Total Sorties Flown............................................17,300

Flight Hours (Operation)...................................11,008

Flight Hours (Total)...........................................53,490

Mach 3 Time (Operation)....................................2,752

Mach 3 Time (Total)..........................................11,675

Crew Members to Mach 3 Speed............................284

VIPs to Mach 3 Speed............................................105

Total Persons to Mach 3 Speed...............................385
 

YF-12A...........................3

SR-71A.........................30 *

SR-71B...........................2

* This figure includes: 1 SR-71C (SN 61-7981) Trainer created from salvaged YF-12A and functional mockup, and 1 YF-12C (SN 61-7951) built as SR-71 but given YF-12 designation for service as NASA vehicle.

26 April 1962................First A-12 Flight

07 August 1963.............First YF-12A Flight

29 February 1964..........President Johnson announces YF-12A program

25 July 1964.................President Johnson announces SR-71 (RS-71) program

22 December 1964........First SR-71 Flight at Palmdale..Pilot: Robert J. Gilliland

01 May 1965.................YF-12 sets world speed and altitude records

18 November 1965........SR-71B first flight

10 May 1966.................Air Force takes delivery of first SR-71A

21 march 1968..............First USAF Operational Flight

14 March 1969..............SR-71C (Trainer) first flight

11 December 1969.........First YF-12 flight of NASA/USAF flight test program

26 April 1971.................SR-71A 15,000 mile non-stop flight in 10 hours 30 minutes

01 September 1974.........SR-71A sets New York to London world speed record

13 September 1974.........SR-71A sets London to Los Angeles world speed record

28 July 1976...................SR-71's complete seven world speed and altitude records

31 October 1979.............NASA YF-12 flight test program ends

07 November 1979..........Final flight of YF-12 when #6935 is delivered to USAF Museum

01 October 1989.............USAF SR-71 operations suspended (except for proficiency flights)

22 November 1989..........All USAF SR-71 operations terminated

26 January 1990..............SR-71 is decommissioned in ceremony at Beale AFB

06 March 1990................SR-71 SN# 61-7972 sets four world speed records enroute to Smithsonian Institute, on last official USAF flight.

25 Jul 1991 SR-71B #956(NASA #831) Officially delivered to NASA Dryden, Edwards AFB, CA

28 Sep 1994 Congress votes to allocate $100 million for USAF reactivation of 3 SR-71s

28 Jun 1995 First reactivated SR-71 returns to USAF inventory

15 Apr 1996 Deputy Defense Secretary John White, directed the Air Force to ground the Air Force's SR-71s due to conflicting language in section 304 of the National Security Act of 1947

1 Jan 1997 SR-71 and crews are operational at Det 2, Edwards AFB, CA

15 Oct 1997 President Clinton Kills SR-71 Funding with Line Item Veto

30 Oct 1998 Hq USAF directs termination of all SR-71 operations and subsequent disposal of the fleet

18 Nov 1998 Nasa terminates Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE)

WORLD RECORDS FOR SPEED OVER A RECOGNIZED COURSE
 

Los Angeles to Washington, DC.....1 hr 04 min 19.89 sec (2,144.83 statute mph)

St. Louis to Cincinnati................... 8 min 31.97 sec (2,189.94 statute mph)

Kansas City to Washington, DC.....25 mins 58.53 sec (2176.08 statute mph)

Crew: Col. Edward Yeilding, Col. Joseph T. Vida

WORLD ABSOLUTE AND CLASS RECORDS FOR SPEED
 

Crew: Capt. Eldon W. Joersz, Maj. George T. Morgan, Jr.

World Absolute and World Class Speed Record over a 15/25 Kilometer Straight Course - 2,193.167 MPH surpassing the previous record set by a Lockheed YF12A Interceptor prototype in June 1965. SR-71 Flown by Capt. Eldon W. Joersz. Pilot and Major George T. Morgan Jr., RSO

85,069 feet (25,929.03 m)

Crew: Capt. Robert C. Helt, Maj. Larry A. Elliott

World Absolute and World Class Altitude Record for Horizontal Flight - 85,069 feet, surpassing the previous record of  80,258 feet set by a Lockheed YF12A in May of 1965. SR-71 flown by Capt. Robert C. Helt, Pilot and Major Larry A. Elliott, RSO.

Crew: Maj. Adolphus H. Bledsoe, Jr., Maj. John T. Fuller

World Absolute Closed Circuit Speed Record over a 1000 Kilometer Course (The SR-71 is a Class C-1 Group III jet engine aircraft, same as the Mig-25 Foxbat) - 2,092.29 MPH, surpassing the previous Absolute Speed Record of 1853 MPH and the World Class Speed Record of 1815 MPH set by a Russian Mig-25 Foxbat in October, 1967. SR-71 flown by Major Adolphus H. Bledsoe, Jr., Pilot and Major John T. Fuller, RSO.

London to Los Angeles . . .3 hrs. 47 min. 35.8 sec.  Speed 1,435.59 statute MPH

Crew: Capt. Harold B. Adams, Maj. William C. Machorek

New York to London . . . . . . . 1 hr. 54 min. 56.4 sec. Speed 1,806.95 statute MPH

Crew: Maj. James V. Sullivan, Maj. Noel Widdifield

Crew: Maj. Thomas B. Estes, Maj. Dewain C. Vick

Awards: 1971 Mackay Trophy and 1972 Harmon Trophy

Crew: Col. Robert L. Stephens, Lt. Col. Daniel Andre

500 km closed circuit . . . . . . 1,643.042 mph (2,644 kph)

Crew: Maj. Walter F. Daniel, Maj. Noel T. Warner

1,000 km Closed Circuit . . . . . 1,688.891 mph (2,718 kph)

Crew: Maj. Walter F. Daniel, Capt. James P. Cooney

Group III Sustained Altitude (Absolute). . . . . . . 80,258 ft. (24,462.59 m)

Crew: Col. Robert L. Stephens, Lt. Col. Daniel Andre

Note: All record flights were accomplished with operational SR-71A or YF-12A aircraft flying at normal operating speeds.