Lockheed Blackbird Family [Paperback]

Did you know that there were only fifty Blackbirds ever produced? Tony Landis tells us "In a fitting tribute to this remarkable vehicle, the Blackbird family remains the only operational aircraft to have had all surviving airframes still in existence after retirement, either placed in storage or put proudly on display in a museum. Not one single airframe was ever scrapped." I found that very interesting. You know what else was interesting? The fact that this was the first book that appeared at our home that I couldn't get back from my husband so that I could read it in order to write a review! So I let him know that he was going to have to participate in giving me feedback for this review.

This book includes more than 100 "never-before-published" photos and even recently declassified images from the CIA. That really impressed us along with the technical information being enjoyable to read and was also very understandable to someone like me that has little background knowledge on the Blackbirds. I appreciated the engineering sketches that were included which were very helpful in learning about more aspects of these planes.

This book is great for both the expert and novice when it comes to learning about the Blackbird. It is very impressive and well-worth adding to your book collection, especially for readers who love photo journals with lots of information. Tony Landis did a superb job of putting together this photo scrapbook Lockheed Blackbird Family. To sum it up, my husband was thrilled to find out he was going to get to keep the book!

Lockheed Blackbird Family: A-12, YF-12, D-21/M-21 & SR-71 Photo Scrapbook

There has been many good books written about the history of the Lockheed Blackbirds. But this book stands out as a photographic history, with many previously unseen images. If you want to see how the SR-71 came about, the A-12 fore-runner, and the YF-12 Interceptor, then look no further.

Tony Landis has access to the files of Lockheed, USAF, and NASA plus many individuals to see these aircraft in action. If you think that you have seen every photo of the Blackbirds, think again, there are plenty I have never seen before.Lockheed Blackbird Family: A-12, YF-12, D-21/M-21 & SR-71 Photo Scrapbook

If you love the Blackbird, like I do, then you must get this book, you will not be disappointed.

If you are a SR-71 fan, this is another must have for your shelf. Excellent writing and photos, presented well. I have spent several enjoyable hours reading, and utilizing this book while building both the 1/48 SR-71 and the 1/48 YF-12 kits.

Good modeling tool, worth more than worth the reasonable price