The Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force.
It was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by Lockheed and its Skunk Works division. American aerospace engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson was responsible for many of the design’s innovative concepts.
In an article on The Aviation Geek Club US Air Force (Retired) Master Sgt. Russ Maheras share the details of how he made the SR-71 Blackbird HABU Logo:
I started drawing comics in the late 1960s and made my first professional sale in 1974. Originally, I planned on
making comics a career, and throughout most of the 1970s, I had a variety of blue-collar “day jobs” while I learned my craft and honed my drawing skills.
However, as 1978 came to a close, and I learned how difficult life was for the typical freelance artist, it became clear to me that I needed to find a different career path to support myself and grow as a person. So in 1978, I joined the U.S. Air Force to learn electronics and become an aircraft electronic warfare systems (EWS) technician.
After my initial training was completed, I was assigned to RAF Bentwaters in England to work on the then-brand-new A-10 Warthog. From there I was reassigned to Beale Air Force Base, Calif., where I worked on EWS equipment for both the U-2 Dragon Lady and the SR-71 Blackbird.
In 1985, I was reassigned to Detachment 1, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, the highly decorated SR-71 unit strategically located at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. My artistic skills were regularly utilized at every assigned unit, and Det. 1 was no exception.
During my tour there, I drew a variety of official and unofficial Blackbird-related illustrations for leadership, peers, and myself. Working almost daily on the SR-71 was quite the inspiration, and in 1986, I decided to finally draw a poster of this amazing aircraft, which Okinawans had long ago nicknamed “Habu” because its color and distinctive chines reminded them of a poisonous cobra on the island of the same name.
Here is SR-71 Blackbird HABU Logo:
