1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000 MUSIC 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,000 MUSIC 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:12,000 MUSIC 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:16,000 MUSIC 5 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:20,000 MUSIC 6 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,000 MUSIC 7 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:28,000 MUSIC 8 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:32,000 MUSIC 9 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:36,000 MUSIC 10 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,000 MUSIC 11 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,000 MUSIC 12 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:48,000 Sorry about that. These things are a little tricky to fly. 13 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,000 Yeah, well, I swear with a slightly larger one you could do some 14 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:56,000 genuine damage. Like maybe even kill somebody. Wait a minute. 15 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:00,000 T-t-t-t... 16 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,000 Let's start the show. 17 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:08,000 MUSIC 18 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:12,000 MUSIC 19 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,000 MUSIC 20 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,000 MUSIC 21 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,000 MUSIC 22 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,720 I'm guessing this story is about drones. 23 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:28,720 It is. 24 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:31,160 In fact, we have two awesome flying stories in this episode. 25 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:32,960 One of them is about these guys. 26 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:35,400 But first up, we have a totally amazing story. 27 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:38,600 Let me ask you, do the words Dragon Lady mean anything to you? 28 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:40,200 I don't want to talk about it. 29 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:42,200 OK, I think we're probably thinking of different things. 30 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,400 Because Dragon Lady is, in fact, the nickname 31 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,600 for the legendary high altitude single-seater 32 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:50,760 U2 reconnaissance plane in use by the U2. 33 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:52,760 OK, what about it? 34 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,760 Well, there is a myth that the U2 plane is the toughest plane 35 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:58,760 to fly and to land of any other plane. 36 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,760 I think we should take a close look at that. 37 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:04,760 The Air Force isn't going to let us get anywhere near something like that. 38 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:07,760 They want to bring in 4.8348. 39 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:09,760 They want to bring in 4.8348. 40 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:11,760 They want to bring in 4.8348. 41 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:13,760 They want to bring in 4.8348. 42 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:15,760 They want to bring in 4.8348. 43 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:17,760 They want to bring in 4.8348. 44 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:19,760 They want to bring in 4.8348. 45 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:22,760 I thought the same thing, but amazingly, 46 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:26,760 they have agreed to let you and I have a close-up first-person look 47 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:30,760 at their U2 program and see just how tough those planes are to operate. 48 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:39,760 Cool. What are we waiting for? 49 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:42,760 I have the slightest idea. Let's do this. 50 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:49,760 The take's off straight up and looks something like a jet-propelled four-poster. 51 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:54,760 The history of aviation is littered with oxymoronic aerodynamics, 52 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,760 finicky flyers and design duds. 53 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:02,760 So, is it possible that one of the most long-lived 54 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:08,760 and highly valued U.S. Air Force vehicles is also the toughest to fly? 55 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:13,760 To open this investigation, there is only one destination. 56 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,760 30630, stand at 3.3. 57 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:20,760 10-9-3, theater, 5.5. 58 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:22,760 25, read by 3.5. 59 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:24,760 I'm taking 9 and 3, fly heading 25. 60 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:26,760 0-5, you're clear to fly. 61 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:33,760 10-9-2, the plane came in at 4.5. 62 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:35,760 10-9-3. 63 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:44,760 Well, when you've got questions about the U2 plane, they will get answered here. 64 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:46,760 I'm standing at the home of the U2 program. 65 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:48,760 This is where the planes are serviced. 66 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:52,760 This is where the pilots train before flying to every corner of the globe to do their jobs. 67 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:58,760 We should totally be able to get to the bottom of this myth here, and we might even get a flight. 68 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:05,760 To begin to understand just how hard it is to manage this marvel of aviation engineering... 69 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:10,760 Well, Adam, Jamie, this is the infamous and venerable U2 Dragon Lady. 70 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:19,760 Major Bartholomew, who has more U2 flying hours than any Air Force pilot in history, runs the guys through the specs. 71 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:27,760 The original design dates from the mid-50s. Single engine, high altitude, long wingspan, lots of thrust, lots of lift. 72 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,760 We can take a heavy payload up to a great altitude and moiter for a long time. 73 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:36,760 The challenges this aircraft presents its pilots are numerous and significant. 74 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:38,760 All the fuel is kept in the wing. 75 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:43,760 First up, the plane can't even support its own massive wingspan when it's taking off. 76 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:47,760 When the wing develops lift, the pogo falls away. 77 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:52,760 Next, recon missions can be lengthy and are carried out at very high altitudes, 78 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:57,760 which requires complex pressure suit technologies and extreme safety features. 