James May Rides in a U2 Spy Plane
Video from the channel Becnal about Lockheed U-2, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 10:01. Language: English. Video type: Onboard.
What it covers
Excerpt from the programme "James May at the Edge of Space" in which presenter James May flies as a passenger in a two-seat U-2, from taxiing and take-off to around 70,000 feet and back to the ground.
Details shown
During the climb the milestones are noted: they pass the altitude of Everest and then 60,000 feet, where bodily fluids would boil almost instantly outside the cabin. At 70,000 feet, around 95% of the atmosphere's mass lies below. From the cockpit a commercial airliner is seen far below, the sky appears almost black and the curvature of the horizon is visible. Wearing a pressure suit and helmet, May tries to scratch his face with the drink straw and tastes the food prepared for the flight, which he compares to baby food. On landing the checklist is heard and the deceleration to 76 knots.
Context
May notes that at that moment only the occupants of the International Space Station were higher than them. After landing he describes the experience as something different from flying twice as high as an airliner and compares it to the view of Earth the Apollo astronauts had.