The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is the fastest jet ever built, a machine so far ahead of its time even its own pilots thought it looked more like a spaceship than an airplane.It is an engineering marvel, powered by innovative engines that operated most efficiently at Mach 3.2, its typical cruising speed.lying the world's fastest plane: Behind the stick of the SR-71. By Spencer Hall ï @edsbs on Mar 7, 2014, 1:30p 86. Spencer Hall interviews former SR-71 Blackbird pilot Rick McCrary about what it's like to fly the world's fastest plane.