#130A 9th SRW, SR-71A Blackbird print
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 130A: 64-17974, SR-71A Blackbird, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Detachment 4, RAF Mildenhall.
The SR-71 joined the United States Air Force inventory in 1966 when it was assigned to the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base in California. Although first flown over twenty years ago, the SR-71 still holds seven world class speed and altitude records. Those records, set in 1976 by 9 SRW aircrews, include a speed of 2193 mph (3509 km/h) and a sustained altitude of 85,070 feet (25,930 meters). In 1974, the SR-71 also stablished the transatlantic record of 1 hour and 55 minutes on a flight from New York to London. The same aircraft then established a new speed record of 3 hours and 47 minutes on a flight from London to Los Angeles. The aircraft is 108 feet (33 meters) long, 55 feet (17 meters) wide, and 18 feet (5.5 meters) high. It is powered by two Pratt and Whitney J-58 engines each with over 30,000 pounds of thrust. Over 90% of the SR-71 is constructed from titanium to withstand temperatures in excess of 1200 degrees Fahrenheit.
The flight crew consists of a pilot and reconnaissance systems officer. They wear full pressure suits much like the astronauts because of the hazardous environment in which the aircraft operates.
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