Duxford Blackbird hand-over

Air Classics, Sep 2001

On 14 June, General Joseph W. Ralston USAF (also Supreme Allied Commander Europe) was at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, near Cambridge, and officially handed over a Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird to the museum. In their largest-ever UK gathering, former SR-71 crew members were with Gen. Ralston at the official handover ceremony, having flown over from the USA especially for the event.

One actually flew Duxford's SR-71A #962, which set the world altitude record for sustained horizontal flight at 85,069 feet, and another was a crew member of #958 when it set the world speed record of 2193.167 mph. Both records were set in July 1976 and still stand. The SR-71 has been on display at Duxford since April and is the only example on display outside the USA. "The SR-71 has been a huge attraction for our visitors," states Ted Inman, Director of Duxford.