Sled driver you ask. That’s what they called the pilots of the world’s faster airplane, the Lockheed SR-71 ‘Blackbird’.

Brian Shul was an American pilot and photographer. A Vietnam War-era attack pilot and a Major in the United States Air Force (USAF), he flew 212 combat missions and was shot down near the end of the war. He was so badly burned that he was given next to no chance to live. Surviving, he returned to full flight status, flying the SR-71 Blackbird. Major Shul completed a 20-year career in the Air Force. He wrote four books on aviation and ran a photo studio in Marysville, California, until his death in Reno, Nevada.

Wikipedia Link

Here are two of his fantastic talks… a wonderful inspirational speaker:

And, of course, the short version of the SR-71 Blackbird ‘Speed Check’: