Two men flew between New York and London at three times the speed of sound. No other aircraft has since been as fast as the Blackbird SR-71, explains crew member Noel Widdifield
On 1 September 1974 two men made the fastest ever journey between New York and London. The astonishing trip – at three times the speed of sound – took less than two hours and set a record that still stands 50 years later.
Even the mighty Concorde, which set the record for the fastest commercial transatlantic flight in 1996, straggled in almost an hour behind.
About Author
More Stories
We need to liberate sex from shame and fear
Memo to Trump: US telecoms is vulnerable to hackers. Please hang up and try again | John Naughton
How to deal with Zoom calls in 2025: in smaller groups with static backgrounds