Did you know that the SR-71 crew on a clear, moonless night could see 3.5 trillion more stars at 80,000 feet than you can see on the ground?

Blackbird

The SR-71, informally known as the “Blackbird”, was a Mach 3+ long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft.

The first flight of an SR-71 took place on 22 December 1964, and the first SR-71 to enter service was delivered to the 4200th (later 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California in January 1966. .

Blackbird was in a different category than anything that had come before. “Everything had to be invented. Everything,” recalled legendary Skunk Works aircraft designer Kelly Johnson in an interesting article on the Lockheed Martin website.

The SR-71 was designed to operate at extreme speeds, altitudes and temperatures: in fact, it was the first aircraft built with titanium, as the friction caused by air molecules passing over its surface at Mach 2.6 would melt a conventional frame from aluminum.

No cockpit requires such intense concentration as that of an SR-71 Blackbird

The SR-71’s mission was to take photos, use its sensors to capture electronic surveillance. To sail safely close to the enemy’s border. The Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO) handled all of these and more.

Because of the Blackbird’s unique capabilities, no cockpit requires as much concentration as that of an SR-71 Blackbird.

As already reported, this gave rise to a myth: Blackbird pilots did not have time to look out the window of their powerful Mach 3 aircraft.

In fact, SR-71 pilot David Peters said he looked out the windows. In fact, part of flying an airplane is being aware of your surroundings.

The image shown in this post is somewhat of what the Blackbird aircrew would see.

It was gorgeous up there, as Peters recalls;

“It makes me think of one of the mind games I got into.

SR-71 crew members could see 3.5 trillion more stars at 80,000 feet than you can see on the ground

“Doing the Korean DMZ from Kadena on a clear moonless night, we could see 3.5 trillion more stars at 80,000 feet than you can on earth. That’s what the Mount Palomar Observatory in California shows.

“We would come into the Sea of ​​Japan and there are almost no lights. The Japanese fishing fleet works in that area most of the time and only have lanterns hanging on the boats. (Actually, the mind game Peters is referring to is seeing lights in the ocean, where there is no electricity to prompt him to check his instruments. An SR-71 pilot kept a constant eye on what was happening in around him, as he was important to his mission.)

“When you turn around, what you see above looks a lot like the image (below) of this post. What you see below is much more like what you see from the ground looking up at the sky.

concludes Peters;

“It’ll mess with your head very quickly and you’ll be instrument hopping just like you’d fly in the weather.”

Be sure to check out Linda Sheffield Miller (Col Richard (Butch) Sheffield’s daughter, Col. Sheffield was an SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer) Twitter X Page Habubrats SR-71 and the Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder Habubrats Facebook page for the wonderful Blackbird photos and stories.