Secrets of the world’s fastest plane

SPEEDING through the skies at 3530km/h, this speedster landed in the record books as the world’s quickest jet 38 years ago. No one’s beaten it since.

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Picture: John Rossino, USAF

BACK in 1976 this aircraft landed in the record books as the fastest plane on Earth, soaring through the skies at a dizzying speed of 3530km/h.

In the process, it forced the rules of flight navigation to be rewritten. That’s because at that speed, visuals of mountains, highways or other landmarks were impossible, and even the best air defence systems had no hope of catching the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.

The feat was made even more remarkable due to the fact that 38 years later, the record still stands. Nobody has been able to do better since then.

A Lockheed SR-71 takes off. Picture: Dan Davison

Pilots who flew the jet decades ago told of the incredible experience: “At 85,000 feet to Mach 3, it was almost a religious experience,” US air force Colonel Jim Wadkins said. “Nothing had prepared me to fly that fast … My God, even now, I get goose bumps remembering. ”

Most commercial planes usually fly at an altitude of approximately 37,000 feet (11,000 metres).

The tail end of the incredible SR-71 Blackbird. Picture: Thomas Ormston

So what makes the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird so special? Gizmodo has unearthed this fascinating video, which unlocks its secrets.

The video explains just how the engine is capable of pushing the plane from 0 to Mach 3.2 without breaking a sweat.

There is also an inlet spike which, at supersonic speeds, takes the pressure of the leading supersonic shock wave off the engine so it has the best airflow.

It’s an impressive plane. Picture: Luke Heidelberger

This little fact but things into perspective. On its retirement flight from Los Angeles to Washington in 1990, to its final resting place in the Smithsonian Air & Space collection, the plane flew coast to coast in 67 minutes. Today, that trip would take nearly five hours in a commercial plane.