Our friend Roger “Superman” Kent sent this link to me, so I thought you’d all like to take the ride too!
Fasten your seat belt for a fantastic ride in a spy plane.
See the world at 30,000, 40,000, 50,000, 60,000 and finally at 70,000 feet. From 70,000 feet you look down 35,000 feet at a jetliner passing below at its normal cruising altitude of 35,000 ft. The views are spectacular as the U-2 flies at altitudes that constitute "SPACE." Only the International Space Station is higher!
This video is a once in a lifetime experience of a British civilian, James May, getting a flight at over 70,000 ft. in a U-2 spy plane. (He is one of the hosts of the popular and somewhat whacky car show “Top Gear” on BBC, shown in the US on BBCA.) Please note at take-off the assist wheels on the outer edges of the wings drop away. The wings are so long that they need temporary support until lift-off. What is not shown is at the landing the plane actually slows to a slow enough speed that two guys are actually able to grab the wing tips and put those assist wheels back on.
(I saw one of these take off from Andersen Air Force Base on Guam on my way to R&R in 1969. It was on the runway, and then like a shot it went up at a 45 degree angle and was gone!)
Use your full screen and turn up the sound as this is a high-quality film clip, only 10 minutes long.
Click the link to take the ride! http://www.wimp.com/breathtakingfootage/
