That's incredible you were able to do that. I remember reading about those opportunities being open to the public back then. Not sure if they still do it...but to see the black abyss of space, and to know you were able to fly in an aircraft like that...you had a priceless experience. One I wish I could have had.
One of the greatest flying machines of all time...Congratulations, my friend. Thanks for posting this video...I've wanted to see something like this my whole life. :)
the indian air force flew foxbats over pakistan to tease the PAF in the 1970s and early 80s. legend has it that the PAF even did not bother to scramble its fighters in the later stages coz it would simply outrun the heat seeking missiles.
Amazing footage! Thanks for sharing. I was unaware that modern military aircraft other than the historic U2 spyplane and SR71 Blackbird were capable of reaching such altitudes.
That was awesome! Thanks for sharing. And those of you dissing the 'cosmetics' of the MiG'sinterior, you better stick to piloting your Toyota with the pretty soft seats and fake wood panels. Forget about style; worry about results.
@TheKraitman The Foxbat has been clocked at Mach 3.2 during a sortie in Sinai. The never exceed speed is 2.8 although the theoretical top speed is much higher. Also, the highest 'absolute' altitude attained by a Mig-25 is almost 120,000 feet! F-15 and Mig 25 are two completely different planes designed for varying reasons. The F-15 is an air superiority fighter, whilst the Mig 25 was built for recon and interception. Mig soon followed in F-15's footsteps by developing the Mig 29.
I was in the forward compartment, the pilot was in the rear one. He did let me take control at 60,000 feet and Mach 1.5. I did a roll left, followed by a right roll. Awesome.
This plane actually set the world altitude record at something like 121,000 feet for a short period of time. The black bird still holds the record for the highest cruising altitude at something like 85,000 feet.
@maddog1522006 This jet was designed as an interceptor to XB-70, of course it can shoot a missile. As for F-16, it all depends on merging geometry and speeds. There is a good chance that MiG-25 would simply outrun the F-16 and even if F-16 fires a missile, MiG-25 has a good chance of getting out of missiles range before missile gets it. Good pilot knows how to do exactly that.
@palkoBBodec No, liquid turns to vapor in low pressure environments. at 85,000 feet the air pressure is the the realm of 0.5 inches of mercury. Thats compared to 29.92 inches of mercury on a standard day at sea level. At this low a pressure blood, water, saliva, would instantly evaporate into water vapor regardless of the temperature.
@Rocketguy06 Actually you have to go mach 2.35 or batter at 80,000ft because of the air-density or I should say nearly lack of it. The volume of air that must be pushed over the lifting surfaces to produce lift is directly related density of the atmosphere you fly in. Higher Density less volume you need push over the wing to produce the same amount lift for a given wing area. The engines are turbojets-- they process atmosphere at a fix velocity and can overspeed easily even at 80k.
I have never felt this feeling before... that feeling that, no matter what this is something i'll do in the near future. Have to work my ass off tough!
Remarkable, I feel lucky that I got to do a bunch of trips on Concorde, the highest reached 60,000 on G-BOAE's last ever flight to a museum in Barbados, the rest around 58-59,000 feet. A great view but this video trumps that, 85,000 feet! If I had the money I'd do this flight.
cool beans, what do I need to do to get to fly in the mig 25? is it extra to shoot the guns??? or maybe launch a missle. They should have let you fly it.... now that would have been over the top
Nice vid, the flight is pricey, several thousand dollars, maybe over a dozen. Most of it is for the fuel. This bird eats lots of it (checkout the exhausts). But man, literally going to space at 2.5M is the best. @Rocketguy06 How did you feel about the equipment and/or the skill of the pilot?
rocket guy, i read about you in chuck palaniuk's book "stranger than fiction" wow dude, you really do have brass balls. good luck to you in the future.
Still impressive after all these years. Unfortunately the aircraft was designed to counter the threat posed by the USAF B-70. The B-70 program was cancelled after one of the prototypes was lost so the 25 had no use. That is other than a very expensive amusement park ride.
I am a true multi-tasker; flying a MiG at supersonic speeds and videotaping is easy. Actually, the pilot was in the compartment behind me. This Mig was outfitted with an extended nose for training new pilots. He did let me take control on the way down at 60k feet and mach 1.5. I was able to execute a 360 roll left, then right. Bitchin!
There was no sensation of moving at all. When we crossed over from sub sonic to supersonic, there was no way of telling unless you were watching the mach guage.
