The original thread reminds me of a flight with a mate in a Cub out of a 5500 ft AMSL strip in Kenya. The Cub peaked at about 9000. That was probably thermal assisted cos we looked up and there was a vulture circling about 1000 feet above us.......... and he wasn't even flapping his wings!
PS personally, 22000 feet, wooden glider, Aboyne. And I feel much happier being on oxygen above 11 grand.
