Air Force pilot Major Brian Shul reminisces about the infamous day he and his co-pilot Walter flew the world’s fastest jet, the SR-71 Blackbird, across the western US while listening in on air traffic control in LA. What unfolded was a classic case of male braggadocio across the airwaves and the formation of an ever lasting bond between co-pilots.

The story was told in his book, Sled Driver: Flying the World’s Fastest Jet.