The Definitive Guide to the SR-71 Blackbird: A Comprehensive Look at the Iconic Spy Plane

BMRB-52: I love this book. One of my former squadron commanders was a SR-71pilot before he became the squadron commander of the 68th OMS. His picture was in the book.

United States on Aug 11, 2023

Graham McRobert: the book is to help me build a model kit of sr71

United Kingdom on Jul 03, 2023

Kindle Customer: A great coffee table book that highlights the history including crew and pilots of one of the greatest planes built.

United States on Jun 17, 2023

Frison Natalino: Libro ben fatto con molte immagini e documentazione.

Italy on Jun 13, 2023

Glenn Smollinger: This book is the definitive coffee-table book of the SR-71. I bookmark it and pick it up to read the fascinating stories it contains about the operational missions, training, pilot's reports, accidents and crashes, and thrilling successes. The book is large format with lots and lots of photographs, which is great since this jet is the most sinister piece of eye candy ever created by engineers and the forces of aerodynamics. Buy it, you'll like it.

One caveat I will add is that if you are interested in the early days of the supersonic reconnaissance business, you are looking for a book about the A-12, the CIA's secret predecessor. This book does have one chapter that gives summary level results of the Oxcart program and the Archangel, which the pilots nicknamed Signet. However, that effort is deserving of its own book.

United States on Jan 17, 2023

Edoardo: Se sei un appassionato del genere, penso sia indispensabile, davvero dettagliato e ben fatto. ottimo rapporto qualità-prezzo per il genere di libro (N.B: è in Inglese!)

Italy on Nov 08, 2022

Dario: Ho comprato questo libro per studiare nel dettaglio il mitico Sr71 per la successiva costruzione del suo kit in 1/48. Che dire, il libro è veramente ben fatto, viene spiegato nel dettaglio tutto ma proprio tutto dei modelli che sono stati costruiti durante gli anni, dalle ore di volo, ai piloti e alle destinazioni dei veicoli (e molto altro). Le foto oltre che molto belle vanno a completare in maniera impeccabile ciò che viene scritto nei testi. Il libro lo consiglio veramente tanto non solo a chi cerca come me un libro "studio" ma ad ogni appassionato dell'Sr71 è di aereonautica in generale.

Italy on Jul 26, 2022

citizen: I read some reviews saying there were a number of obvious errors. I bought it anyway, and on the first page I looked at (p.26) it mentions the USS PUEBLO incident, and states the ship and crew were released after protracted negotiations. The ship was not released and is still in North Korea as a "tourist attraction"/ propaganda tool. That's just the information I know myself is wrong. What else is in there that I will take as gospel...I feel like the author was a in a hurry or something. Am I too picky? Maybe. Otherwise good pictures...

Canada on Jul 20, 2022

J. Rowe: This is not your average glossy coffee-table book. It is glossy, and it is a coffee-table book, but it is best read cover to cover. The author was himself an SR-71 pilot, and eventually 9th SRW Commander at Beale AFB. Part of the fun of the book is reading about his path through the program. What an extraordinary individual... Anyway, the book: The A-12 and YF-12 chapters at the beginning provide useful context for the origin of the plane, but the book really shines in its accounts of day-to-day operations and, especially, what it *felt* like to be there. The pilot selection process was incredibly difficult, and the best part was that, even after a pilot made it in, they still had to make it through ten months of training, and they could flunk out of the program at any point over that period. Colonel Graham's descriptions of the staggering physical, intellectual, and emotional demands left me slack-jawed. The people chosen to fly these planes were just as singular as the planes themselves.

The fun doesn't stop there! On to the pressure suit, the cockpit, loads of technical details about the plane's capabilities, and many many accounts of what it was like to fly. The author...

United States on Sep 03, 2019

Frank Huddleston: I was fortunate t be assigned to the 9SRW from 1974-1978 and purchased this because of the author's known reputation to me. When I received it I was immediately struck by the physical quality and the feel of a very expensive coffee table book. When I first paged through it, it was like looking back through a class yearbook, long forgotten. Col. Graham has laid out the book beautifully, it's easy to read although it contains a great amount of technical information as well as crammed full of images that present the history, operating and people associated with the SR. Anyone associated with the program will enjoy the well captioned images and remembering "that guy." SR and aviation fans will appreciate the depth of the crews and support teams. What is lacking in most of the SR books is descriptions of the intelligence collection equipment and systems and the intelligence products. Col. Graham however did spend more time and page space than most authors. He provided information not the "read a license plate from 80,000 feet" standard hype. Not only were their photos but an ample amount of diagrams, charts and illustrations that add to the understanding of this a/c. is now my favorite...

United States on May 06, 2016