Lightningmate....
I read that (then Flt Lt) Dave Roome got that high whilst out in the far east having topped up from a tanker and then zoom climbed to that height whilst on his way home to Tengah(sp?)
Could see the whole of the malay peninsular from there.
It also happened in the middle east at one time pretty close to that height and by all accounts the troposhphere was good to try.
I thinks I got that right. I'll go dig out the book.
Lightning- From the cockpit (Peter Cayhill, Pen and Sword)
(Later same day).......
Have checked the book and the numbers are right.
He was in an F6 of 74 sqdn based at Tengah doing practice intercepts on an USAF RB 57F on the 23rd Oct 1968
Also, on 7th August 1979, Wng Cmdr Brian Carroll who was at that time the CFI of the RSAF got to 87,3000 over the empty quarter of in Saudi