The Mig 25 was an interceptor, not a fighter. It was good at two things. Going very fast and very high. Just what the Soviets needed to oppose the XB70 bomber. It would have been useless against most first-line fighters, not to mention the Raptor. Google up Viktor Belenko. Read his true story in the book "Mig Pilot". The Mig 25 was a hastily thrown together desperate attempt to bring down the XB70 and little more. It was surprisingly primitive. No exotic metals. All vacuum tube avionics.
I'd kill to be able to experience that. This is one of the things I want to do before I die. Hopefully we will all have personal spaceships by the time I'm an old man...
Anyone who hates on the Foxbat does not know jack squat about Airplanes. The MiG-25 is surpassed only by a few airplanes in it's role as a Combat Interceptor. When you absolutly need to intercept an unidetified aircraft 10 minutes ago, accept no substitutes.
Overall, I spent around 4 million bucks on the project, over a 7 year period, which includes my compound and facilities, centrifuge, components, etc. As for the MiG 25, we didn't really pull any signifigant G's, because this plane is for recon, not fighting. On the way down, at 60.000 feet and mach 1.5, the pilot let me take the controls. I did a 360 degree left and right roll. Cool. The only thing I didn't get to do was eject.
Only by flying at an incredible speed, in order to keep enough oxygen molecules flowing into the engines. At 85k feet high, you're above 95% of the atmosphere.
There are companies in Russia that provide these trips for a LOT of money. It's legal, probably because the planes aren't used anymore by the military.
the F-15E has for years been the battle aircraft if Israel and has been used in many hostile areas. In all this time it has NEVER once lost in air to air combat. Are their more advanced and better aircraft today? Yes, but still the F-15 should be remembered as in its day it was perhaps the world best. Of course its only as good as the skills and training of the pilots.
russian equipment often looks crap or rusty but that's only the surface! in fact russian technology is very reliable and trustworthy .they are designed and build to work under the heaviest circumstances. if the world is going down: russian machines are in the best environment :-) don't build like (oversophisticated) westerners if you want survive! AK 47 .T34 T72,SU 25,Sojus,Mir ect ect
That's incredible you were able to do that. I remember reading about those opportunities being open to the public back then. Not sure if they still do it...but to see the black abyss of space, and to know you were able to fly in an aircraft like that...you had a priceless experience. One I wish I could have had.
One of the greatest flying machines of all time...Congratulations, my friend. Thanks for posting this video...I've wanted to see something like this my whole life. :)
the indian air force flew foxbats over pakistan to tease the PAF in the 1970s and early 80s. legend has it that the PAF even did not bother to scramble its fighters in the later stages coz it would simply outrun the heat seeking missiles.
congratulations, adding this video to my facebook, lots of pilot friends will be amazed
Amazing footage! Thanks for sharing. I was unaware that modern military aircraft other than the historic U2 spyplane and SR71 Blackbird were capable of reaching such altitudes.
That was awesome! Thanks for sharing. And those of you dissing the 'cosmetics' of the MiG'sinterior, you better stick to piloting your Toyota with the pretty soft seats and fake wood panels. Forget about style; worry about results.
wow....that is amazing...you were right at the edge of space! thanks for sharing this!
@TheKraitman The Foxbat has been clocked at Mach 3.2 during a sortie in Sinai. The never exceed speed is 2.8 although the theoretical top speed is much higher. Also, the highest 'absolute' altitude attained by a Mig-25 is almost 120,000 feet!
F-15 and Mig 25 are two completely different planes designed for varying reasons. The F-15 is an air superiority fighter, whilst the Mig 25 was built for recon and interception. Mig soon followed in F-15's footsteps by developing the Mig 29.
When I made my flight in 2001, the cost was $18k for 30 minutes.
The jet was old, about 40 years. The pilot was very competent.
He flew in a Mig-25U two seat trainer. the company that offers those tours flies out of Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow.
I was in the forward compartment, the pilot was in the rear one. He did let me take control at 60,000 feet and Mach 1.5. I did a roll left, followed by a right roll. Awesome.
Rocketguy06 you are a very lucky man to get the chance to fly in that magnificent machine :)
Thank you for sharing. This flight is one of my dreams and I hope to do this some day :)
"I flew to an ltitude of 85,000 feet at mach 2.5 over Russia. What a RUSH-uh"
I died a little inside.
That's pretty incredible man, that was a loooooong way up!
This plane actually set the world altitude record at something like 121,000 feet for a short period of time.
