[Fighter Sweep] On December 6, 1959 US Navy Commander Lawrence E. Flint set a new world’s record when he zoom climbed his YF4H-1 Phantom II prototype to an altitude of 98,561 feet or 30,041 meters.
The previous altitude record for turbo jet aircraft had been held by the Soviet Union (USSR) when in July 1959, Major V.S. Ilyushin flying a Tupolev Tu-431 reached an altitude of 94,658 feet or 28,852 meters.
Project Top Flight
To demonstrate the power and versatility of their new fighter jet the US Navy undertook a series of record breaking flights. The program was called Project Top Flight. |