Name/Title
True - The Man's Magazine Pg 90Entry/Object ID
001459Tags
Richard G BullScope and Content
The Dangers of High-Altitude Flight
The author highlights the extreme risks of flying at the edge of the atmosphere. He notes that the air is so thin it could cause a "flame-out" (engine failure). If the engine fails, the cabin loses heat and pressure, causing the canopy to frost over instantly. The pilot’s only hope in such a scenario is to dive rapidly to around 20,000 feet, where the air is dense enough to "windmill" the compressors and restart the engine.
The Visual Shift: From Blue to Purple-Black
As the jet climbs past 45,000 feet, the sky undergoes a dramatic transformation:
Color Change: The sky shifts from indigo-blue to a deep, incredible purple-black. This happens because there are fewer atmospheric particles to scatter blue light.
The Sun and Stars: The sun appears as a distinct, blazing white disk rather than a diffused glow. Despite the sun being up, the sky is dark enough that first-magnitude stars become visible.
The Red Rays: At these heights, longer red light waves combine with the remaining blue to create a strange "tinge" of color.
The Descent and Landing
At an altitude of over 53,000 feet (just 6,445 feet below the world record at the time), the pilot, Dick, begins the long descent.
Handling: The aircraft becomes highly sensitive and difficult to control in the thin air, requiring "split-second" precision.
Re-entry: As they descend, the "Mother Earth" colors of green fields and brown soil slowly return.
The Landing: The flight concludes with a tight tactical landing pattern at Andrews Air Force Base, touching down at approximately 110 m.p.h.
