What flies at FL600?

Tram

Well-Known Member
Heading from LGA to DSM today we hear "NASA 019.. Level FL600..."

Any idea what this might have been? I've read the F-15 can go up to FL650 but not sure why he would have been on Cleveland Center where we could hear him...
 
If I had to guess, its basically a safety net for future airplanes that may fly higher because their fast enough. Its easier to have it already established than to try and establish it later on.
 
Heading from LGA to DSM today we hear "NASA 019.. Level FL600..."

Any idea what this might have been? I've read the F-15 can go up to FL650 but not sure why he would have been on Cleveland Center where we could hear him...
If he was NASA...then he was in a trainer from my understanding, i.e., T-38 or something, otherwise the only other thing I have heard at that altitude was a UAV. No telling what they were really in though...maybe the G-whatever does the shuttle training?!?!
 
NASA operates U2s on photo missions.

Staple beat me, nice work. I used to see these all the time departing Honolulu. Cool airplane.
 
If I had to guess, its basically a safety net for future airplanes that may fly higher because their fast enough. Its easier to have it already established than to try and establish it later on.

What?

I heard an aircraft on the radio today who checked in with Cleveland "level at FL600"
 
Don't know if they still do, but NASA used to operate SR-71s even after the AF quit using them.
 
Funny you bring this up. I wanted to kill some time today so I thought I would see what the 152 had in it. So, I started to climb. I checked in just to be safe. Glad you could hear me from up there. ;)
 
Funny you bring this up. I wanted to kill some time today so I thought I would see what the 152 had in it so I started to climb. I checked in just to be safe. Glad you could hear me from up there. ;)
I hope your mixture leaning procedures are up to 'snuff.
 
Heading from LGA to DSM today we hear "NASA 019.. Level FL600..."

Any idea what this might have been? I've read the F-15 can go up to FL650 but not sure why he would have been on Cleveland Center where we could hear him...

Reading the specs on wiki I couldn't believe they can fly at 85000+ so I guess maybe one day you'll hear FL850 to me thats just crazy. BTW I would give my left nut possibly both just to goto that flight level.
Need more than your boys to go that high...try a miltary and/or CIA, or whatever government agency flies them these days. I didn't know NASA was a callsign for them (not implying CIA, but didn't know NASA flew the U-2)...good to know...
 
Heading from LGA to DSM today we hear "NASA 019.. Level FL600..."

Any idea what this might have been? I've read the F-15 can go up to FL650 but not sure why he would have been on Cleveland Center where we could hear him...

Just for clarifications sake, F-16s, or many fighters at all for that matter, do not meet RVSM requirements and can not go above FL280.
 
Just for clarifications sake, F-16s, or many fighters at all for that matter, do not meet RVSM requirements and can not go above FL280.

All they would have to do is just zoom up to FL420 and then RVSM would no longer apply, right?
 
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