Flights between FL500-FL600 require a partial pressure suit.
Sustained flights above FL500 require a full pressure suit.
Not clear on the difference between sustained and non-sustained, but that’s the requirement.
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Orange Flight Suits
- Thread starter HuggyU2
- Start date
Flights between FL500-FL600 require a partial pressure suit.
Sustained flights above FL500 require a full pressure suit.
Not clear on the difference between sustained and non-sustained, but that’s the requirement.
I don't even like Blade Runner that much, but that's one of my favorite film quotes. I don't even know what half of what he's saying means because they don't show it in the film, but I can just visualize so clearly in my head what he's talking about, and want to see if myself.
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Guys, I found the replicant in the chat!
Yes, WTG @HuggyU2. Which food tube is your favorite?
https://worldwarwings.com/the-way-u-2-pilots-eat-while-flying-near-space-explained/
Is there a chili mac space food? Or a vegetarian omelette? Do you have to knead space peanut butter before opening the packet? Do U-2 pilots and astronauts barter with jalapeño cheese spread?
I’m not sure...cutting a chili mac and jalapeño cheese spread fart in a pressure suit could have some seriously negative consequences.
I'm very curious how that Key Lime Pie flavor is. Is it as good as the real thing in Key West?
Everyone should read the Phillip K. Dick book. It’s a bit different than the film, but it enhances your understanding of what’s going on there. I think Ridley Scott did that film right after Alien. Lots of intersecting themes on artificial life in those two storylines.
Little-known fact: the actual Voight-Kampff test was pioneered six years prior to the events in the film, and it involved putting the subject on cruise, and seeing whether or not they chose to grow a mustache.
Not a dumb question.
Previous answer is correct in general. However, in the U-2, we have a requirement to wear it if we go above FL 450. Ferrying jets to/from Palmdale is usually done in the low 40's... so no suit needed. We can easily go coast-to-coast "down low" (below 450), but if we are going more than a few hundred miles, we will generally wear the suit.
The Raptor drivers don't have a pressure suit... and I believe they go well above FL500. Of course, they can get down pretty quickly if pressurization issues happen. They've got some extra stuff they wear... but it ain't a pressure suit.
Until a few years ago, the cockpit went to 29000' cabin alt when the jet was up high. They did a mod to all single-seater, and now it's only at 14,500. The 4 two-seaters were not modified, and you still get to enjoy the feeling of taking your body to 29000'. "Old school". As a RAG/FTU instructor, most of the high-flying I'll do will be in the two-seaters. It can kick your ass. You see the toll it takes on some pilots.
As for the food, chicken a la king was my go-to. However, they changed the recipe around 2012 and I don't like it as much.
The desserts are good, including the key lime pie. But most of the tube food has a lot of fat and sugar in it. I quit eating tube food for the most part. I'd mix up some meal replacement shakes and sip on them for 10-12 hour flights, and that worked well for me.
They've got some new flavors I'm told, so I'll check them out for grins... but I'm no longer going to be flying any durations longer than 3 hours, so it's not really a factor. Maybe if I get to ferry a jet overseas or to an airshow... but ferry flights are good deals and those will go to the active duty pilots (and rightly so).
If any of you are thinking of coming to the U-2, the inter service transfer program is on hold for now. But I'm happy to answer questions. Just drop me a note.
Here's me getting my suit fit and adjusted today. I was lucky, and got a brand new suit too.
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