Have you ever dreamed of flying to the edge of space, to fly twice as high as a commercial jet liner ? Well this dream is possible. For years now the Russians have allowed civilians to fly their Migs, 29 and 31 to do just that. But one man has gone one step forward, by flying the U2 spyplane to 70,000ft. His name is James May, and unfortunately, he is not your average John Doe but a TV presenter for the English program Top Gear, meaning that everyone can not just ring the bell and get in the cockpit. However, it is worth mentioning as it was the first time that a foreign civilian has been granted access to such an experience. Worth calling your rep in Washington to try it for yourself.

Check out the video of the flight:

The U2 is a very special plane, and one of the most controversial. Designed and built secretly in the first half of the fifties, it came out as a prototype in 1955 and just 48 were built. The test flight was done at Groom Lake (Area 51) Nevada. Actually the plane was not planned to fly on that day, as it was simply a high-speed taxiing test. However, the design of the wings was so efficient that at 70knots, the plane took-off ! The purpose of the Lockheed U2 to put it simply, was to “see” what was going on in Russia from an extremely high altitude that Russian fighters and missiles could not reach. It would even be difficult to trace for radars. This would allow of the U2, and the USA, to gain tremendous intelligence by all weather, anywhere in the world.
 

However the plane became world famous in May 1960 when it got shot down by a missile. This event resulted in the launch of Project Rainbow, aimed at reducing the U2’s radar cross section. This was unsuccessful and led to the development of the Lockheed A12, also known as Blackbird. The U2 remains in service, however it is planned to be decommissioned by 2012. It has been in service for 50 years and has proven to be an incredible asset for intelligence.

What is it like to fly the U2. James May qualifies it as “life changing”. It certainly must be something to admire the curvature of the earth at 70,000ft. The Lockheed U2 has a very specific design, which allows the plane to fly high, at low speed, but also makes it difficult to fly. The high aspect ratio wing gives the U2 glider like characteristics. When flying at high altitude, the stall speed of the U2 is just… 19km/h or 10 knots ! Because it was built to fly at very high altitude, the controls were very touchy when flying high, but when flying at lower altitudes, inputs must be heavy to gain the desired effects. Difficult to fly, it is also difficult to land. It needs the assistance of a pace car, and another one that guides the pilot. Flying at high altitude also requires wearing a “space” suit that supplies oxygen through the flight. As you can see in James May video, you can also drink and “eat” while in flight. Which is important as the U2 can stay up to 12 hours in the air.

Unfortunately, not everyone can have access to such an experience. But I would not be surprised if an entrepreneur would buy one or two of the soon to be decommissioned U2s and start a business of selling U2 fighter rides… Let’s cross fingers… In the meantime, you can reach the edge of space in a Mig 29.

Lockheed U2 specifications:

Crew: One
Length: 63 ft (19.2 m)
Wingspan: 103 ft (31.4 m)
Height: 16 ft (4.88 m)
Wing area: 1,000 ft² (92.9 m²)
Aspect ratio: 14.3
Empty weight: 14,300 lb (6,760 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 40,000 lb (18,100 kg)
Powerplant: 1× General Electric F118-101 turbofan, 19,000 lbf (84.5 kN)
Maximum speed: 434 knots (500 mph, 805 km/h)
Cruise speed: 373 knots (429 mph, 690 km/h)
Range: 5,566 nmi (6,405 mi, 10,300 km)
Service ceiling: 70,000+ ft (21,300+ m)
Flight endurance: 12 hours

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