Titanium, a refractory metal, is at least as strong as steel, but 45% lighter and won't rust. It is twice as strong as aluminum, but only 60% heavier. Titanium keeps its strength at high temperatures, up to red-hot where steel slumps and aluminum is liquid.

Titanium is used a lot in the aerospace industry because of its high strength to weight ratio. Obviously airplanes need to be light and strong, making titanium the perfect choice. The only drawback to titanium is increased cost compared to other metals.

It is used in many different places from jet engines to airframe structures to small brackets. The SR-71 Blackbird used titanium almost exclusively in its construction, from the airframe to the skin of the aircraft. It is the fastest jet powered plane of all time.

The SR-71 Blackbird (or Habu) is one of the baddest airplanes ever made. To this day it's the fastest jet airplane ever made, the only planes that have gone faster were rocket powered. The SR-71 was able to reach speeds of 2,200 mph, and set a record time for a transatlantic crossing of 1 hour and 55 minutes. The SR-71 was constructed mostly from titanium alloys. What better metal for such an awesome plane?

Titanium was used to build this plane for a few reasons. First, titanium is much stronger than aluminum, which is used for most planes. Due to the amount of power, the high speeds, and the size and weight of the Blackbird, a really strong material was needed. Second, titanium is light. It is much lighter than steel, so it is suitable for use in constructing an aircraft. Third, titanium alloys can handle high heat well. At the speeds that the SR-71 flew at, the surface achieved temperatures of up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

On December 22, 1964, the SR-71 made its first flight, and in 1966 began its service as a spy plane. It was used for reconnaissance missions over Russia and other hostile countries. The SR-71 could fly at altitudes of 85,000 feet and speeds of 2,200 mph which made it untouchable, and it had a range of 3,000 miles. It had high tech cameras on board that could take amazing pictures even from 16 miles up, and could survey up to 100,000 square miles of territory in an hour.

During its time, the SR-71 set several world speed records. These included from New York to London in 1 hour 55 minutes, from London to Los Angeles in 3 hours 48 minutes, and from coast to coast across the U.S. in 1 hour 8 minutes. It also set a record for speed of 2,193 mph over 15 miles (25 seconds of flying!!).

The SR-71is now officially retired. They may be in museums now, but the SR-71 will probably hold the record for the fastest jet for quite some time.