SUPERSONIC MILESTONE CELEBRATION PLANNED FOR BLACKBIRD'S 40TH.

Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer

PALMDALE - The Nevada skies were clear blue the day pilot Lou Schalk took the fastest spy plane in the world up for its first test flight.

It was 40 years ago today, and Schalk, now 76, remembers how the A-12 Blackbird wobbled as it became airborne.

Twenty seconds later, he came back to the runway.

``The airplane wasn't flying too well so we set it back down,'' Schalk said Friday.

Schalk will gather with other former pilots and crew today at Palmdale's Blackbird Airpark, where that first A-12 and its successor spy plane, an SR-71, are on display.

He dines tonight in Lancaster at a sold-out inaugural ``Blackbird Laurels'' banquet, which will draw nearly 300 people from as far as Sweden and Denmark.

Sponsored by the Flight Test Historical Foundation and the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum, the 40th anniversary celebration runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Blackbird Airpark, on Avenue P at 25th Street East.

Schalk first flew the A-12, the first version of the 2,000-mph Blackbird, on April 26, 1962. Operated by the CIA over North Vietnam and North Korea in 1967 and 1968, the A-12 was replaced by the slightly larger SR-71, which flew until the 1990s.

The top-secret first flight felt ``routine,'' Schalk said. Aside from learning the mechanics of the Blackbird and what it could do, he and the other Edwards Air Force Base test pilots were never told by CIA officials of the jet's missions.

A-12 and SR-71 Blackbirds flew over North Korea, North Vietnam, Cuba and Libya and spied on the Soviet Union's far north submarine bases, according to published reports.

More than 100 missiles were fired at the planes, but most exploded miles behind. Blackbirds could reportedly fly at 90,000 feet - more than 10 miles higher than a jetliner - and faster than 2,000 mph - faster than any active-duty U.S. military jet.

But before that, the birds had to be fine-tuned and that's where Schalk and other pilots came in.

It took 66 flights before the A-12 hit its top speed of Mach 3.2 - 3.2 times the speed of sound, or more than 2,000 mph.

``For what it was doing, it was quite a thrill,'' Schalk said. ``You hit Mach 2 and you keep on going. When I saw Mach 3 on the meter, I said, There it is: We're traveling at three times the speed of sound.''

Schalk said there were moments of fear. High temperatures in the cockpit - the plane's outside skin heated up to more than 1,000 degrees in places - melted the plastic off the flight panels.

Schalk retired from flying in 1964. The A-12 was retired in 1968, and the SR-71 was retired by the Air Force in the early 1990s, though NASA kept some flying for a few more years at Edwards Air Force Base.

Since then, more test pilots have come forward to tell what they can about their top-secret missions.

``There's more information now that (the Blackbird) doesn't fly anymore,'' Schalk said. ``Back then, it was all a secret.''

Scheduled to attend today's airpark event are test pilots Schalk, Bob Gilliland and Jim Eastham - first flight pilots, respectively, on the A-12, the SR-71 and the prototype interceptor YF-12 version - greeting the public, sharing their experiences and signing memorabilia.

They will be joined by a number of former Blackbird crew members, engineers and maintenance workers who will be available to answer questions and tell Blackbird ``war stories'' during a question and answer forum.

The event will give recognition to the people who worked on the Blackbirds, Air Force Flight Test Center Museum Curator Doug Nelson said.

``So many times, the general public doesn't realize maybe their next-door neighbor was involved, because the program was so classified at the time,'' Nelson said.

An art and photo exhibition is planned; food and beverages will be available; and restored 1962 cars will be on display.

Donn Byrnes, author of ``Blackbird Rising,'' will be signing copies of his book and - weather permitting - both A-12 and SR-71 cockpits will be open for display.

The Flight Test Historical Foundation's Blackbird Laurels banquet at the Park Plaza-Lancaster/Palmdale Convention Center is a fund-raiser for the Blackbird Airpark. Tickets are sold out.

Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Mele Vojvodich, pilot of the first A-12 mission over North Vietnam, is the featured speaker.

Another noted A-12 pilot, retired Air Force Colonel Ken Collins, will emcee. Both Vojvodich and Collins earned the CIA Intelligence Star for Valor for their participation in A-12 spy flights.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color -- ran in AV edition only) At the Blackbird Airpark in Palmdale, workers close the hatch of the A-12, which took its first flight 40 years ago today.

(2 -- color -- ran in AV edition only) The A-12, right, and its successor SR-71 are being celebrated today.

(3 -- ran in AV and Valley edition) This A-12, on display at the Blackbird Airpark in Palmdale, first flew 40 years ago today.

(4 -- ran in AV edition only) John Bochu, left, and Ken Correnti ready the SR-71 for today's Blackbird Airpark visitors.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer