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Friday, November 23, 2018

SR-71 Blackbird pilot interview

©MMXVIII V.1.0.1
by Morley Evans


SR-71 Blackbird over Sierra Nevada mountains




This long interview with Richard Graham USAF (retired) gives an excellent insight into the ne plus ultra of American military aviation. The SR-71 program was surpassed only by NASA and its astronauts. Flying at Mach 3.5 on the edge of space is very close to space flight. The SR-71 was discontinued due to its high cost and improved satellite technology. 

As secret reconnaissance, the program received no publicity. The USAF contracted its services to the CIA. Missions skirted the edges of the Soviet Union. There were no overflights after Francis Gary Powers had been shot down in 1960. Kelly Johnson the head of Lockheed Skunkworks had safety as the primary goal of the Blackbird program. No one was lost. Everything was always perfect.

Today, satellites cover every foot of the planet with super high-resolution cameras making the world ever more dangerous as the fate of the Indians closes in on the rest of us. 

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