following distinguished SR-71 pilots: Mele Vojvodich (A-12, SR-71), Ray Haupt (SR-71), Tom Pugh (SR-71), Bob Reidenauer (SR-71), Bob Gilliland (A-12, SR-71), Jim Eastam (A-12, YF-12A, SR-71), Ken Collins (A-12, SR-71), Ed Schneider (SR-71). |