20" x 16".  Full-color poster of the SR-71, a high altitude reconnaissance plane, in flight. In 1957, plans were drawn up for a high flying reconnaissance spy plane backed by the CIA. IIt was capable of an altitude of 90,000 ft. and Mach 3.2+ speed, faster than a rifle bullet. In 1968, the first SR-71s went into service at Kadena, AFB in Okinawa, Japan.  Although the plane was tough to land --  of the 32 Blackbirds built, 11 crashed on landing -- it was safe to fly. More than 1,000 attempts were made to shoot them down, but not a single plane was lost to enemy action or mechanical problems.  In 1968, a presidential order required that all molds and tools used to build the SR-71 be destroyed so that the plane could never be built by anyone again. This also meant that spare parts could not be made, so if there were any major problems, planes in storage would have to be cannibalized. In 1990,  the SR-71 fleet was decommissioned at Beale AFB.