Download or read book Flight of the Blackbird written by Faye McDonald Smith and published by Scribner Book Company. This book was released on 1996 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The difficult adjustment of an upper-middle class, black couple to a fall in their standard of living after their business collapses. He beats her, she takes off for an affair, but the marriage survives.

Download or read book Flying the SR 71 Blackbird written by Richard H. Graham and published by Motorbooks. This book was released on 2019-10-08 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For anyone who has ever wondered what it's like to fly the SR-71 on a secret Mach 3 reconnaissance mission, this book has the answer. Completely redesigned and updated with photos from author Colonel Richard H. Graham's personal archive, as well as a new introduction, Flying the SR-71 Blackbird details what an SR-71 mission entailed, from planning to donning a pressure suit to returning to base. The Lockheed SR-71, unofficially known as the Blackbird, was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed by Lockheed Skunk Works. The aircraft flew so fast and high that not one was ever shot down, even by a missile. SR-71 pilot and instructor Colonel Richard Graham offers a rare cockpit perspective on how regular Air Force pilots and navigators transformed themselves into SR-71 Blackbird crews, turning their unique aviation talents to account in an unprecedented way. Arguably the world's foremost expert on piloting the Blackbird, Graham takes readers along on an operational mission that only a few Air Force pilots have ever experienced.

Download or read book The Complete Book of the SR 71 Blackbird written by Richard H. Graham and published by Quarto Publishing Group USA. This book was released on 2015-10-26 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ultimate guide to the history, development, manufacture, modification, and active service of all fifty models in the SR-71 program. At the height of the Cold War in 1964, President Johnson announced a new aircraft dedicated to strategic reconnaissance. The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spy plane flew more than three-and-a-half times the speed of sound—so fast that no other aircraft could catch it. Above 80,000 feet, its pilots had to wear full-pressure flight suits similar to what was used aboard the space shuttle. Developed by the renowned Lockheed Skunk Works, the SR-71 was an awesome aircraft in every respect. It was withdrawn from use in 1998, when it was superseded by satellite technology. Twelve of the thirty-two aircraft were destroyed in accidents, but none were ever lost to enemy action. Throughout its thirty-four-year career, the SR-71 was the world’s fastest and highest-flying operational manned aircraft. It set world records for altitude and speed: an absolute altitude record of 85,069 feet and an absolute speed record of 2,193.2 miles per hour. The Complete Book of the SR-71 Blackbird covers every aspect of the SR-71’s development, manufacture, modification, and active service from the insider’s perspective of one of its pilots and is lavishly illustrated with more than 400 photos. Former pilot and author Richard Graham also examines each of the fifty planes that came out the SR-71 program (fifteen A-12s; three YF-12s; and thirty-two SR-71s) and tells each plane’s history, its unique specifications, and where each currently resides.

Download or read book Sled Driver written by Brian Shul and published by Lickle Pub Incorporated. This book was released on 1991 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No aircraft ever captured the curiosity & fascination of the public like the SR-71 Blackbird. Nicknamed "The Sled" by those few who flew it, the aircraft was shrouded in secrecy from its inception. Entering the U.S. Air Force inventory in 1966, the SR-71 was the fastest, highest flying jet aircraft in the world. Now for the first time, a Blackbird pilot shares his unique experience of what it was like to fly this legend of aviation history. Through the words & photographs of retired Major Brian Shul, we enter the world of the "Sled Driver." Major Shul gives us insight on all phases of flying, including the humbling experience of simulator training, the physiological stresses of wearing a space suit for long hours, & the intensity & magic of flying 80,000 feet above the Earth's surface at 2000 miles per hour. SLED DRIVER takes the reader through riveting accounts of the rigors of initial training, the gamut of emotions experienced while flying over hostile territory, & the sheer joy of displaying the jet at some of the world's largest airshows. Illustrated with rare photographs, seen here for the first time, SLED DRIVER captures the mystique & magnificence of this most unique of all aircraft.

Download or read book SR 71 written by Richard H. Graham and published by Zenith Press. This book was released on 2013-05-12 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the history of the reconnaissance plane, discussing its development, manufacture, and active service from an insider prespective.

Download or read book Flying the SR 71 Blackbird written by Richard H. Graham and published by Motorbooks. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For anyone who has ever wondered what it's like to fly the SR-71 on a secret Mach 3 reconnaissance mission, this book has the answer. Completely redesigned and updated with photos from author Colonel Richard H. Graham's personal archive, as well as a new introduction, Flying the SR-71 Blackbird details what an SR-71 mission entailed, from planning to donning a pressure suit to returning to base. The Lockheed SR-71, unofficially known as the Blackbird, was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed by Lockheed Skunk Works. The aircraft flew so fast and high that not one was ever shot down, even by a missile. SR-71 pilot and instructor Colonel Richard Graham offers a rare cockpit perspective on how regular Air Force pilots and navigators transformed themselves into SR-71 Blackbird crews, turning their unique aviation talents to account in an unprecedented way. Arguably the world's foremost expert on piloting the Blackbird, Graham takes readers along on an operational mission that only a few Air Force pilots have ever experienced.

