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First Flight of the Blackbird by Stan Stokes. (GS) Construction of the first SR-71 Blackbird (61-7950) was completed by Lockheed at its Burbank California Skunk Works in October of 1964. The aircraft was then broken down for shipment to Palmdale, California where it was reassembled. Kelly Johnson, the famous aircraft designer for Lockheed, had oversight responsibility for this project, and Kelly gave specific instructions to Robert Gilliland, the pilot chosen for the first flight of the Blackbird. The first flight was originally scheduled for December 21, 1964. Bad weather had caused a one-day postponement. During the first flight only Gilliland would be on board, and a trio of F-104 fighters would fly chase. Following take off Gilliland performed a number of stability and handling checks. He then took the Blackbird up to 30,000 feet and easily went supersonic (hitting Mach 1.2) before some caution lights came on. Determining that he faced no serious problems Gilliland accelerated to Mach 1.5 and climbed to 50,000 feet. Returning to Palmdale he made a subsonic flyby before lining up for his landing. Gillilands first flight is commemorated in Stan Stokes painting. The first six SR-71s produced were assigned to flight-testing at Edwards AFB. The first successful aerial refueling of a Blackbird occurred on April 25, 1965, and two pilot training aircraft (designated SR-71B) were delivered in 1965. A set back to the program occurred in January 1966 when an SR-71 was lost over New Mexico and a year later the original Blackbird (61-7950) was destroyed when the craft caught fire during braking tests at Edwards. Overall ten Blackbirds were lost during the first six years of the program. A total of thirty-two SR-71A aircraft were produced. In March of 1990 an SR-71 was flown from California to Washington before being retired to the Smithsonians Air and Space Museum. This flight was interesting because it set a coast-to-coast speed record of 68 minutes. The aircraft took off from Southern California and flew north to rendezvous with a tanker near San Francisco. The craft then flew south while refueling. It passed over its official starting point for the trip near Ventura. Accelerating to Mach 2.5 the Blackbird reached Kansas City in 39 minutes. Climbing to 85,000 feet the aircraft reached a top speed of Mach 3.2 as it passed the official finish line near Baltimore. After slowing to subsonic speeds the bird needed another shot of fuel prior to making its final approach into Dulles Airport. This truly amazing aircraft had once again demonstrated its capabilities more than two decades after its first flight. Item Code : STK0154GS First Flight of the Blackbird by Stan Stokes. (GS) - This Edition TYPE EDITION DETAILS SIZE SIGNATURES OFFERS YOUR PRICE PURCHASING GICLEE CANVAS Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm) none £400.00 All prices on our website are displayed in British Pounds Sterling

Other editions of this item : First Flight of the Blackbird by Stan Stokes. STK0154 TYPE EDITION DETAILS SIZE SIGNATURES OFFERS YOUR PRICE PURCHASING PRINT Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Artist : Stan Stokes £15 Off! Now : £35.00 VIEW EDITION... PRINT 225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot, and a remarque. Only 1 print now remains. Image size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Gilliland, Robert + Artist : Stan Stokes Signature(s) value alone : £50 £10 Off! Now : £130.00 VIEW EDITION... PRINT Limited edition of 100 giclee art prints. Just two of this print edition now available. Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm) Artist : Stan Stokes £145.00 VIEW EDITION... PRINT Prints from the 225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot. Image size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Gilliland, Robert + Artist : Stan Stokes Signature(s) value alone : £50 £35 Off! Now : £95.00 VIEW EDITION... GICLEE CANVAS Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. SOLD OUT. Size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm) none SOLD OUT VIEW EDITION... General descriptions of types of editions :

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