"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message ...
"James Goodwin" wrote in message
...
362436 (Ron) wrote in message
...
Probably few do. About fifteen years ago I was a controller at
Chicago
Center working traffic in the Madison, WI, area. A NASA ER-1 departed
MSN
requesting an unrestricted climb to FL610. I coordinated with the
high
altitude sector and issued the climb. He went up like a rocket! The
Mode C
readout couldn't keep up with him. Shortly after he reported out of
FL600
and cancelled IFR, the Mode C read FL600. I asked a Data Systems
Specialist
about it and he told me that FL600 and higher will read out as FL600.

The pilot mentions FL60 in the audio clip, also mention of a supersonic
run in
Pecos MOA though, I am not sure how high Pecos MOA goes up to, but I
doubt its
that high. the FL60 comment is strange too.

I would not be suprised if it was someone pulling a prank on Mr Douglas
though.
Ron
Pilot/Wildland Firefighter

My take on the supposed classified planform flying at 60,000 feet and
going supersonic for 10 seconds would be a newly assembled MIG-25 from
Iraq. It was one of 8 Mig-25's dug out of the desert and airlifted to
Tonopah along with 3 Mig-23's, 2 Mig-21's and a Mirage F-1. Barring
that, it could be a newly acquired Mig-25 from a nation that just
retired the type recently and sold it to the US in exchange for
defense equipment considerations.


Why bother ?

The Mig-25 is very much a known quantity.


In the black world, creativity runs rampant until new inventions are
created. This secrecy is the price we pay in order to acquire cutting
edge technology.


Maybe but its more likley to be associated with testing of either F-35
or F-22. Anything really black is harly going to be announced to a
civil air traffic controller

Keith

Keith

The F-35 is scheduled to fly first prototype in 2006 so it cannot be
the secret aircraft as the two examples of an experimental plane X-35
were retired from flight display on conclusion of the fly off.

Raptors fly in test duties and it is not a classified program as it is
flying out in the open. The only things classified are the radar,
subsystems and these are not reported in open publications.

It could be the Raptor or just any other military type still under
secret development and kept away from prying eyes.

Goodwin