SGT Horton assists an SR-71 Blackbird aircraft pilot in an altitude chamber as another technician mans the chamber's control panel. The pilot, from the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, is undergoing training

The SR-71 carried many nicknames like the "Habu," "SR," "Lady in Black," and "Sled;" but most of us know the SR-71 as the "Blackbird." The SR-71 was developed as a long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft capable of flying at speeds over Mach 3.2 and at 85,000 feet. The first SR-71 to enter service was delivered in 1966 and retired in 1990. The USAF kept a few SR-71s in operation up until 1998, after a few were brought back to service in 1995. NASA's also flew the SR-71 from 1991 until its final flight in October 1999.