The black bird still holds the record for the highest cruising altitude at something like 85,000 feet.
@maddog1522006 This jet was designed as an interceptor to XB-70, of course it can shoot a missile. As for F-16, it all depends on merging geometry and speeds. There is a good chance that MiG-25 would simply outrun the F-16 and even if F-16 fires a missile, MiG-25 has a good chance of getting out of missiles range before missile gets it. Good pilot knows how to do exactly that.
Yes, you are right. We hit a max airspeed of mach 2.7 Even though it was about 60 below outside, the plastic bubble was warm to the touch.
@palkoBBodec No, liquid turns to vapor in low pressure environments. at 85,000 feet the air pressure is the the realm of 0.5 inches of mercury. Thats compared to 29.92 inches of mercury on a standard day at sea level. At this low a pressure blood, water, saliva, would instantly evaporate into water vapor regardless of the temperature.
Supposedly, that MIG can go up to 123,000ft and you were 40,000 feet shy of it. That's freaking amazing, props. Russian aviation is the best.
@Rocketguy06
Actually you have to go mach 2.35 or batter at 80,000ft because of the air-density or I should say nearly lack of it. The volume of air that must be pushed over the lifting surfaces to produce lift is directly related density of the atmosphere you fly in. Higher Density less volume you need push over the wing to produce the same amount lift for a given wing area. The engines are turbojets-- they process atmosphere at a fix velocity and can overspeed easily even at 80k.
I have never felt this feeling before... that feeling that, no matter what this is something i'll do in the near future. Have to work my ass off tough!
I love this plane! I am so going to do the edge of space flight!!! How much is it?
Remarkable, I feel lucky that I got to do a bunch of trips on Concorde, the highest reached 60,000 on G-BOAE's last ever flight to a museum in Barbados, the rest around 58-59,000 feet.
A great view but this video trumps that, 85,000 feet!
If I had the money I'd do this flight.
cool beans, what do I need to do to get to fly in the mig 25? is it extra to shoot the guns??? or maybe launch a missle. They should have let you fly it.... now that would have been over the top
Nice vid, the flight is pricey, several thousand dollars, maybe over a dozen. Most of it is for the fuel. This bird eats lots of it (checkout the exhausts). But man, literally going to space at 2.5M is the best.
@Rocketguy06 How did you feel about the equipment and/or the skill of the pilot?
rocket guy, i read about you in chuck palaniuk's book "stranger than fiction" wow dude, you really do have brass balls. good luck to you in the future.
Wow, looks amazing!!!
Still impressive after all these years. Unfortunately the aircraft was designed to counter the threat posed by the USAF B-70. The B-70 program was cancelled after one of the prototypes was lost so the 25 had no use. That is other than a very expensive amusement park ride.
I am a true multi-tasker; flying a MiG at supersonic speeds and videotaping is easy.
Actually, the pilot was in the compartment behind me. This Mig was outfitted with an extended nose for training new pilots. He did let me take control on the way down at 60k feet and mach 1.5. I was able to execute a 360 roll left, then right. Bitchin!
There was no sensation of moving at all. When we crossed over from sub sonic to supersonic, there was no way of telling unless you were watching the mach guage.
To the best of my knowledge, MiG 25 flights are around $20,000. now
that is INCREDIBLE!!!
The Mig 25 was an interceptor, not a fighter. It was good at two things. Going very fast and very high. Just what the Soviets needed to oppose the XB70 bomber. It would have been useless against most first-line fighters, not to mention the Raptor. Google up Viktor Belenko. Read his true story in the book "Mig Pilot". The Mig 25 was a hastily thrown together desperate attempt to bring down the XB70 and little more. It was surprisingly primitive. No exotic metals. All vacuum tube avionics.
I'd kill to be able to experience that. This is one of the things I want to do before I die.
Hopefully we will all have personal spaceships by the time I'm an old man...
I'm jealous also, thanks for sharing.
Anyone who hates on the Foxbat does not know jack squat about Airplanes. The MiG-25 is surpassed only by a few airplanes in it's role as a Combat Interceptor. When you absolutly need to intercept an unidetified aircraft 10 minutes ago, accept no substitutes.
No pressure suit at that altitude? Brave.
Uh. No. Space is 62 miles. 85,000 feet is 17 miles. That is pushing its service ceiling but as an interceptor it is capable of that.
