Speed depicts the life of Bob Gilliland, an accomplished pilot and principle test pilot for the SR-71 Blackbird, his journey with this record-breaking aircraft, and how it assisted him in becoming one of America's Five Legends. In 1964 Robert J. "Bob" Gilliland, call sign "Dutch 51," mounted the ladder and strapped into the cockpit of one of aviation's finest creations, the yet unnamed and untested SR-71 Blackbird, an aircraft that was too fast to catch and led America's success in the Cold War for many years. Although not many witnessed this top secret first flight, its importance in maintaining America's supremacy in the Cold War had fallen onto Gilliland's shoulders. Keith Dunnavant documents this legendary flight and many other accomplishments throughout Gilliland's life, such as attending the U.S. Naval Academy, becoming a pilot in the U.S. Air Force and fighting in the Korean War, and then being specially chosen to be a part of the elite Air Force Research and Development team where he flew virtually every aircraft in the USAF and logged more test flight hours than any other pilot in the world.
