Blair Bunting:

There was once a time when men flew a jet that tore the air apart, nearly revealing the physics that had served only to hold it together. It was an aircraft that screamed as quietly as the night, flying for almost ten years before it was even known to exist. To many, it is considered the greatest aircraft innovation ever gave us; it is the SR-71 Blackbird.

I was not among those fortunate to see it fly, my viewership of this spectical (sic) is, and will always be, limited to History Channel documentaries with the sound cranked to 11. However, I could not help but feel the sense of awe when stepping out of the van at Beal Air Force Base and the PA officer saying, “here is your SR-71, Mr. Bunting.”

Even after all of these years, it is still the most magnificent airplane I’ve ever seen. I remember the day it buzzed the city of Vancouver to promote the local airshow. I was literally standing in awe, mouth agape, as it flew by.