By Col. Richard H. Graham, USAF (ret.)Hardcover, 6 x 9
304 pages, 31 color & 15 b/w photos
304 pages, 31 color & 15 b/w photos
ISBN: 978-0-7603-3239-9
$25.95 / $28.95 (CAN) / £16.99
$25.95 / $28.95 (CAN) / £16.99
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"Arguably the world's foremost expert on piloting the Blackbird, Graham details, as no one else could, what an SR-71 mission entails, from donning a pressure suit to returning to base...Flying the SR-71 Blackbird is the ultimate play-by-play journey into what is involved in an operational mission of one of aviation history's most prized, and top secret, aircraft."
—Pacific Flyer
Able to fly at three times the speed of sound and at altitudes of over eighty thousand feet, the SR-71 Blackbird was the most technologically advanced, ahead-of-its-time aircraft to ever be produced.
Nicknamed “Habu” by Okinawa locals who thought this strange and somewhat evil-looking plane was similar to their black Habu snake, SR-71 crews flew over 17,000 sorties from 1964 to 1989. With only 32 aircraft were ever built—twelve of which were destroyed in accidents—the fraternity of pilots able to lay claim to strapping into the cockpit is an exclusive one.
Now, for anyone who has ever wondered what it’s like to fly the SR-71 on a secret Mach 3 reconnaissance mission, Flying the SR-71 Blackbird has the answer. Retired SR-71 pilot and squadron leader Richard Graham takes readers along on an operational mission that only a few Air Force pilots have ever experienced.
The Lockheed SR-71, unofficially known as the Blackbird, was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed by Lockheed Skunk Works. The aircraft flew so fast and high that not one was ever shot down, even by a missile. SR-71 pilot and instructor Colonel Richard Graham offers a rare cockpit perspective on how regular Air Force pilots and navigators transformed themselves into SR-71 Blackbird crews, turning their unique aviation talents to account in an unprecedented way.
Arguably the worlds foremost expert on piloting the Blackbird, Graham details, as no one else could, what an SR-71 mission entails, from donning a pressure suit to returning to base. Also included in this book, revealed to the public for the first time ever, is the SR-71 pilot’s checklist—the flying “bible” for checklist and emergency procedures, which also contained unique charts that were used throughout the Mach 3 cruise.
Flying the SR-71 Blackbird is the ultimate play-by-play journey into what is involved in an operational mission of one of aviation history’s most prized—and top-secret—aircraft.
Nicknamed “Habu” by Okinawa locals who thought this strange and somewhat evil-looking plane was similar to their black Habu snake, SR-71 crews flew over 17,000 sorties from 1964 to 1989. With only 32 aircraft were ever built—twelve of which were destroyed in accidents—the fraternity of pilots able to lay claim to strapping into the cockpit is an exclusive one.
Now, for anyone who has ever wondered what it’s like to fly the SR-71 on a secret Mach 3 reconnaissance mission, Flying the SR-71 Blackbird has the answer. Retired SR-71 pilot and squadron leader Richard Graham takes readers along on an operational mission that only a few Air Force pilots have ever experienced.
The Lockheed SR-71, unofficially known as the Blackbird, was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed by Lockheed Skunk Works. The aircraft flew so fast and high that not one was ever shot down, even by a missile. SR-71 pilot and instructor Colonel Richard Graham offers a rare cockpit perspective on how regular Air Force pilots and navigators transformed themselves into SR-71 Blackbird crews, turning their unique aviation talents to account in an unprecedented way.
Arguably the worlds foremost expert on piloting the Blackbird, Graham details, as no one else could, what an SR-71 mission entails, from donning a pressure suit to returning to base. Also included in this book, revealed to the public for the first time ever, is the SR-71 pilot’s checklist—the flying “bible” for checklist and emergency procedures, which also contained unique charts that were used throughout the Mach 3 cruise.
Flying the SR-71 Blackbird is the ultimate play-by-play journey into what is involved in an operational mission of one of aviation history’s most prized—and top-secret—aircraft.
About the Author
A veteran of fifteen years of assignments within the SR-71 community, Colonel Richard H. Graham is uniquely qualified to tell the Blackbird’s story. Crew member, instructor pilot, chief of the standardization/evaluation division, Colonel Graham was named SR-71 Squadron Commander, 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, in January 1981. A command pilot with more than 4,600 military flying hours, he has earned military decorations and awards including the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with three oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with eighteen oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with “V” device and one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, Combat Readiness Medal with one oak leaf cluster, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with four service stars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. Colonel Graham’s other books on the SR-71 include SR-71 Revealed: The Inside Story and SR-71 Blackbird: Stories, Tales and Legends. He lives in Plano, Texas.
A veteran of fifteen years of assignments within the SR-71 community, Colonel Richard H. Graham is uniquely qualified to tell the Blackbird’s story. Crew member, instructor pilot, chief of the standardization/evaluation division, Colonel Graham was named SR-71 Squadron Commander, 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, in January 1981. A command pilot with more than 4,600 military flying hours, he has earned military decorations and awards including the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with three oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with eighteen oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with “V” device and one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, Combat Readiness Medal with one oak leaf cluster, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with four service stars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. Colonel Graham’s other books on the SR-71 include SR-71 Revealed: The Inside Story and SR-71 Blackbird: Stories, Tales and Legends. He lives in Plano, Texas.
