SR-71 Blackbird Canvas Print

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The Blackbird was the ultimate product of the brilliant mind of aeronautical engineer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson and his "Skunk Works" - the super-secret cadre of innovators at Lockheed. First flown in 1964 and operationally retired in 1998, the Blackbird is still recognized as the fastest and highest flying operational aircraft to ever have flown. Easily surpassing Mach 3 (though the real top speed is still classified), an SR-71 flew from New York to London in 1 hour and 54 minutes in 1974. It was known to leak fuel at prodigious rates on the grount as its skin was designed to have gaps, but the expansion of the metal at speed (and thus high heat) sealed the plane up tight. Skin temperatures are thought to have reached red hot temperatures at certain points at high speed. The innovations within the Blackbird design were legion, including the first effective stealth techonology. on top of its extreme speed and endurance. The SR-71 was designed for one role - photo reconsassance. At 8...

Stu Shepherd has been an aviation illustrator for nearly twenty years. His work is mostly known by box cover art on aircraft model kits made by Revell and Monogram, for whom he has done over 300 images (now including car box art and Star Wars items too). Stu has also worked in the Computer Game and Internet Community industries. He also creates art in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Genres, with his strength in spaceship design and environments. Stu just completed his first novel Sci-fi, and will soon complete his second. He lives in Central California.