U2 Experience
 

www.wimp.com/breathtakingfootage

[Use your full screen and sound as this is a high-quality film clip, 10 minutes long.]

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. Please note at the take-off the assist wheels on the outer edges of the wings which drop off upon take-off. 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 small enough speed that two guys are actually able to grab the wing tips and put those assist wheels back on.

The civilian getting the ride is the host of the car show Top Gear on BBC (James May) shown through Europe at 9:00 pm Sunday night in Belgium. The views are spectacular as the U-2 flies at altitudes which constitute "SPACE."


www.wimp.com/breathtakingfootage

Thank you for sharing this amazing footage. My jaw was on the ground!

Excellent! In the 60's I was stationed at Albrook Air Froce Base in the Canal Zone and a U2 operated out of there. Quite a site to see the nearly vertical ascent after take off. They got out of site quickly. Thanks for the link...

On year I was flying into San Francisco and we were coming in from the south over Moffett Field. The pilot came on the speaker system and said a plane was taking off from that field but he was not allowed to say what type of plane it was. He said that if you see it you will know what it is. It was a U-2 and we had a perfect view of it taking off and then going almost straight up and out of sight. Very impressive as is this video.

I was amazed at how they seemed to be just at the edge of space. Makes me wonder what would be the point of no return. Even at 70,000 ft, it looked like they never did completely stop going up.

I thought this thread was going to be about Bono, Edge, Larry and Adam!

Very cool vid though! :cool:

Trudy