Home > General > Speed: The Life of a Test Pilot and Birth of an American Icon
26%
Speed: The Life of a Test Pilot and Birth of an American Icon

Speed: The Life of a Test Pilot and Birth of an American Icon

3.7       |  6 Reviews 
5
4
3
2
1

International Edition


Premium quality
Premium quality
Bookswagon upholds the quality by delivering untarnished books. Quality, services and satisfaction are everything for us!
Easy Return
Easy return
Not satisfied with this product! Keep it in original condition and packaging to avail easy return policy.
Certified product
Certified product
First impression is the last impression! Address the book’s certification page, ISBN, publisher’s name, copyright page and print quality.
Secure Checkout
Secure checkout
Security at its finest! Login, browse, purchase and pay, every step is safe and secured.
Money back guarantee
Money-back guarantee:
It’s all about customers! For any kind of bad experience with the product, get your actual amount back after returning the product.
On time delivery
On-time delivery
At your doorstep on time! Get this book delivered without any delay.
Quantity:
Add to Wishlist

About the Book

On December 22, 1964, at a small, closely guarded airstrip in the desert town of Palmdale, California, Lockheed test pilot Bob Gilliland stepped into a strange-looking aircraft and roared into aviation history.

Developed at the super-secret Skunk Works, the SR-71 Blackbird was a technological marvel. In fact, more than a half century later, the Mach 3-plus titanium wonder, designed by Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, remains the world's fastest jet.

It took a test pilot with the right combination of intelligence, skill, and nerve to make the first flight of the SR-71, and the thirty-eight-year-old Gilliland had spent much of his life pushing the edge.

In Speed one of America's greatest test pilots collaborates with acclaimed journalist Keith Dunnavant to tell his remarkable story: How he was pushed to excel by his demanding father. How a lucky envelope at the U.S. Naval Academy altered the trajectory of his life. How he talked his way into U.S. Air Force fighters at the dawn of the jet age, despite being told he was too tall. How he made the conscious decision to trade the security of the business world for the dangerous life of an experimental test pilot, including time at the clandestine base Area 51, working on the Central Intelligence Agency's Oxcart program.

The narrative focuses most intently on Gilliland's years as the chief test pilot of the SR-71, as he played a leading role in the development of the entire fleet of spy planes while surviving several emergencies that very nearly ended in disaster.

Waging the Cold War at 85,000 feet, the SR-71 became an unrivaled intelligence-gathering asset for the U.S. Air Force, invulnerable to enemy defenses for a quarter century.

Gilliland's work with the SR-71 defined him, especially after the Cold War, when many of the secrets began to be revealed and the plane emerged from the shadows--not just as a tangible museum artifact but as an icon that burrowed deep into the national consciousness.

Like the Blackbird itself, Speed is a story animated by the power of ambition and risk-taking during the heady days of the American Century.


Best Sellers



Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9781640122680
  • Publisher: Potomac Books
  • Publisher Imprint: Potomac Books
  • Height: 163 mm
  • No of Pages: 288
  • Spine Width: 33 mm
  • Weight: 544 gr
  • ISBN-10: 1640122680
  • Publisher Date: 01 Jun 2021
  • Binding: Hardback
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: Y
  • Sub Title: The Life of a Test Pilot and Birth of an American Icon
  • Width: 236 mm


Similar Products

How would you rate your experience shopping for books on Bookswagon?

Add Photo
Add Photo

Customer Reviews

3.7       |  6 Reviews 
out of (%) reviewers recommend this product
Top Reviews
Rating Snapshot
Select a row below to filter reviews.
5
4
3
2
1
Average Customer Ratings
3.7       |  6 Reviews 
00 of 0 Reviews
Sort by :
Active Filters

00 of 0 Reviews
SEARCH RESULTS
1–2 of 2 Reviews
    BoxerLover2 - 5 Days ago
    A Thrilling But Totally Believable Murder Mystery

    Read this in one evening. I had planned to do other things with my day, but it was impossible to put down. Every time I tried, I was drawn back to it in less than 5 minutes. I sobbed my eyes out the entire last 100 pages. Highly recommend!

