Flying the SR-71 Blackbird
In the Cockpit on a Secret Operational Mission
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Narrated by:
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Shawn Compton
About this listen
For anyone who has ever wondered what it's like to fly the SR-71 on a secret Mach 3 reconnaissance mission, this book has the answer. Completely redesigned and updated with photos from author Colonel Richard H. Graham's personal archive, as well as a new introduction, Flying the SR-71 Blackbird details what an SR-71 mission entailed, from planning to donning a pressure suit to returning to base.
The Lockheed SR-71, unofficially known as the Blackbird, was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed by Lockheed Skunk Works. The aircraft flew so fast and high that not one was ever shot down, even by a missile. SR-71 pilot and instructor Colonel Richard Graham offers a rare cockpit perspective on how regular Air Force pilots and navigators transformed themselves into SR-71 Blackbird crews, turning their unique aviation talents to account in an unprecedented way.
Arguably the world's foremost expert on piloting the Blackbird, Graham takes listeners along on an operational mission that only a few Air Force pilots have ever experienced.
©2008, 2010, 2019 Richard H. Graham (P)2021 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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- A Fighter Pilot’s Memories and Confessions
- By: Darrell J. Ahrens
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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In Turn and Burn the author takes the readers with him in the cockpit as he shares the fulfillment of his boyhood dream and some of his most memorable adventures and misadventures during a 24-year flying career as a fighter pilot, both in combat and peacetime.
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Absolutely Fantastic
- By Wayne Fannon on 05-11-21
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Vulcan 607
- By: Rowland White
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Shoulder to shoulder with Strategic Air Command B-52s throughout the Cold War, the big delta-winged Vulcans of the Britain's V-bomber force faced down the Soviet threat to the West. In 1982, they were just months from retirement when they flew in anger for the first time. It was to be a record-breaking mission of breathtaking audacity: a single bomber launched from a remote island airbase to carry out what would be the longest-range air attack in history. An 8,000-mile round-trip.
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Wow, incredibly gripping and entertaining
- By MortonC on 09-10-24
By: Rowland White
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Landing Eagle: Inside the Cockpit During the First Moon Landing
- By: Michael Engle
- Narrated by: Sean Tivenan
- Length: 1 hr and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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In Landing Eagle: Inside the Cockpit During the First Moon Landing, author Mike Engle gives a minute by minute account of the events that occurred throughout Eagle’s descent and landing on the Moon. Engle, a retired NASA engineer and Mission Control flight controller, uses NASA audio files of actual voice recordings made inside Eagle’s cockpit during landing to give the listener an inside-the-cockpit perspective on the first Moon landing.
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Wanted to like this
- By R. Winchester on 07-16-19
By: Michael Engle
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Rattler One-Seven: A Vietnam Helicopter Pilot's War Story
- North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series
- By: Chuck Gross
- Narrated by: Gerry Burke
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Rattler One-Seven puts you in the helicopter seat, to see the war in Vietnam through the eyes of an inexperienced pilot as he transforms himself into a seasoned combat veteran. Soon after the war, Gross wrote down his adventures, while his memory was still fresh with the events. Rattler One-Seven (his call sign) is written as he experienced it, using these notes along with letters written home to accurately preserve the mindset he had while in Vietnam.
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One of the Best Helicopter books I've listened to!
- By Chad on 02-12-14
By: Chuck Gross
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Harrier Boys, Volume 1
- From the Cold War Through the Falklands, 1969-1990
- By: Robert Marston
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In Harrier Boys, Volume One: Cold War Through the Falklands, 1969-1990, Robert Marston, who flew Harriers for many years, draws together accounts from others who worked with this unique jet through its history. The excitement, camaraderie, and pride of Harrier operators shine through in the personal stories of those whose lives were changed by their experience of this iconic aircraft, both on land and at sea.
By: Robert Marston
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Surprised at Being Alive
- An Accidental Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and Beyond
- By: Robert F. Curtis
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Sometimes you do everything right, but it just isn't your day. A part fails and your helicopter comes apart in flight, or, another aircraft runs into you and the pieces of both fall to the ground below, or the enemy gunner pulls the trigger at just the right moment and his rounds find your aircraft in exactly the right spot to take it out of the sky. Whichever way it happens, it wasn't your day.
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An Exciting Vietnam war history book it is not.
- By Peter Leo on 07-05-20
By: Robert F. Curtis
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Tanker Pilot
- Lessons from the Cockpit
- By: Mark Hasara, Rush Limbaugh - foreword
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Get a glimpse of life in the pilot's seat and experience modern air warfare directly from a true American hero. Lt. Col Mark Hasara - who has 24 years of experience in flying missions around the world - provides keen and eye-opening insights on success and failure and emphasizes the importance of always being willing to learn. He provides 12 essential lessons based on his wartime experience and his own personal photographs from his missions during the Cold War, Gulf War, and Iraq War.
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NKAWTG! Nobody!
