"Just a nice Picture...!"

There are very few aircraft that appeal more to the imagination than the iconic Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. And when one Blackbird is already impressive, what to think of this picture from the family album. It shows eleven of the 32 Blackbirds that were built, the most remote being an SR-71B trainer.

During aerial reconnaissance missions, the SR-71 operated at high speeds and altitudes (Mach 3.2 and 85,000 feet/25,900 meters). The type still holds records for the fastest, and most high flying operational aircraft.

Flying on the edge had its toll: 12 aircraft were lost in accidents with none lost to enemy action.

The prototype made its first flight on 22 December 1964. The type became operational in January 1966 and flew until 1988, when the USAF retired the SR-71 mainly due to political reasons. Three SR-71s were briefly reactivated during the 1990s before their second retirement in 1998.

NASA was the final operator of the type, retiring their two examples in 1999.

Photo: Lockheed-Martin