Ohio to Supersonic: Flying the SR-71 Blackbird to the secret world of the Skunk Works Hardcover – May 31, 2026

A must-read for aviation enthusiasts, Cold War historians, and anyone who believes in the power of determination to change a life.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 codeword 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.Long-buried and now brought to light with the help of his daughter, Linda Sheffield, Butch’s memoir is action-packed, breathlessly honest, and told here for the first time. It is the extraordinary story of a man who witnessed the SR-71 program from cradle to grave—an aviation narrative unlike any published before. Written with warmth and unflinching candor, Ohio to Supersonic offers an intimate, inspiring, and at times hair-raising account of a life lived at the forefront of modern reconnaissance aviation, helping to shape national security policy while never forgetting where it all began. Read more