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We just don't build aviation mockups for the film industry; we get to build some of the coolest mockups like the SR-71 Blackbird and F/A-18 Hornet

September 25, 2026

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$We just don\'t build aviation mockups for the film industry; we get to build some of the coolest mockups like the SR-71 Blackbird and F/A-18 Hornet$

In the Apple TV+ action-comedy film Mayday, the iconic SR-71 Blackbird serves as the focal point for the movie's high-stakes catalyst. Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the 1987 Cold War-set story follows hotshot U.S. Navy pilot Lieutenant Troy "Assassin" Kelly (played by Ryan Reynolds), who is forced to eject from his top-secret Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spy plane.

He crash-lands in the treacherous Siberian wilderness, where his only hope of escaping Soviet capture is an unlikely partnership with Nikolai Ustinov (Kenneth Branagh), an eccentric former KGB agent obsessed with Western pop culture.

To build an authentic environment for the production, the filmmaking team leaned heavily into realistic details and physical prop construction:
Recreating the Jet: Special effects company SCROGGINS AVIATION built the movie's SR-71 Blackbird from scratch, blending real aircraft structural components with custom fabrications to form a highly detailed, screen-accurate cockpit and fuselage utilizing some real structure and parts. We also supplied the F/A-18 Hornet cockpit in the film.

At Scroggins, we have a wide selection of military and civilian aviation mockups including Helicopter, Aircraft and Spacecraft. All aviation mockups available for the film, streaming and television industry...

Contact us about your next production: [email protected] also follows on Facebook @ScrogginsAviation for updates on upcoming build.