pilots who weren t even born when their aircraft were built. the high-flying u-2 spy plane showed american aircraft design moving ahead in leaps and bounds after the slow start of the early 1900s. the blackbird, first born in 1966, still holds the record for the fastest cross-country flight, capable of nearly three and a half times the speed of sound. america developed stealthf technology to make aircraft all but invisible to enemy radar in the 1970s. stealth makes it a possible for american planes to evade detection while flying rates raids deep into enemy territory. america s pioneering aviation design, coupled with unsurpassed pilot training, has allowed the u.s. to own the skies during the last century of armed conflict.