Overall, I spent around 4 million bucks on the project, over a 7 year period, which includes my compound and facilities, centrifuge, components, etc.
As for the MiG 25, we didn't really pull any signifigant G's, because this plane is for recon, not fighting. On the way down, at 60.000 feet and mach 1.5, the pilot let me take the controls. I did a 360 degree left and right roll. Cool. The only thing I didn't get to do was eject.
@maddog1522006 .... you seem to be very much in to fighter jets but you ask if the MiG-25 can fire missiles huh..
Only by flying at an incredible speed, in order to keep enough oxygen molecules flowing into the engines. At 85k feet high,
you're above 95% of the atmosphere.
WOW! that is soo cool!!! i want to become a pilot its been my goal since i was veryy littlee!! i like this video! im 15
how much money was the flight, and what city did you go to for the flight?
Sweet, what does it take to get a ride like this?
Does anyone know if the performance of air to air missiles is effected by extreme altitude? Im guessing yes.
what was the curvature of the earth like? was it like the earth looked like a ball?
At those heights, I would be scared as piss.
@Rocketguy06 how long were you at that altitude? did it feel like space?
If there had been a decompression above 60,000 feet, I would have died.
I would say that MIG has seen better days... especially that other one with the tarp over the cockpit. Prolly use it for parts or something lol.
I am in complete agreement with you.
Wow i get scared from just watchin this.. that looked like he was in space wow thats crazy..i give props to him
How much did you pay to fly? Exelent video
Thats sick! I am jealous.
@Philios2Glory1
I've got brass balls, but I'm not particularly cautious.
That would be so awesome!
how much does it costto get a trip now
There are companies in Russia that provide these trips for a LOT of money. It's legal, probably because the planes aren't used anymore by the military.
I may be wrong, but I believe thats an afterburner.
amazing altitude
the F-15E has for years been the battle aircraft if Israel and has been used in many hostile areas. In all this time it has NEVER once lost in air to air combat. Are their more advanced and better aircraft today? Yes, but still the F-15 should be remembered as in its day it was perhaps the world best. Of course its only as good as the skills and training of the pilots.
What a view!!!!
They could actually hit Mach 3+, but the engines needed to be rebuilt if you did. The highest recorded speed was Mach 3.2, I believe.
I could tell how high I was because of the earth's curvature, and in order to keep the engines 'li", we'd have to be going that fast.
compliments
My flight in 2001 was $18k, but now it's closer to $20k. I went to Moscow to fly.
they were so high you could see the curvature of the earth! damn, you gotta watch out for those russians.
very impressive altitude....
Good thing it did not fall apart.
This was a MiG-25U, student-and instructor warplane.
bondo LOL holy crap you were flying in a jet made of spit and prayers
What if there is decompression?
It cost me about $18,000. in 2001. I think the price now is closer to $20k.
was it just u in there? u driving
lol...i thought the mig was parked outside his trailer..(thats before i saw all other jets parked around it )
my ears would of exploded at that altitude
It's obviously NOT a single seater. You can see another seat behind him at 1:13, and that's where the pilot is.
what kind of drugs?
I don't think you were flying by yourself right? It doesn't look like it. How can you be flying at supersonic speed and filming at the same time?
@Jaeger7793 - Exactly my thought, "Lucky bastard! :)
it depends who will even want to shoot first because they know that they'll all be gone
actually vietnam lost around 4 million people, and i thought america lost around 40,000 i may be wrong idk.
did you feel like you were in space?
this is f*cking amazing!
I wish they did this for F-15's here in the states.
veary nice
on the other hand , never mind, i see that its possible, youre way over the stratosphere
I was (almost) IN outer space!
That is what I call plane porno.....
very cool. how much was the ride???
you forgot to show us the altimeter when you was at highest point...
Why didn't you lunch your rocket?
i would be yelling FUCKING AMAZING all the fly .
650,000 rubles, it's about $22,000
You can see the curvature of the earth, thats high altitude.
russian equipment often looks crap or rusty but that's only the surface! in fact russian technology is very reliable and trustworthy .they are designed and build to work under the heaviest circumstances.
if the world is going down: russian machines are in the best environment :-)
don't build like (oversophisticated) westerners if you want survive!
AK 47 .T34 T72,SU 25,Sojus,Mir ect ect
The plane as only 3 years younger than me. There wa bondo on it.
hellish thrusters turbofans
85000 feet ?
how is it possible for a plane to fly that high ?
how did the russians let you fly their mig by yourself????