The Blackbird _ Grade_01

That sure is an interesting-looking plane with very unusual characteristics. It also happens to be the fastest plane ever built in the world, flying from New York to London in just under two hours. It takes a normal jet over six hours to make the same trip. On March 6, 1990, it flew from Palmdale, California to Washington, D.C., covering the distance in 64 minutes and 20 seconds. 

The SR-71 Blackbird was built over 50 years ago. At the time, there was a need for a very fast plane capable of flying at extremely high altitudes. Many planes back then were built to be actively engaged in battle, dropping bombs or shooting at an enemy. This plane had a very different reason for being built. The Blackbird was designed to fly over areas and take pictures. These pictures helped provide information about enemies during war, even if they were cold wars.

Most planes of the time were made of high-grade steel (a mixture of iron and carbon) and aluminum alloys (typically a mixture of aluminum and silicon). Unlike the more conventional planes of the time, the SR-71 is made from titanium. Titanium is lighter and stronger than both aluminum and steel. Lightweight for a plane means the faster the plane can change speeds or accelerate. The benefits of this metal don’t end there.

When a plane flies, air molecules move past the plane’s surface or ‘skin’. At high speed, this motion creates a lot of friction. All this friction or rubbing creates very high temperatures. When metals get hot, they often lose their strength, but not as much for titanium. Titanium is the perfect metal for these high speeds as it can handle higher temperatures better than steel or aluminum. Titanium has a very high melting point compared to other metals, which means it will not melt until the temperatures are above 1650 °C. That’s really hot!

Titanium sounds like the perfect metal to build airplanes with. Even though there are no perfect materials, titanium was a perfect match for this job. For the SR-71, it was important the material was light, strong, and could withstand a lot of heat. The cars we drive are made of steel as they do not need to withstand such high temperatures. Steel is also easier and cheaper to build a car with than titanium. It would not make sense to make cars from titanium as it would provide very little advantage over steel.