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Old 7th September 2004 | 01:01
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plt_aeroeng
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 46
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From: Canada
90,000 is optimistic for an air breather. The various fighter record altitude attempts typically involved shut down of the engine below 70,000 feet to reduce gyro effect over the top - since the engine would have flamed out anyway at about 75K.

The X-15 of course was not an airbreather.

I believe the highest altitude maintained by an airbreather was by an SR-71.

To reiterate an anecdote from another thread "found over the door at Beale AFB - the saying 'Yea though I fly through the valley of death, I fear no evil, for I am at 80,000 feet and climbing'"
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