CIA NOTABLE FLIGHTS Part S. Stratosphere flights

Flights over 12000 meters and selected other high altitude flights
1900-09-23 Altitude flight

Jacques Balsan Louis Godard

7925m (26 000ft) in B 1782-1982

Altitude: 0
m 28077.4
feet Class AA 0
1901-07-31 First flight over 10 000 meters.

Arthur Joseph Berson R. J. Süring


Altitude: 10800
m 35433.1
feet Class AA 13
1926-01-01 Claimed to be first flight over 12 000 m.

Jean Callizo

False claim. Flew low in an aircraft and drew the barogram himself.

Altitude: 12442
m 40820.2
feet Class AA 0
1927-05-04 Altitude flight.

Hawthorne Gray

Pilot left by parachute. Record denied

Altitude: 12875
m 42240.8
feet Class AA 7
1927-11-04 Altitude flight.

Hawthorne Gray

Pilot died from hypoxia during descent

Altitude: 12945
m 42470.5
feet Class AA 7
1931-05-27 First flight over 15 000 meters.

Auguste Piccard Paul Kipfer

World Record

Altitude: 15781
m 51774.9
feet Class AA 14
1932-08-18 First flight over 16 000 meters.

Auguste Piccard Max Cosyns. BEL. 1906-

Rapperswil 05:07-Wallenstadt-Sargans-Coire-Bernina-Lake Garda

Altitude: 16201
m 53152.9
feet Class AA 14
1933-09-30 First flight over 18 000 meters.

G. A. Prokofiev E. K. Birnbaum. Godunov

World Record

Altitude: 18514
m 60741.5
feet Class AA 15
1933-11-20 Second flight over 18 000 meters.

Thomas G. W. "Tex" Settle C. L. Fordney


Altitude: 18665
m 61236.9
feet Class AA 15
1934-01-30 Altitude flight.

Paul F. Fedoseenko A. B. Vasienko. I. D. Usyskin

Gondola separated at altitude. All perished.

Altitude: 21872
m 71758.5
feet Class AA 15
1934-07-28 Stratosphere flight.

William Elsworth Kepner Orvil A Anderson. Albert W. Stevens

Fails at 60 000 ft. All parachute safely. Launch from Stratobowl. Rapid City

Altitude: 18300
m 60039.4
feet Class AA 15
1934-10-23 First woman in the stratosphere

Jeanette Ridlon Piccard Jean Félix Piccard (1884-1963)

Altitude research flight

Altitude: 17550
m 57578.7
feet Class AA 15
1935-11-11 First flight over 22 000 meters.

Orvil A. Anderson Albert W. Stevens

World Record. Launch at Stratobowl. Rapid City

Altitude: 22066
m 72395
feet Class AA 15
1956-08-10 Stratosphere flight.

Malcolm D. Ross M. Lee Lewis

Open Basket

Altitude: 12192
m 40000
feet Class AA 15
1956-09-24 Stratosphere flight.

H. Froelich K. Long

Open Basket

Altitude: 12801.6
m 42000
feet Class AA 15
1956-11-08 First flight over 23 000 meters.

Malcolm D. Ross M. Lee Lewis

Unofficial Absolute World Record

Altitude: 23164.8
m 76000
feet Class AA 15
1957-06-02 Research on human reaction to high altitude flight

Joseph W. Kittinger

Bailout and escape research

Altitude: 29300
m 96128.6
feet Class AA 15
1957-08-20 Research on human reaction to high altitude flight.

David G. Simons

Crosby. Minnesota to Elm Lake. S. Dakota

Altitude: 0
m 101516
feet Class AA 15
1957-10-18 Unofficial two-man altitude record

Malcolm D. Ross


Altitude: 26121.4
m 85700
feet Class AA 15
1958-07-27 Unofficial stratosphere duration record

Malcolm D. Ross


Altitude: 24993.6
m 82000
feet Class AA 15
1958-10-08 Research on human reaction to high altitude flight

Clifton McClure

Pilot severely dehydrated due temperature above 70

Altitude: 30175.2
m 99000
feet Class AA 15
1959-11-16 High altitude parachute jump.

Joseph W. Kittinger

White Sands. New Mexico.

Altitude: 23286.7
m 76400
feet Class AA 15
1959-11-28 Observation of Venus with telescope and spectrograph

Malcolm D. Ross Charles B. Moore


Altitude: 24688.8
m 81000
feet Class AA 15
1959-12-11 High altitude parachute jump.

Joseph W. Kittinger


Altitude: 22770
m 74704.7
feet Class AA 15
1960-08-16 Highest known successful parachute jump.

Joseph W. Kittinger

4m 38s free fall (13m 45s total). max descent speed 990 km/h

Altitude: 31333.4
m 102800
feet Class AA 15
1961-05-04 Absolute World Altitude record.

Malcolm D. Ross Victor A. Prather

Launch from aircraft carrier U.S.S Antietam. Gulf of Mexico

Altitude: 34668
m 113740
feet Class AA 15
1966-02-02 Altitude flight.

Nicholas Piantanida

Oxygen problem. Gondola descended by parachute

Altitude: 37642.8
m 123500
feet Class AA 15
1966-05-01 Altitude flight.

Nicholas Piantanida

Pilot parachutes. looses oxygen at 17000m. Dies from hypoxia

Altitude: 0
m 0
feet Class AA 15
1972-10-27 Highest altitude attained by unmanned balloon. Chico. California

Unmanned

Largest balloon built

Altitude: 51816
m 170000
feet Class AA 15
1975-09-27 Altitude World record

Kingswood Sprott JR


Altitude: 11823
m 38789
feet Class AX 8
1979-08-01 Altitude World record

Chauncey M. Dunn

Indianola. Iowa

Altitude: 16154
m 53000
feet Class AX 9
1980-10-31 Altitude World record

Julian R. P. Nott

Longmont to Woodrow. Colorado

Altitude: 0
m 0
feet Class AX 12
1983-06-08 Altitude World record

Josef Starkbaum

Lole. Austria

Altitude: 0
m 0
feet Class AX 7
1984-06-19 Altitude World record

Josef Starkbaum

Tauplitz to Feistritzgraben. Austria

Altitude: 12375
m 40600
feet Class AX 7
1988-06-06 Highest altitude reached by a Hot Air Balloon.

Per Axel Lindstrand

Laredo. Texas.

Altitude: 0
m 64996.7
feet Class AX 14
1988-11-13 Altitude World record

Michio Kanda

Kamioka-machi. Yoshiki-Gun. Gifu-ken (Japan)

Altitude: 0
m 0
feet Class AX 6
1995-07-08 Altitude World record

Josef Starkbaum

Dimbach to Thurnau. Austria

Altitude: 14018
m 45991
feet Class AX 7
1996-06-12 Altitude World record

Josef Starkbaum

Heilbrunn to Edelberg. Austria

Altitude: 12326
m 40440
feet Class AX 6
1998-07-21 Altitude World record

Josef Starkbaum

Stolzalpe to Knittelfeld. Austria

Altitude: 15011
m 49249
feet Class AX 8
1999-03-21 First Around-the-World Flight.

Bertrand Piccard Brian Jones

Chateau d'Oex. Switzerland to Dakhla. Egypt.

Altitude: 11737
m 38507.2
feet Class AM 15
2004-03-23 Altitude record attempt

David Hempleman-Adams Solo flight

Altitude is uncorrected. preliminary figure

Altitude: 0
m 0
feet Class AM 8

© CIA, Hans Åkerstedt
2012-02-10