num_pages: 151
description: No aircraft ever captured the curiosity &amp; fascination of the public like the SR-71 Blackbird. Nicknamed The Sled by those few who flew it the aircraft was shrouded in secrecy from its inception. Entering the U.S. Air Force inventory in 1966 the SR-71 was the fastest highest flying jet aircraft in the world. Now for the first time a Blackbird pilot shares his unique experience of what it was like to fly this legend of aviation history. Through the words &amp; photographs of retired Major Brian Shul we enter the world of the Sled Driver. Major Shul gives us insight on all phases of flying including the humbling experience of simulator training the physiological stresses of wearing a space suit for long hours &amp; the intensity &amp; magic of flying 80000 feet above the Earth's surface at 2000 miles per hour. Sled Driver takes the reader through riveting accounts of the rigors of initial training the gamut of emotions experienced while flying over hostile territory &amp; the sheer joy of displaying the jet at some of the world's largest airshows. Illustrated with rare photographs seen here for the first time Sled Driver captures the mystique &amp; magnificence of this most unique of all aircraft.
language: English
title: Sled Driver: Flying the World's Fastest Jet
publisher: Lickle Pub Inc