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Ohio to Supersonic: Flying the Sr-71 Blackbird to the Secret World of the Skunk Works
Colonel Sheffield's memoir traces his journey from Ohio to Cold War aerospace and intelligence innovation.From humble beginnings...
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Colonel Sheffield's memoir traces his journey from Ohio to Cold War aerospace and intelligence innovation.
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.
Author: Sheffield
Publisher: Helion & Company
Published: 06/19/2026
Pages: 312
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.98lbs
Size: 9.80h x 6.60w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781804519417
About the Author
Sheffield: - Colonel Richard E."Butch" Sheffield (1932-2018) was a U.S. Air Force officer and SR-71 Blackbird Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO) he was also the Director of Special Projects for the Skunk Works where Sheffield handled beyond Top Secret projects. Born in Akron, Ohio in 1932, he began his military career as a navigator in the B-47 Bomber. Next, he flew the B-58 "Hustler" bomber soon before Sheffield became the first person selected in 1965 to fly the SR-71, the world's fastest and highest-flying aircraft. On April 13, 1967, Sheffield became the first USAF officer to eject from an SR-71 during a night training mission near Las Vegas, New Mexico, surviving a catastrophic stall. Sheffield also flew critical missions, including a 1971 flight over Vladivostok to collect SA-5 missile data, navigating engine failure and an emergency landing in South Korea. Retiring as a 100% disabled Colonel, he left behind his wife of 62 years Rose Marie, and their daughters Linda and Karen, a son Rich, and five grandchildren, Lisa, Kristine, Susan, Emily and Caroline (Karly) He passed away on December 9, 2018.
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.
Author: Sheffield
Publisher: Helion & Company
Published: 06/19/2026
Pages: 312
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.98lbs
Size: 9.80h x 6.60w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781804519417
About the Author
Sheffield: - Colonel Richard E."Butch" Sheffield (1932-2018) was a U.S. Air Force officer and SR-71 Blackbird Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO) he was also the Director of Special Projects for the Skunk Works where Sheffield handled beyond Top Secret projects. Born in Akron, Ohio in 1932, he began his military career as a navigator in the B-47 Bomber. Next, he flew the B-58 "Hustler" bomber soon before Sheffield became the first person selected in 1965 to fly the SR-71, the world's fastest and highest-flying aircraft. On April 13, 1967, Sheffield became the first USAF officer to eject from an SR-71 during a night training mission near Las Vegas, New Mexico, surviving a catastrophic stall. Sheffield also flew critical missions, including a 1971 flight over Vladivostok to collect SA-5 missile data, navigating engine failure and an emergency landing in South Korea. Retiring as a 100% disabled Colonel, he left behind his wife of 62 years Rose Marie, and their daughters Linda and Karen, a son Rich, and five grandchildren, Lisa, Kristine, Susan, Emily and Caroline (Karly) He passed away on December 9, 2018.
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