Download or read book SR 71 Blackbird written by Paul F. Crickmore and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-05-19 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by an expert on the SR-71 Blackbird, this book offers readers a short, fascinating history of this incredible military aircraft . Lockheed's SR-71 Blackbird is one of the most iconic and famous jets ever built. Assembled in secret at Lockheed's Skunkworks, the Blackbird's vital statistics remain phenomenal decades later. It holds the airspeed record for a manned jet aircraft, operated at an altitude other aircraft could barely touch and was a marvel of technical engineering. Drawing on declassified material, leading SR-71 expert Paul Crickmore reveals the history of the most fascinating of aircraft, accompanied by a range of fantastic illustrations, photographs and facts about the world's most secret spy plane.

Download or read book Flight of the Blackbird Part Two written by Catrina Sparkman and published by . This book was released on 2023-02-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Flight of the Blackbird written by John Fischer and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2006-08 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Blackbird. Some said it was a living legend; others, a myth. To Captain Jason Kent and his love Deany Summers, it was their only hope. When their homeland of California, one of five city-states established after the Great War, is threatened by General Salvador Drone, ruler of the savage Empire of Dodum, Jason, Deany, and five fellow soldiers set off on a mission to meet that memory of the misty past promising release to their war-weary civilization. If they succeed, they will restore peace to their home. But if they fail, then they and all that they love will be enslaved under Drone's vicious tyranny. Jason and his platoon know the dangers that await them. Yet their greatest enemy lurks among them; for when their plans unravel, they do as well, until they begin to doubt their mission, their way, and their commander. Struggling to keep the quest alive, Jason pushes forward, knowing that he must find the answer to their prayers, the mystery behind the legend, the power of the past-the Blackbird.

Download or read book SR 71 Blackbird Stories Tales and Legends written by Richard H. Graham and published by . This book was released on with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Feel the Mach 3 power generated by Lockheed's incredibly fast SR-71 Blackbird! Former SR-71 pilot, instructor and wing commander, Richard Graham, presents the most intriguing SR-71 stories ever told. This once highly classified program is fully revealed through the words of pilots, commanders, mechanics, and instructors involved in the Blackbird's creation and flight-testing. From grueling reconnaissance missions to the Persian Gulf conflict, this insightful book tells stories of bravery and daring determination.

Download or read book Speed written by Gilliland|Keith Dunnavant Bob Gilliland (Dunnavant) and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2021-06 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On December 22, 1964, at a small, closely guarded airstrip in the desert town of Palmdale, California, Lockheed test pilot Bob Gilliland stepped into a strange-looking aircraft and roared into aviation history. Developed at the super-secret Skunk Works, the SR-71 Blackbird was a technological marvel. In fact, more than a half century later, the Mach 3-plus titanium wonder, designed by Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, remains the world's fastest jet. It took a test pilot with the right combination of intelligence, skill, and nerve to make the first flight of the SR-71, and the thirty-eight-year-old Gilliland had spent much of his life pushing the edge. In Speed one of America's greatest test pilots collaborates with acclaimed journalist Keith Dunnavant to tell his remarkable story: How he was pushed to excel by his demanding father. How a lucky envelope at the U.S. Naval Academy altered the trajectory of his life. How he talked his way into U.S. Air Force fighters at the dawn of the jet age, despite being told he was too tall. How he made the conscious decision to trade the security of the business world for the dangerous life of an experimental test pilot, including time at the clandestine base Area 51, working on the Central Intelligence Agency's Oxcart program. The narrative focuses most intently on Gilliland's years as the chief test pilot of the SR-71, as he played a leading role in the development of the entire fleet of spy planes while surviving several emergencies that very nearly ended in disaster. Waging the Cold War at 85,000 feet, the SR-71 became an unrivaled intelligence-gathering asset for the U.S. Air Force, invulnerable to enemy defenses for a quarter century. Gilliland's work with the SR-71 defined him, especially after the Cold War, when many of the secrets began to be revealed and the plane emerged from the shadows--not just as a tangible museum artifact but as an icon that burrowed deep into the national consciousness. Like the Blackbird itself, Speed is a story animated by the power of ambition and risk-taking during the heady days of the American Century.

Download or read book Lockheed SR 71 Blackbird written by James C. Goodall and published by Schiffer Military History. This book was released on 2018 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The legendary SR-71 Blackbird spy plane was, and still is, the world's only operational Mach 3 aircraft, and was designed, built, and tested by Lockheed's famed "Skunk Works." This new book covers all fifty Blackbirds built, from the first flight in 1962, to the last in 1999. As a replacement for the venerable U-2 spyplane, Lockheed went from contract signing to first flight in only thirty-two months starting in April 1958--from the beginning of design studies to the signing of a contract from the CIA to build the initial batch of A-12s in February 1960, to first flight in 1962. From the A-1 design through the completion of the very first Radar Cross Section models of the A-12, to the testing of every major system and subsystem, this book describes and illustrates the SR-71 as never before, using images from a variety of sources, as well as the author's own superb, new photography.

