SR-71 Blackbird in purple fog

We recently visited the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. In addition to the amazing battleship there are many military airplanes on display. I was absolutely fascinated with the SR-71 Blackbird. Visually and operationally, this is an extraordinary aircraft! I was inspired to honor it by creating a series of photo-art pieces. In these pictures, the photos of the SR-71 were taken by me; either of the airplane on display at the park or a model airplane which I bought.

Interesting info about this beautiful bird:
The SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft flew missions at speeds beyond 2,000 mph and could survey the ground from 80,000 feet!! This extreme height allowed the aircraft to avoid interceptor fighter jets or missiles. The SR-71 is covered with a special black paint to absorb radar and camouflage the bird against dark skies, which inspired the Air Force to give it the official "Blackbird" name. To withstand the friction-generated heat at Mach 3+, the frame is made of titanium composite and the tires have been impregnated with aluminum and are filled with nitrogen. In the 1960s when this plane was built, computerized equipment was non-existent, thus the cockpit and flight systems were all analog.

A total of 3,551 mission sorties were flown to spy on military installations, troop movements and nuclear silos during the cold war.

The use of satellites for space surveillance and the growing danger of more effective air defense caused the Air Force to end SR-71 operations in 1990. On it's last flight it set a speed record by flying from Los Angeles to Washington DC in 1 hour, 4 minutes, 20 seconds!


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