Key Points and Summary – More than two decades after retirement, the SR-71 Blackbird is still the benchmark for speed, and its final operational mission fit the legend.
-On October 9, 1999, SR-71A tail number 61-7980 roared out of Edwards AFB, climbed above 80,000 feet, and sliced from Southern California to Washington, D.C. in just 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds.
SR-71 Blackbird. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-Flown by veteran test pilot Rogers “Rog” Smith and flight engineer Robert Meyer, the sortie capped the career of the last-built Blackbird.
-Today, the aircraft rests on display at Edwards, while both men remain emblematic of a vanished, high-Mach era of flight.
The SR-71 Blackbird’s Swan Song Was One for the Ages
Twenty-seven years after its official retirement, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird remains the fastest air-breathing aircraft ever built—officially Mach 3.2 but unofficially at or above Mach 3.5, which continues to be a significant source of bragging rights for Lockheed’s (now Lockheed Martin’s) famed “Skunk Works” division.
Its presumptive direct successor, the SR-72 “Darkstar” AKA “SOB” (as in “Son of Blackbird”), is envisioned as possessing hypersonic (more specifically, Mach 6) airspeed capability, but that’s purely speculative at this point, as the existence of the “SOB” has yet to be officially confirmed.
So then, as might be expected of such an iconic airplane, the Blackbird’s swan song (avian pun intended), i.e., its final flight, was one for the ages.
(NOTE: Before anyone out there starts nitpicking, yes, the North American Aviation [NAA] X-15 flew nearly twice as fast as the SR-71—at an incredible Mach 6.7—back in 1967, but that plane was rocket-powered, not an air-breather.)
SR-71 and SR-71 Nose Section Original Photo from NSJ.
SR-71 Side Angle National Security Journal Original Photo.
Basics of the Blackbird’s Big Bye-Bye
The inspiration for this article comes from the blog of the Cosmosphere—an international science education center and space museum in Hutchinson, Kansas—in an undated, anonymously authored post titled “The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird’s Unforgettable Goodbyes.”
As noted in the opening paragraph, “Typical cruising altitude for commercial planes is around 35,000 feet, give or take a few thousand. The last flight of the SR-71 Blackbird reached 80,100 feet. That’s over twice as high as most of us will ever fly. It flew over three times the speed of sound on this flight: Mach 3.21, around 2,463 miles per hour.”
The mission took place on October 9, 1999 (by happy coincidence, the same month and year that this writer graduated from U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training [BMT]).
The dynamic duo that had the honor and privilege of making that mission happen were pilot Rogers E. “Rog” Smith and flight engineer Robert R. Meyer, Jr.
The specific airframe in question was an SR-71A bearing tail number 61-7980 (Lockheed serial number 2031; NASA no. 844), which, poetically enough, was the final SR-71A to be built.
Final Flight Particulars
That historic farewell flight commenced during a Saturday air show at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
There was supposed to be a follow-up flight the next day to continue wowing the air show spectators, but alas, a serious fuel leak put the kibosh on that.
As it was, the October 9 flight pulled off a pretty lofty achievement, flying from Southern California to Washington, D.C. in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds. (To put that in perspective, that same amount of time will enable you to drive maybe 30 minutes on the Interstate 405 Freeway or the I-495 [AKA “The Capital Beltway”] during Rush Hour if you’re lucky.)
Where Are They Now?
According to his official NASA bio, Robert Meyer retired from the agency in 2012 after 40 years of service; he spent the final six years of his career as program manager of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
The page was last updated on January 7, 2025, so it can be reasonably presumed that Mr. Meyer is still alive.
The page doesn’t indicate where he’s living now, but does note that “As a hobby, Meyer designs, builds, and flies competition aerobatic aircraft and restores classic aircraft and cars.”
SR-71 and Pilot Creative Commons Image
Meanwhile, Rog Smith retired from NASA circa 1999 but was lured out of retirement in 2001 to join the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) as a consultant, spending the next three years in Deutschland, last serving there as Vice President and Director of Flight Test and Testing at the EADS Military Flight Test Center.
He was inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame in 2017.
Assuming that organization’s info page is still up to date, he’s still alive and kicking at the tender young age of 89: “Rogers still flies as required to qualify for his current UAV test pilot work, using a Cessna 182 Turbo and still maintains his dual citizenship. He has lived in Mammoth Lakes, California, with his wife, Judith, since 1997.
Rogers Smith is the father of five grown children – Lauren, Lisa, Mark, Trevor, and Meghan – and grandfather to six.”
As for the plane that Robert & Rog took on that epic final flight, NASA 844 was preserved for posterity and placed on static display at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards AFB, in 2002.
(The Dryden Center was renamed the Armstrong Flight Research Center in honor of the late great Neil Armstrong in 2014, two years after the legendary astronaut’s passing.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the newly published book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series.”
More Military
Montana-Class vs. Yamato-Class: It Would Have Been the Ultimate Battleship Battle
The Littoral Combat Ship Might Be the Navy’s Biggest Mistake Ever