Download or read book Lockheed A 12 written by Paul F. Crickmore and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-01-20 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the early years of the Cold War, the most effective way to gather strategic intelligence about the Soviet Union and its allies was manned overflight. Lockheed's U-2 was spectacularly successful in this role, however, much to the concern of US President Eisenhower, its shape meant that it could be tracked on Russian radars. Given the highly sensitive nature of such flights, the President insisted that every effort should be made to reduce to zero the U-2's radar cross section (RCS), thereby making the aircraft invisible. When this was proven to be impossible, the stage was set for a U-2 replacement. Following a competition between Lockheed and Convair, the former was declared the winner and the result was the A-12. Designed to incorporate 'stealth' features before the term was even coined, the A-12 has to date proven to be the fastest, highest flying jet aircraft ever built. This book will also cover a two-seat variation of the design built as an advanced interceptor – the YF-12.

Download or read book From Archangel to Senior Crown written by Peter W. Merlin and published by AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics). This book was released on 2008 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Lockheed Blackbirds hold a unique place in the development of aeronautics. In their day, the A-12, YF-12, M-21, D-21, and SR-71 variants outperformed all other jet airplanes in terms of altitude and speed. Now retired, they remain the only production aircraft capable of sustained Mach 3 cruise and operational altitudes above 80,000 feet.This is the first book to address the technical aspects of these incredible aircraft. The author describes the design evolution of the Blackbird, from the Archangel to the Senior Crown (the Air Force's SR-71.) He describes in detail the construction and materials challenges faced by Lockheed, as well as the Blackbird's performance characteristics and capabilities.A NASA historian, the author describes NASA's role in using the aircraft as a flying laboratory to collect data on materials, structures, loads, heating, aerodynamics, and performance for high-speed aircraft. The reader will benefit from the technical and programmatic lessons learned.This volume was produced in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Download or read book Lockheed Blackbird written by Paul F. Crickmore and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2023-11-23 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The SR-71 Blackbird is an iconic aircraft that has come to symbolize America's technological superiority during the Cold War. Using recently declassified information, globally renowned expert Paul Crickmore updates his definitive account of the aircraft. The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird ranks as one of the most elegant, sleek and powerful aeroplanes ever designed. But it was not built to be admired – it was built not to be seen at all. The high-altitude aerial reconnaissance sorties it was to perform were top secret and carefully concealed from public knowledge. However, as the aircraft have become museum pieces and details of their work declassified, the whole story of their design and operation can finally be told. This updated edition of Paul Crickmore's classic Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Missions is based on 850 pages of documentation and images declassified by the CIA covering the A-12 Oxcart programme. These highly significant documents range from discussions at the highest levels of the US government concerning the rationale for Oxcart's development and eventual deployment, to extremely detailed intelligence data gleaned from each of the 29 operational missions flown by Oxcart during Operation Black Shield. The Blackbird family of aircraft continue to fascinate a wide age group and, since the aircraft will never fly again, its history has become timeless. This new edition will provide the last word on the SR-71 Blackbird and its operational history.

Download or read book Blackbird written by Katie Kapurch and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2023-11-14 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the beginning, the Beatles acknowledged in interviews their debt to Black music, apparent in their covers of and written original songs inspired by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, the Shirelles, and other giants of R&B. Blackbird goes deeper, appreciating unacknowledged forerunners, as well as Black artists whose interpretations keep the Beatles in play. Drawing on interviews with Black musicians and using the song “Blackbird” as a touchstone, Katie Kapurch and Jon Marc Smith tell a new history. They present unheard stories and resituate old ones, offering the phrase “transatlantic flight” to characterize a back-and-forth dialogue shaped by Black musicians in the United States and elsewhere, including Liverpool. Kapurch and Smith find a lineage that reaches back to the very origins of American popular music, one that involves the original twentieth-century blackbird, Florence Mills, and the King of the Twelve String, Lead Belly. Continuing the circular flight path with Nina Simone, Billy Preston, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Sylvester, and others, the authors take readers into the twenty-first century, when Black artists like Bettye LaVette harness the Beatles for today. Detailed, thoughtful, and revelatory, Blackbird explores musical and storytelling legacies full of rich but contested symbolism. Appealing to those interested in developing a deep understanding of the evolution of popular music, this book promises that you’ll never hear “Blackbird”—and the Beatles—the same way again.

Download or read book The Complete Book of the SR 71 Blackbird written by Richard H. Graham and published by Zenith Press. This book was released on 2015-10-26 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Cold war spy plane. Enjoy reading the history of its development, manufacturing, modification & its long reconnaissance career.