Planes that Changed the World

SR71 Blackbird

How visionary geniuses from the top-secret Skunk Works, rewrote the rule-book to create a spy plane that was ‘all miracles’.  The SR71 Blackbird was the world’s first stealth spy plane, and the fastest, highest-flying manned airplane in the world.

This fascinating three-part series tells the stories of some of the most important aircraft ever to take to the skies.  These are stories of human endeavour, told by the people who designed, built and flew some of the world’s most iconic aircraft.

Here, Bob Gilliland, the Blackbird's first test pilot, introduces the genius behind the Blackbird's design, Kelly Johnson - a man considered to be 'the Leonardo da Vinci of aviation'.