THE UNTOUCHABLES; MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Abstract

In 1962, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced that the United States had completed the building of a new supersonic jet - the SR-71. The aircraft was capable of reaching speeds and altitudes that were previously unheard of, and to many aeroplane enthusiasts, she became the ultimate flying machine.

The SR-71 (nicknamed the "Sled") was destined to be a unique experiment in terms of design and concept. The plane fulfilled a reconnaissance role in the United States Air Force over a period of almost three decades, until the SR-71 programme was terminated in 1990. The secret of the SR-71 's successes lay in her superior speed (she was easily capable of reaching speeds beyond Mach 3), as well as the high calibre of the crews and maintenance teams behind the plane. The Untouchables is a tribute to this remarkable machine, notwithstanding the fact that it has as much to do with people as it does with aeroplanes.