Head-on view from slightly above the Lockheed SR-71 ... Buick V-8 engines used for the starters. Later, when the Blackbirds operated at their base at Beale, they had permanent start facilities ...

The SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest plane ever built, faced numerous hidden challenges during its career. Engineers discovered that summer-welded titanium parts were corroded due to chlorine in the water ...