One of aviation's most fascinating tales involves the SR-71 Blackbird. It comes from U.S. Air Force Maj ... request for a fly-past over a small RAF base in England to inspire young cadets.

When the SR-71 was decommissioned, the fuel tanks at Beale Air Force Base that held its JP-7 jet fuel were unusable for any other purpose and were demolished. The Blackbird was America’s first ...

Of course, the actual SR-71 Blackbird had transformed manned flight ... pilots who flew the plane on recon missions from Beale Air Force base in California as well as bases in England and Japan ...