Ride on a U2 spy plane

this is a Pontiac GTO the six liter one 400 brake horsepower it's what the Americans would think of as a sports car it's about muscle rather than agility as we've been have in Europe this will do nought to 60 in all under four and a half seconds and we could go and make an American Road movie in it but instead we're gonna use it to chase an aeroplane it's a weird-looking thing but then it is the world's highest flying aeroplane it should be here any second Mary and wire [Music] there's 1080 76 [Music] there too this is a u-2 spy plane it's the peak of 1950s aviation from the dawn of the Space Age and the car chase isn't a TV stunt the plane so difficult to land the pilot needs a second pair of eyes in the car below so that's an airplane in the wingspan of almost 100 feet landing on essentially bicycle this aeroplane stomping ground is at an altitude VAT back in the 50s would have been considered the edge of space 46 I am too old too unfit and frankly too long-haired ever to know what it would mean to be an astronaut but this is a place where they can take me to a sort of first base of Space Flight the nearest a normal mortal like me could come to knowing what it's like to be an astronaut [Music] the Air Force have offered to take me up 70 thousand feet above the earth where I'll be able to look up into the blackness of space up there any failure of the aircraft pressurization system will require more than a plastic oxygen mask and a rubber band [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Gumby 3:02 259 protecting the runaway previous [Music] [Applause] there you ready to go I'm ready to go take us home [Music] yes my god [Music] [Applause] [Music] whoa that one there that's what a climb that is incredible kaput we just passed the altitude of Everest so already if I was outside I'd be feeling pretty spiffy she bears the altimeter there's the view [Music] we're just approaching the stars of office space in the old days that's correct your cups think there it is there's a 1955 maybe consent spaceman yes a bad light the atmosphere would kill you to send me a space would you just boiled be dead in seconds just below us you see on the left side below see that near line and Lois pickup cottage every film camera fantastic warmest is far lower normally would be about us if we were standing on the ground I knew this would happen Shh I need to scratch my face I just think about other stuff he goes away and please just go perfect without an ounce secret things like Jesus survivors my body flows oil pretty much instantly step outside [Music] click an RTC wine people came specimens and all that time harping on about how wonderful that is because it just looks [Music] I think I'm gonna have a little bit of lunch everyone yes sir Shh come on join you hopefully everything I have clam chowder at the moment come on baby so please of just register I'm lining that very much [Music] Shh it's quite dark isn't it I think 95% appears atmosphere by mass is glowers there's skin Thomasson it's missed nothing more than that anybody else up here Judy Martin so these red say be any people hired a nurse at the moment the people in the International Space Station yes correctly that means static at the intern student statement may of second-highest people in love Oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] looking at you I was sitting works oh yeah [Music] [Music] if indeed that is the skullbuster the skies blow something there might be an eternity in your turn you're looking for Scott smack thank you for bringing me up here major absolutely welcome it's absolutely [Music] gear flaps lights tall strips breaks tryna put the center lines or decelerating down to 76 knots [Music] [Applause] [Music] welcome to the world of my blood [Music] it's sorry I'm slightly what being twice as high as an airliner is like being in a completely different sphere of human activities and you forget about the helmet and the oxygen and every

Channel: XFactXer

Views: 4,228,458

Rating: 4.916419 out of 5

Keywords: ride, on, spy, plane, james, may, u2

Id: 1PmYItnlY5M

Length: 11min 0sec (660 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 22 2009

Reddit Comments

[u/catfishdan]

For perspective, the ISS orbits at ~420KM above sea level, they were flying 20KM above sea level.

[u/monkh]

Would love to see 1080p version of this

[u/Krases]

For those that were curious about what happens when it comes to a stop after landing: http://youtu.be/hP7NVQ0vNL8?t=4m49s

[u/reddell]

How much would it cost me to do this?

[u/MobyDank]

"man in heaven" seems to be an appropriate exclamation in this situation

[u/drakesylvan]

Well, checkmate, flat earthers!

[u/8bitderp]

This video brings up the question in my mind. How fast could you make it around the world, in the fastest plane in the world?

[u/ekroys]

He was just so british about the whole situation - good on you May

[u/CivilCJ]

Kashmir makes everything epic