Helion & Company Ohio to Supersonic: Flying the SR-71 Blackbird to the secret world of the Skunk Works

Colonel Richard E “Butch” Sheffield was a working-class boy from Ohio, who was determined to make his life, exceptional. He was the first man to eject from the fastest airplane in the world the SR-71 Blackbird. He introduced the Pentagon to GPS. He became the right-hand man of avionics genius Ben Rich. Ben asked Butch to search the world for UFOs. From humble beginnings in Rootstown, Ohio, to the upper reaches of classified aerospace innovation, Colonel Richard “Butch” Sheffield’s life was anything but ordinary. Ohio to Supersonic charts his remarkable rise from a small-town boy with a learning disability to one of the most trusted men in American defense, Cold War intelligence, and aerospace history.Chosen in 1964 for the ultra-secretive SR-71 Blackbird programmer, Butch was among the first crew members trained by Lockheed’s Skunk Works. He went on to fly some of the most daring reconnaissance missions of the Cold War – including the first SR-71 over North Korea and a supersonic overflight of the North Pole with no chance of recovery. In 1967, he became the first Air Force officer to eject from an SR-71 and survive. Six weeks later, he returned to flying at Mach 3.Butch’s extraordinary career didn’t end in the cockpit. At the Pentagon, he was a key figure behind the early development of GPS and led operations involving the SR-71 and U-2. As an investigator for Congress, he was granted over 300 code word clearances to probe the nation’s most sensitive intelligence programs. Later, as the Skunk Works’ lone representative in Washington D.C., he became the quiet conduit between Lockheed’s black projects and the halls of power.Written with help from his daughter Linda and the rest of the Sheffield family with warmth and unflinching honesty, Ohio to Supersonic offers an intimate, inspiring, and at times hair-raising account of a man who lived through the birth of modern reconnaissance aviation, shaped national security policy, and never forgot where he came from.This is not just a story of supersonic jets and Cold War missions – it is the story of resilience, humility, faith, and a deep love of country. A must-read for aviation enthusiasts, Cold War historians, and anyone who believes in the power of determination to change a life. Autorid: Colonel Richard E. "Butch" Sheffield