Leaving the airspace above New York City at 2,455 miles per hour, SR-71 tail number 64-17972 would set a transatlantic speed record on Sept. 1, 1974. Stationed at Beale Air Force Base (AFB) California, SR-71 972 would become no stranger to setting world records. Crewed by pilot James Sullivan and RSO (Reconnaissance Systems Operator) Noel … Continue reading New York to London in a Flash: A Look at an SR-71 Record Flight