The Lockheed SR-71, known unofficially as the “Blackbird” for its dark black paint job – which was developed to dissipate heat – was among the fastest aircraft ever to take flight. The SR-71 featured sleek lines that may have even seemed “futuristic” when it was flying top-secret missions years before American astronauts even headed to the moon.
The aircraft was able to achieve a record top speed of 2,193 mph – and still holds the record for a cross-country flight, traveling from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. in just 64 minutes, 20 seconds. In addition to flying fast, the SR-71 also set an altitude record – reaching 25,929 meters.
It remains one of the most iconic aircraft ever to fly – and has become a pop-culture legend in the process thanks to appearances in movies such as Transformer: Revenge of the Fallen and I Am Legend, while the superhero team X-Men regularly flies around in a fictionalized version known as the X-Jet (often referred to as the Blackbird).
More recently, the Mach 3-capable aircraft has inspired Christian Moretti of Italy’s Plan B Motorcycles to create the Zero FX electric dirt bike.
“The SR-71 Blackbird is one of the most iconic aircraft ever built, and it used the top-notch technology of its time,” Moretti recently told Bikeexif.com. “Its unbelievable speed allowed it to simply leave missiles behind. Nowadays, electric bikes are arguably the top technology, but are they really working? For sure they can be pretty fast.”
Images of the Zero FX have been shared on the social media platform Instagram.
Impossible Technologies – SR-71 Vs. Zero FX
The SR-71 aircraft was born out of the Lockheed “Skunk Works,” which had a proven track record during the Cold War for delivering “impossible” technologies on an incredibly short, but strategically critical deadline. Developed in secret in the late 1950s, the SR-71 cruised to 80,000 feet above the earth, near the edge of space, while it even out flew any missile that was launched at it.
Development of the Zero FX began far more recently.
SR-71 Spy Plane. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
“It started life as a 2019 FX,” added Moretti. “The customer asked for a small, lightweight and ‘modern’ cafe racer. And because I love swapping purpose on a bike, the off-road entry level Zero was the perfect choice.”
The motorcycle took a number of cues from the most famous aircraft, including a special ink-coated paint job that “prioritizes stealth.” Its “cockpit” is also reminiscent of an advanced aircraft and features a rear-view camera, a top-mounted steering damper, as well as “non-functioning” aircraft switches, and even an attitude indicator.
While the Zero FX won’t be able to reach the top speeds of the Blackbird, and it will take far longer than just over an hour to cross the country on it – and while we would expect that it could outrun a missile, it could give mere mortals on the ground the feeling of flight.
Now a Senior Editor for 1945, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes.
