Why not follow the Hustler with another record-breaking air cutter? Here's a walk around the SR-71, the fastest manned air-breathing plane (about 2,200 mph) also holds the record for sustained altitude in horizontal flight (about 85,000 feet), both records set in 1976. This one is the second built and the oldest in existence. It was also the only aircraft in the Blackbird family to be designated YF-12C. Why? NASA was testing the effects of flight at speeds and altitudes only the Blackbird could

Meet the Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest operational aircraft ever. #engineering | Interesting Engineering

Little-Know Facts About the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird | War History Online

The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force. It was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by Lockheed and its Skunk Works division. | War History Online