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"Lockheed Blackbird, Beyond the Secret Missions" is a revision of the original written ten years ago. This edition contains much of what the CIA has declassified since then. This edition includes line diagrams of the various A-1 through A-12 iterations merged with notes from Kelly's diary to provide an insight into his thinking as he and his team developed this amazing aeronautical masterpiece.
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The Blackbird flew at over three-and-a-half times the speed of
sound 
at 88,000 feet, an altitude that was at the very edge of space. It had an
unrefueled range of 3500 miles, and its two Pratt and Whitney J58 bypass
turbojets generated 60,000 pounds of thrust and guzzled 8000 gallons of fuel per
hour. It was an awesome aeroplane in every respect. In 1964 America's
President Johnson announced that Lockheed had developed an aircraft dedicated to
strategic reconnaissance and so fast that no other aircraft could catch it. It
took the world by storm. It was developed by the renowned Lockheed Skunk Works
and employed many forms of new technology made necessary by the excesses of
speed, altitude and temperature to which
the aircraft was subjected. It served for many years during the Cold War until
it was superseded by satellite technology. This is a useful introductory
source book for
enthusiasts and modelers wishing to find detailed references to the design and
history of the Blackbird. Why was the aircraft conceived? What was it like to
fly in combat? Who were the people who designed it and became famous for flying
it? What were its virtues and vices?
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These and many more questions are answered here. There are illustrations to show the colour schemes used in different operational theatres of combat and rare photographs taken when the heat was on.
Book Review
Lockheed Blackbird, Beyond the Secret Missions is a well written
account of the Blackbird program from beginning to end. Paul certainly did
his homework on this one, presenting first time accounts of activities and
events known only to personnel with boots on the ground during the
program's black years of ultra secrecy. For those of us conducting the RCS tests
at Area 51 and the first A-12 and YF-12 flights of Project Oxcart, this book
certainly rejuvenates our pride and a bit of nostalgia. I'm sure it does the
same for those in the SR-71 programs that followed. The book is a great tribute
to the pilots lost during the Blackbird programs and operations, and to all who
have taken their final flight since.
T.D. BARNES
President
Roadrunners Internationale
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