Bob Archer celebrates the 50th anniversary of the mysterious black SR-71 arriving in the UK
At precisely 1259hrs on September 1, 1974, a new aircraft shape to British skies broke through the all too familiar grey overcast sky to land at Royal Aircraft Establishment Farnborough in Hampshire. The sinister looking jet, with its extremely long, thin, all black fuselage, settled onto the runway and, aided by a huge billowing brake chute, came to a halt.
The aircraft was Lockheed SR-71A 61-7972, piloted by Major James V Sullivan, who slowly spun the Blackbird around to taxi to its parking area. The 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing technicians wheeled steps into place, before a representative from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FIA) welcomed the two crew members, verifying that they were the same persons who had set off from Beale AFB in California some four hours earlier.
With everything in order, the FIA official declared a new transatlantic speed record of 1 hour 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds for the distance of 3,490 miles. The supersonic aircraft had crossed the invisible ‘gate’ above New York City at precisely 0600hrs local time.