    BoxerLover2 - 5 Days ago
    A Thrilling But Totally Believable Murder Mystery

    Read this in one evening. I had planned to do other things with my day, but it was impossible to put down. Every time I tried, I was drawn back to it in less than 5 minutes. I sobbed my eyes out the entire last 100 pages. Highly recommend!


Sample text
Photo of
    Media Viewer

    Sample text
    Reviews
    Reader Type:
    BoxerLover2
    00 of 0 review

    Your review was submitted!
    Speed: The Life of a Test Pilot and Birth of an American Icon
    Potomac Books -
    Speed: The Life of a Test Pilot and Birth of an American Icon
    Writing guidlines
    We want to publish your review, so please:
    • keep your review on the product. Review's that defame author's character will be rejected.
    • Keep your review focused on the product.
    • Avoid writing about customer service. contact us instead if you have issue requiring immediate attention.
    • Refrain from mentioning competitors or the specific price you paid for the product.
    • Do not include any personally identifiable information, such as full names.

    Speed: The Life of a Test Pilot and Birth of an American Icon

    Required fields are marked with *

    Review Title*
    Review
      Add Photo Add up to 6 photos
      Would you recommend this product to a friend?
      Tag this Book
      Read more
      Does your review contain spoilers?
      What type of reader best describes you?
      I agree to the terms & conditions
      You may receive emails regarding this submission. Any emails will include the ability to opt-out of future communications.

      CUSTOMER RATINGS AND REVIEWS AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TERMS OF USE

      These Terms of Use govern your conduct associated with the Customer Ratings and Reviews and/or Questions and Answers service offered by Bookswagon (the "CRR Service").


      By submitting any content to Bookswagon, you guarantee that:
      • You are the sole author and owner of the intellectual property rights in the content;
      • All "moral rights" that you may have in such content have been voluntarily waived by you;
      • All content that you post is accurate;
      • You are at least 13 years old;
      • Use of the content you supply does not violate these Terms of Use and will not cause injury to any person or entity.
      You further agree that you may not submit any content:
      • That is known by you to be false, inaccurate or misleading;
      • That infringes any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy;
      • That violates any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination or false advertising);
      • That is, or may reasonably be considered to be, defamatory, libelous, hateful, racially or religiously biased or offensive, unlawfully threatening or unlawfully harassing to any individual, partnership or corporation;
      • For which you were compensated or granted any consideration by any unapproved third party;
      • That includes any information that references other websites, addresses, email addresses, contact information or phone numbers;
      • That contains any computer viruses, worms or other potentially damaging computer programs or files.
      You agree to indemnify and hold Bookswagon (and its officers, directors, agents, subsidiaries, joint ventures, employees and third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.), harmless from all claims, demands, and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of a breach of your representations and warranties set forth above, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.


      For any content that you submit, you grant Bookswagon a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and/or sell, transfer, and/or distribute such content and/or incorporate such content into any form, medium or technology throughout the world without compensation to you. Additionally,  Bookswagon may transfer or share any personal information that you submit with its third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc. in accordance with  Privacy Policy


      All content that you submit may be used at Bookswagon's sole discretion. Bookswagon reserves the right to change, condense, withhold publication, remove or delete any content on Bookswagon's website that Bookswagon deems, in its sole discretion, to violate the content guidelines or any other provision of these Terms of Use.  Bookswagon does not guarantee that you will have any recourse through Bookswagon to edit or delete any content you have submitted. Ratings and written comments are generally posted within two to four business days. However, Bookswagon reserves the right to remove or to refuse to post any submission to the extent authorized by law. You acknowledge that you, not Bookswagon, are responsible for the contents of your submission. None of the content that you submit shall be subject to any obligation of confidence on the part of Bookswagon, its agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners or third party service providers (including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.)and their respective directors, officers and employees.

      Accept

      New Arrivals



      Inspired by your browsing history


      Your review has been submitted!

      You've already reviewed this product!