Blackbird

The aviation world has lost one of its brightest luminaries. Major Brian Shul was an incredible survivor and a top gun pilot – but also a gifted photographer and storyteller, whose stories about the extraordinary SR-71 Blackbird will live forever.

Blackbird Guitars is expanding its Ekoa line of instruments. Ekoa is a high performance composite made mostly of linen, and debuted in the company's Clara ukulele, followed two years later by the El Capitan jumbo acoustic. Now a small body acoustic by the name of Savoy joins the family.

Some people live truly extraordinary lives, and US Air Force pilot Brian Shul is certainly one of them. Shot down and burned half to death over Cambodia, he worked his way back to the top of the game, eventually flying the most extreme aircraft ever built.

Blackbird Guitars has now followed the 2013 launch of its Clara concert-level ukulele, which is made from something called Ekoa, with a NAMM debut for an acoustic guitar called El Capitan that's constructed from the same sustainable material.

Blackbird Guitars has luanched the Clara ukulele, which is made from a a newly-developed sustainable material called Ekoa that's said to give the instrument the strength and durability of carbon fiber and the tone of vintage wood.