The SR-71 Blackbird Was So Fast It Could 'Out Run the Sun'

What You Need to Know: On March 8, 1968, an SR-71 Blackbird, piloted by Lt. Col. Buddy Brown and RSO Maj. Dave Jensen, performed a remarkable flight from Beale AFB, California, to Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan. Traveling at Mach 3 speeds, the Blackbird crossed the International Date Line and arrived two hours earlier than its departure time, effectively "outrunning the sun."

-Covering the 6,086-mile distance in five hours, the flight underscored the SR-71's unmatched speed and efficiency compared to the U-2 it replaced.