Former SR-71 Blackbird pilot asked about the biggest myths surrounding the jet and reveals the truth behind them

There are a few myths about the iconic Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, some of which are technical, and some were just amusing.

Some of these myths are inaccurate, but only in principle.

As in, the plane could do what people thought it could do, but not for the reasons people thought.

But there’s another, bigger myth that people still believe.

The reasons why the biggest myth sounded so credible

One of the most popular myths about the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is that all pilots had to be married.

But as confirmed in a declassified interview with Blackbird pilot BC Thomas, it wasn’t true.

It was a simple coincidence.

“Crew members did not have to be married (some were not), and the notion that any pilot or RSO would ever defect to an enemy country for any reason was both ridiculous and insulting,” the pilot said.

The Blackbird was unveiled in the 1960s, during the Baby Boom era.

Statistically, US military personnel are significantly more likely to be married than their civilian peers.

This is true now and it was obviously more accurate back then.

That’s a career for people who are naturally structured a certain way and disciplined.

Also, there are all kinds of marital benefits and it’s a line of work where ‘excitement’ and stress abound, so having a stable household helps.

And there’s another reason.

This wasn’t a young man’s game

Candidates generally needed a high amount of flight experience and rank before they could even apply, which means they were generally older, and therefore more likely to be married.

The Air Force evaluated candidates heavily for emotional maturity, stability, and dependability – again, those people are statistically married.

And so on and so forth.

So the reality was that the vast, vast majority of Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird pilots were married, which led to the most popular myth.

There were other myths about the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

While the marriage myth was the most popular in terms of the way it captured people’s imagination, it wasn’t the only one.

Some were technical.

“[Another myth was] that we could outrun a missile,” the pilot said.

However, he broke down why people thought that.

“We could not outrun [most missiles], but we had a very reliable warning system which could tell us if a missile were launched against us. Our evasive actions were to jam the guidance system of the missile, accelerate to maximum speed, climb, and turn away.

“A missile traveling fast and having very limited control over its flight path could [outrun us, but it could] not out-turn us,” he explained.

In BC Thomas’ view, the biggest myth was about the the plane’s altitude capabilities.

“The most outlandish myth is that we could fly in space, or even orbit the earth,” he said.

While it is true that the Blackbird could operate at 85,000 feet – over 50,000 feet higher than most commercial airliners – it still wasn’t enough to push it into space.

At 16 miles above the Earth, pilots could clearly see the planet’s curvature and the blackness of the sky, leading many to assume the aircraft was virtually orbiting.

However, 85,000 feet is nowhere near the official boundary of space, which sits at roughly 330,000 feet.

Either way, the Blackbird is history now.

It was retired in the 1990s and replaced by far more effective, though much less iconic, satellites and reconnaissance drones.

Maybe that’s why everyone’s still so focused on a 60-year-old plane’s myths.