wrote:

On Thursday, July 27, 2017 at 7:17:03 AM UTC-4, Jeff Findley wrote:
In article ,
says...
You fart a lot when you go from 14.7 PSI to 5 PSI. They don't tell
you this.


I when to a talk by a U2 pilot once. As a data point, they did open the mask up at 70,000 feet as necessary. The aircraft was put on autopilot allowing sleeping time. Drinking and eating and nose scratching/puking were allowed.


Obviously you misunderstood what was said, as usual, Dougie. There is
no 'mask' on a U-2 suit. It's a hard helmet. They eat paste that is
squirted in through a lock in the helmet. The original aircraft were
pressurized to around 30,000 feet altitude equivalent, which means if
you aren't in a sealed suit you die.


U-2 started out as unpressurized
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/new...U260Years.html

But later, cockpit pressure was increased to the equivalent of about 14k
feet, which is pretty thin.
http://aviationweek.com/blog/what-do...ane-pilots-eat

Still, the above article does confirm that flight at altitude is done
with a sealed helmet and that pilots must remain alert, so I don't see
how "sleeping" would ever be allowed. That plane is a bitch to fly.
It's very unforgiving at altitude.


The pilot that did the talk flew out of Scotland in the mid 1990's.


Another thing you apparently misunderstood. No U-2 aircraft ever
operated out of Scotland.

http://www.ais.org/~schnars/aero/ol-det.htm


I guess I misunderstood what opening a helmets face plate means. Your reference indicates a 14,000 foot cockpit pressure.


I guess you did, since the faceplate is not intended to be opened by
the pilot.


--
"Ordinarily he is insane. But he has lucid moments when he is
only stupid."
-- Heinrich Heine