Abstract

Retired USAF Lt. Col. Ed Yeilding, who set several official speed records on the SR-71 Blackbird, will present the history of world’s highest-flying and fastest aircraft in level flight. He will discuss its design features, its vital Cold War reconnaissance missions, and its 1990 coast-to-coast speed record flight.

Biography

Ed Yeilding, Lt Col (ret), was raised in Florence, AL and became an Eagle Scout. He was an Air Force ROTC student and earned an electrical engineering degree from Auburn University in 1972. Ed was an Air Force pilot for 23 years with assignments in the RF-4, F-4E, SR-71, and C-20. During his six years in the SR-71, Ed flew 93 overseas reconnaissance missions and became an instructor, check pilot, and developmental test pilot. In 1990, Ed and RSO JT Vida set several official speed records as they delivered an SR-71 to the Smithsonian, where it is now displayed at the Udvar-Hazy Center. After military retirement, Ed flew 11 years with Northwest/Delta Airlines piloting the DC-9, DC-10, and 747-400.