What it was like to be a spy-plane pilot back in the day

I've always had a warm spot in my heart for the SR-71 Blackbird. Not for any really good reason, it's just that the plane looked cool. No matter how often you see one, each time is like the first time and each time just makes you feel warm in that special spot.

There have been spy planes since the Blackbird was launched in 1966 and there have been more capable planes since. But stealth is now about angles and deflection, and we're never again likely to see a reconnaissance craft that's also a work of art, rather than one of pure science.

So when Gizmodo ran an article called The Thrill of Flying the SR-71 Blackbird, I had to tell you about it. The article is by Major Brian Shul, who was a pilot of the SR-71.

He talks about what it feels like to fly the Blackbird, he talks about what it feels like to be under attack in a Blackbird. But most of all, he tells what it's like to be in love with a Blackbird.

What can I say? I'm pretty happy with who I am and the choices I've made in life, but, gosh Jimmy, wouldn't it have been cool to be Major Shul, even for just one day, flying the sweetest looking airplane ever to defend America?