What could fly AT FL660?

[pontifex]

An SR71 could do it (and much more)

[kaitakbowler]

Originally Posted by Sidestick_n_Rudder

There I was fat dumb and happy, flying across southern Japan at FL 400, when I saw a contrail waay above us. Then I heard someone (with an American accent) asking for a block of airspace between FL600 and FL660. What could possibly fly that high? The only plane I can think of is a U2. Do these fly yet? What else could that be?

Concorde, with a glass of fizz of course.

[parabellum]

Back about 12 years ago, I often watched traffic routing northbound over the London area indicating FL660 on mode C; always assumed they were TR1s/U2s bound for Mildenhall

FL660 over North London for Mildenhall would have made for an interesting descent profile? Or do they go more or less overhead and then descend like a brick, with no cabin to worry about?

[Chris Kebab]

https://www.rt.com/news/386875-global-hawk-drone-japan/

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by parabellum

FL660 over North London for Mildenhall would have made for an interesting descent profile? Or do they go more or less overhead and then descend like a brick, with no cabin to worry about?

Yes I wondered about that, but someone told me they go over the North Sea to descend; anyhow they were heading in the general direction of Mildenhall.

[ORAC]

Get clear of the MRSA and do a "falling leaf" descending spiral, ideally in a pre-booked danger area near their destination. e.g. East Anglian Military Training Area MTA B.

http://www.mantma.co.uk/pdf/eg_enr_6_5_1_1_en.pdf

[NavyNav2]

Reminds me of a story I once heard about an ASCOT callsign on a pond crossing hearing an unknown
callsign asking Shannon Oceanic if FL600 was available. The controller replied (somewhat sarcastically) 'yes of course sir, if you can make it, it's all yours', to which the reply came "Roger this is xxxx leaving FL650 for FL600". Reckon it was an aurora?

[unclenelli]

This used to bug me in my area radar days in UK
"Request service above FL600" = RADAR Control (back in the day) = avoidance of EVERY non-sqkr!

If they said:
"Request service above FL660" = FIS (back in the day) = forget about them, once identified and Sqking NMC

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by NavyNav2

Reminds me of a story I once heard about an ASCOT callsign on a pond crossing hearing an unknown
callsign asking Shannon Oceanic if FL600 was available. The controller replied (somewhat sarcastically) 'yes of course sir, if you can make it, it's all yours', to which the reply came "Roger this is xxxx leaving FL650 for FL600". Reckon it was an aurora?

Sorry but 'Sandy Parts' already did thet one at #8.

[kintyred]

Originally Posted by Tankertrashnav

From wiki



As an aside, I Googled 'U2' and just got page after page about some bloody Irish pop group

Ah, the mighty Bono jet

[YellowTom]

Some are confusing how the RQ-4 flies with the MQ-9. Global Hawk isn't "flown" by a pilot, it follows a set of instructions about what it needs to do - there's no regular flight controls. Also unlike the Predators all of it's flight crew are in the same region whereas the Preds/Reapers have both a local and a remote flight crew.

[DC10RealMan]

I recall the Oceanic Clearance for both British Airways and Air France Concorde fleets across the Atlantic was to cruise climb from Flight Level 440 up to Flight Level 660.

Not bad for a fifty year old commercial airliner and none of this rolling up and down military aerobatic nonsense either!

[Liffy 1M]

Originally Posted by DC10RealMan

I recall the Oceanic Clearance for both British Airways and Air France Concorde fleets across the Atlantic was to cruise climb from Flight Level 440 up to Flight Level 660.

A cruise-climb to FL590 or maybe FL600 is the maximum I ever heard in several years of hearing them send position reports on HF.

[DC10RealMan]

The clearance was up to FL660 but the Concorde's never flew above FL600 in case of depressurization "issues"

[ORAC]

The clearance was up to FL660 but the Concorde's never flew above FL600 in case of depressurization "issues"

I was at 280SU in Cyprus when the Lebanese civil war kicked off in the mid-1970s, at the time Concorde flew south of Cyprus out to Bahrain.

The day came after the war started that Concorde entered the Nicosia FIR enroute and announced, as normal, Concorde xxx at xxx, Fl560, expecting xxx at time xxx".

"Roger", replied Nicosia, "Beirut FIR is closed, descend to FL370, set stepped xxx knots and route xxx, xxx, xxx" (left turn just before Lebanon, north, then right turn and subsonic transit over Syria).

"Wait", says Concorde, and presumably has a conflab in cockpit about fuel etc. Two minutes later a cut glass British accent comes back on the air. "Nicosia, Concorde xxx. Be advised, Beirut airspace closure does not affect Concorde operations. I have my destination in sight. Climbing FL620 and and going VFR above, good day" - and duly climbed above the then Nicosia, Beirut and Saudi FIRs and flew a direct line to his destination - at least till he left our radar and RT cover.

[wub]

I too was at 280 at that time and well remember seeing Concorde leaping across the 'font' for the first time on its way to Bahrain.