- By David Stefano on 11-10-17
By: Mark Hasara, and others
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Last Days of the Concorde
- The Crash of Flight 4590 and the End of Supersonic Passenger Travel
- By: Samme Chittum
- Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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On July 25, 2000, a Concorde, the world's fastest passenger plane, was taking off from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris when it suddenly burst into flames. An airliner capable of flying at more than twice the speed of sound, the Concorde had completed 25 years of successful flights, whisking wealthy passengers - from diplomats to rock stars to corporate titans - between continents on brief and glamorous flights. Yet on this fateful day, the chartered Concorde jet, en route to America, crashed and killed all 109 passengers and crew onboard and four people on the ground.
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A Solid Introduction
- By Reggie on 03-03-19
By: Samme Chittum
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Air Battle Force
- By: Dale Brown
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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On America's newest combat base, U.S. Air Force aerial warfare expert Major General Patrick McLanahan and his crew of daring engineers are devising the air combat unit of the future. Known as Air Battle Force, it can launch concentrated, stealthy, precision-guided firepower to any spot on the globe within hours. And soon McLanahan and his warriors will have their first target.
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Spellbinding
- By KRC on 09-05-05
By: Dale Brown
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Razor 03
- A Night Stalker’s Wars
- By: Alan C. Mack
- Narrated by: Alan C. Mack
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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The attacks of September 11, 2001, prompted the creation of a robust and deadly special operations force—Task Force Dagger. Alan C. Mack, Callsign Razor 03, led a team of MH-47E helicopters and armed MH-60s. Their two-fold mission–Personnel Recovery (PR) and Unconventional Warfare (UW) involved flying in terrain and weather previously not thought possible. If that wasn’t enough, they pushed the flight envelope of their specially modified Chinooks to the limit and beyond.
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The honesty of the author
- By Daniel on 06-10-24
By: Alan C. Mack
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Harnessing the Sky
- Frederick "Trap" Trapnell, the U.S. Navy's Aviation Pioneer, 1923-1952
- By: Frederick M. Trapnell Jr., Dana Trapnell Tibbitts
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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A pilot of calculated courage, "Trap" entered the Navy when test pilots were more like stuntmen than engineers. Airplanes had not yet come into their own as weapons of war, and they had an undeveloped role in the fleet. His vision and leadership shaped the evolution of naval aviation through its formative years and beyond. When the threat of war in 1940 raised an alarm over the Navy's deficiency in aircraft - especially fighters - Trap was appointed to lead the Flight Test Section to direct the development of all-new Navy airplanes.
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Superb Book
- By Peter H. Christensen on 09-27-19
By: Frederick M. Trapnell Jr., and others
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What listeners say about Flying the SR-71 Blackbird
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Richard Bayer
- 01-27-23
What an honor
What an honor to have this on audiobook thank you to everybody. A close friend was an F117 crew chief and we have always wanted to read this book and it’s always been out of reach until now. Read this along side of skunk Works documentary.
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- dyintx
- 09-03-23
Blackbird
Great perspective of flying the Blackbird! Thank you for sharing your amazing experiences. I agree it was a mistake to shut down the program.
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- AustinBob
- 07-24-21
A one of a kind aircraft that should be flying
The SR-71 was a genius machine. Nothing has ever been designed so perfect for it's mission. Everyone involved with this program is a hero.
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- Matt Van Oenen Paauw
- 05-18-22
History, aircraft, and espionage buffs READ THIS!
this book is hands down incredibly interesting to those that enjoy history, details, espionage, and the SR-71 Blackbird. this book does give an incredibly detailed view from the pilot and Cruz point of view that encompasses much more than just the cockpit. what made this book five stars for me Isn't it could have been an incredibly tedious and monotonous task going through what each gauge lever switch and button does but both the author and the narrator do and wizard job throwing in anecdotes or stories behind many of the switches Etc very interesting
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-20-23
Well written and informative
This is an amazing story of an irreplaceable aircraft. going through the checklists with the writer put the readers mind in the cockpit of the HABU. it is written in such a manner that you feel like you are flying and living the memories.
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- G. Rauch
- 01-17-23
The SR71 Blackbird - No equal!
The author presents a detailed view of SR71 operations by highly qualified pilots and companion flying officers. The aircraft was designed and fabricated by genius engineers and technicians. Eventually retired under questionable circumstances. No other jet engined aircraft comes close to matching the record setting performance of the blackbird! Records include 85,000 feet altitude operations, 2,100 mph speeds, 64 minutes flying time Los Angeles to Washington DC. Simply amazing!
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- N Minchin
- 06-20-22
Greatest aircraft ever
I was on the team that initiated the KC135 Q refueling operations at RAF
Mildenhall and this was a wonderfully written book about the Blackbird and it’s refueling support. Thank you Richard Graham. I have purchased this book in hardcover and it will have a special place in my personal library along with all the memories you ignited once more!
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- Anonymous User
- 05-27-23
Great book for all avid SR-71 fans and pilots in general!
It is a detailed and very technical description of the aircraft and its missions, coupled with stories of the writer.
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- Vince Carter
- 10-25-23
What a ride!
As a professional pilot, hearing the checklists was absolutely amazing. It takes the mystery of this beast and brings it to a relatable understanding, highly recommend!!!
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- David
- 03-14-24
Good story about an icon
Very technical and a bit dry but interesting. Would like to have had more mission details and stories.
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