Guaranteed to draw interest among aviation enthusiasts, the SR-71 has been out of the active inventory and into museums for over 10 years. Yet people are still fascinated by the aircraft and the missions it flew. Initially super secret, the Blackbird was revealed to the public during the Johnson Administration and has been involved in every military endeavor since the early 1960's. Of course there have been several versions of this aircraft from the A-11, to YF-12 and finally the one most folks have seen or heard of, the SR-71.

In this superb tome on the Blackbird, we have the complete design work, development and missions carried out by this aircraft during its over 30 years of operational service. This is thanks to the end of the Cold War and the end of the aircraft's service that many previously classified documents and photos have been made available. Included in this book is a complete look of D-21 drone operations, in itself a subject of much interest. First published in 1986, the scope of the book has been greatly increased thanks to this wealth of new information.

Author Crickmore has been involved in SR-71 operations to some extent and so is able to bring his own love of the aircraft to the reader. This is not a brief photo album of the types, but a fully in depth look at the aircraft. The book has been given the blessings of Lockheed-Martin, the builder of the aircraft in regards to the accuracy of the information contained. Full of photos, charts and technical information, this book is as good as it gets. It is a superb reference on the type and is one that every enthusiast of the aircraft needs to have on their shelf.

When you add up the information provided and the most reasonable price of the book, it is one that I can highly recommend to you.

May 2010

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