SR-71, The Blackbird
My older son give me a copy of "SR-71, The Complete Illustrated History of the Blackbird, the World's Highest, Fastest Plane" as a Christmas present. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. A fantastic collection of facts and figures, such as a pilot surviving after his aircraft disintegrated in a banked turn at Mach 3.2, tyre pressures were 400psi, hydraulic system pressure was 6,000psi, the radar system weighed slightly over 1,200 pounds (545kg) and one aircraft flew, intentionally, with a P&W JT57 engine on one side and a P&W JT58 on the other, I also learned about "sheep dipping" etc, etc.
Management of the engine intake spike was critical and had to be done manually - and frequently. Here was an exceptional aircraft but the USAF's Strategic Air Command, who operated the aircraft, had other priorities and were quick to get rid of it as it didn't fit into their "mission".
If the CIA had taken over management of the aircraft I'm sure it would be still flying today, with fully digitized systems.
The book is written by Col. Richard H. Graham, USAF (Ret) and is published by Zenith Press, ISBN: 978-0-7603-5448-3.