Salute!
Go to this site and read and learn:
SR-71 Online - The Blackbird Archive
Was privileged to know and fly with a few of the Blackbird pilots, and that sucker was amazing for its time.
The J-58 was a key aspect of the design, although with less-powerful motors the thing still ran well.
Unlike today's "monitoring function" for the crew, the Blackbird required actual piloting skills and decisions and such. My friends that flew the U-2 have similar war stories.