SR-71: The Complete Illustrated History of the Blackbird, The World's Highest, Fastest Plane Kindle Edition

This book is just what I wanted, but wasn't looking for at the time I bought it. I love it, because it brings back memories of my elementary days - when my friends and I would "spot" the "blackbird" (which we would mistakenly call the "black widow") flying overhead, while outdoors during recess time! I've carried memories of these sightings my entire life. Having this book rekindles boyhood excitement of a "mysterious" military jet, as well as, adds a "final touch" to a cool piece of history, which I has been a part of my life.

I never thought that I would be interested in a supersonic aircraft until I read a review of this book. Richard Graham has a great deal to say through the associates he had during the time the SR-71 was operational. Each person provides an intriguing look into their own experiences, relationships, and Colonel Graham fills in the gaps to further explain specific details throughout the book. You will come away with a genuine feel for the intelligence program started by our government and the genius of Kelly Johnson and his associates of the Lockheed ' Skunkworks ' who was responsible for leading the incredible effort to build such a plane. One also comes to understand the total effort required of pilots, rso's and maintenance personnel as well as the cooperation between other governments and their critical role playing in making our intelligence gathering so successful. You will also come to appreciate the fact that the plane which flew from LA to DC in 64 minutes was full of it's own particular characteristics and continued to give all who served " her " to come away with a respect and awe most of us are lucky to see in the words and deeds of those who flew " The Blackbird ".

The SR-71 was one of the most remarkable planes ever built. Able to fly above 85,000 feet at speeds exceeding Mach-3, it was a peerless reconnaissance plane. Not one was ever lost to hostile action and although, according to the author, they never overflew Russia or China, they flew near enough to gather intelligence and provoke enemy action. There is an interesting piece where a Russian Mig-25 pilot who defected explains the near impossibility of bringing down a SR-71. Of course, the plane's performance meant the air crew was operating in extreme conditions with the ever present possibility of catastrophe. The stunning photographs are a bonus. Most readers will find the welter of technical information slow going. The last part of the book is a disappointing account of the fight to prevent the shut down of the program. It is easy to understand how the participants were invested in the SR-71, but to the neutral reader it is an example of why the defense budget is so difficult to control: every program has its advocates.

I consider the SR-71 the most beautiful aircraft ever, so when I saw this book I needed to give it a try: I didn't feel disappointedThe book contains stories, anecdotes, valuable technical data and photographs organized in chronological order. It's like you are a third habu, a third crew member, flying the skies at mach 3.2, you are told the antecedents, the troubles before it was what it was, the engines, amazing stories almost surreal with explosions and cowboys (!) The style of writing is formal but warm and inviting, it reveals with affection and kindness every detail of flying the blackbirds (a personal desire) and the photographs, specially the ones from Lockheed Martin are glorious! They show data of a plane hard to photograph (it's black and designed to be hard to locate after all) but also they are great artistic compositions by themselves.Diaries tend to be sad because naturally in the end everybody around the writer dies. Sadly this is not the exception for the dear blackbird.

This is a great history of an amazing plane. The book covers the design and development of the SR-71 and its predecessors and gives plenty of details on flight operations. The first few chapters give a detailed history of the Oxcart program and the eventual development of the Blackbird. Also included are a couple of chapters on crew selection and training. The meat of the book is several chapters walking through an example mission, from planning and pre-flight operations to fueling, takeoff, refueling, executing the mission, return and post-flight. Much detail is given including real life stores and anecdotes that give the reader insight into operating this plane. The final couple of chapters discuss the politics and issues surrounding the eventual retirement of the program. The book itself is well written, engages the reader throughout, and has many great photographs as well. Recommended for fans of the SR-71, unique aircraft, or aviation history in general.

There seems to be a multitude of books on the SR-71, but Ricard Graham’s book reveals in detail what it took to fly and perform missions with the Blackbird. Having read Skunk Works by Ben Rich I was well aware of the development issues that it took to produce this magnificent aircraft, but the details revealed in Graham’s book show the skill and dedication to this aircraft needed to make it operational. Every chapter was full of information to those who would like to know about the intricacies of how the pilots and backseat officers needed to do to perform their duties. Even the picture captions were full of nuggets of information. This book is not for the fainthearted who simply want a quick overview.

The book arrived on time and it was in perfect condition as promised. I had problem of the delivery because of Hungarian post office, but Christine (representative of the seller, hope it is not a problem mentioning her) was so glade and supportive that for the second time, i received the book. Thanks for everything.About the book. It is a real treasure for those who fall in love to SR-71 and keen to know the details of her development and operation during more than two decades.

Col. Richard Graham both flew the SR71 and commanded the squadron giving him a very wide overview of the Blackbird from 1974 through until it was retired from service. Col. Graham has a writing style which imparts a lot of fascinating information yet remains easy to read. Couple this with amazing photographs, some of which have never been published before, and this is a book no Blackbird fan should be without.

Bought this for my husband but has not read it yet

Great book, Rich Graham's books about the Blackbird provide a wonderful insight into not just what the aircraft was capable of, but also how the plane was flown, the logistics organised, the people, the politics.Thoroughly recommendable.

Super book. Print quality fairly shocking sadly, my copy not great anyway. Good book nonetheless.