Editing Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (section)

===Overview===
[[File:Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum Oregon12.jpg|thumb|Tandem cockpits]]

The SR-71 was designed for flight at over [[Mach number|Mach]]&nbsp;3 with tandem cockpits for a crew of two: a pilot; and a reconnaissance systems officer who navigated and operated the surveillance systems. It was extremely important for the pilot and RSO to work well together as a crew.{{sfn|Graham|2008|page=6}}<ref name=crown>{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/program/collect/sr-71.htm |title=Senior Crown SR-71 |work=[[Federation of American Scientists]] |date=7 September 2010 |access-date=17 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417003154/https://fas.org/irp/program/collect/sr-71.htm |archive-date=17 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="harvp|Graham|1996">{{harvp|Graham|1996}}</ref>  The SR-71 was designed with the smallest radar cross-section that Lockheed could achieve, an early attempt at stealth design.<ref>{{harvp|Crickmore|2009|pp=30-31}}</ref> Aircraft were painted black. This color radiated heat from the surface more effectively than the bare metal, reducing the temperature of the skin and thermal stresses on the airframe.{{sfn|Merlin|2009|p=16}} The appearance of the painted aircraft gave it the nickname "Blackbird".