79 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:01,760 Everything is so thin and so light and just strong enough. 80 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:03,760 And then, there's the landing. 81 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:07,760 It has quite a heavy footprint because there's just the one main gear carrying all the load. 82 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:15,760 The wheels are along the centerline of the fuselage, so it's like trying to land a bicycle. 83 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:20,760 When the airplane does tip over, these skids protect the wing tip. 84 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:25,760 And we'll see later, but on an approach, the pilot can't even see the runway. 85 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:29,760 He has to be guided down by a pilot in a chase car. 86 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:35,760 So far, it's looking pretty good for the myth. 87 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:40,760 It's an impressive checklist of piloting challenges, but where next? 88 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,760 Well, we need to get a look at this baby in action. 89 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:48,760 To that end, Jamie and I have been given the go-ahead to hitch a ride to the edge of space, 90 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:52,760 and we will now embark on a week-long training program. 91 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:56,760 Yep, it takes a week just to learn how to be a passenger. 92 00:05:56,760 --> 00:06:01,760 The problem is, there is only room for one of us. 93 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,760 Please, please, please let it be me. 94 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:14,760 So the next story is deadly drones. 95 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:15,760 Indeed it is. 96 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:19,760 If the press is to be believed, drones are totally in our future delivering our packages 97 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:25,760 and maybe even our pizzas, but there are those who think that they are a deadly danger hiding in plain sight. 98 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:31,760 That a simple gust of wind could send a drone into you and the propellers could slice your throat and kill you. 99 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:34,760 That sounds like it's custom-made for us. 100 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:36,760 That's exactly what I was thinking. Let's get to testing. 101 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:42,760 But testing the myth with one. 102 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:48,760 First up, Adam and Jamie take a tour of the full range of drone technology. 103 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:50,760 Starting with the SuperSight. 104 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:55,760 Allow me to introduce our high-tech custom-built camera platform. 105 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,760 It's got eight motors totaling 2,800 watts of power. 106 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:04,760 It carries a self-stabilized, high-definition, 3-pound camera. 107 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:06,760 Pretty cool, huh? 108 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:12,760 And at the other end of the scale... 109 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:15,760 This is your basic consumer-level multi-rotor. 110 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:19,760 It's on the small side, but it has all the features that the large ones don't. 111 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:21,760 Propellers, motors, that... 112 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:29,760 Well, as in any new technology, there can be casualties. 113 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:35,760 But as per the myth, would one of those casualties ever be human? 114 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:37,760 Could a drone really be deadly? 115 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,760 To begin their quest in earnest, it's back to the shop. 116 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:47,760 Where Adam has two mid-range models, most likely to be used in a commercial delivery. 117 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,760 On the left here is a fly-at right out of the box, small model. 118 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:58,760 Slightly larger is a intermediate kit-level model, which comes with all the pieces you need to fly. 119 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:00,760 You just have to assemble them. 120 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:05,760 This one's apparently ready to fly, so I'm gonna give it a shot to see how easy it actually is. 121 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:07,760 Oh! Ha ha! 122 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:13,760 Really easy to fly. 123 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:20,760 While the damage done so far is enlightening, a proof of concept is required. 124 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:23,760 Yeah, it dripped juice on me. 125 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:28,760 To find out if a multi-rotor propeller could ever cause a flesh wound, 126 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:33,760 Adam and Jamie have a standard-sized blade spinning at flight speed on a stick 127 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:35,760 and a chicken. 128 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:40,760 I think today's lesson is gonna be fairly self-explanatory whenever you're ready, sir. 129 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:51,760 Yeah! There we go! 130 00:08:57,760 --> 00:08:59,760 Yeah! Check that out. 131 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:02,760 That right there, my friends, that's an injury. 132 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:07,760 But let's face it, we're not just talking about an injury, we're talking about an ethyl-ity. 133 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:12,760 Which means we're really talking about this vein right here, the jugular. Yeah. 134 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:20,760 I think if we're gonna continue testing, we need to make a neck as a testing platform that we can run our multi-rotors into. 135 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:23,760 Coming up on Mythbusters. 136 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:24,760 Someone give me a Band-Aid. 137 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:28,760 Adam's up to his neck in the gory story of a deadly drone. 138 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:30,760 And... 139 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:32,760 Bail out, bail out, bail out. 140 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:35,760 The guys prepare for the flight of a lifetime. 141 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:38,760 Complex and terrifying. 142 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:46,760 Could a drone delivery ever be deadly? 143 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,760 Adam and Jamie have a promising proof of concept. 144 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:55,760 Yeah! There we go! 145 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:57,760 Now, to cut a little deeper. 146 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:05,760 Now, if we're going to be testing whether one of these can slice through one of these, we're gonna need one of each. 147 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:09,760 And these are easy to buy at the store, but these, well, they're a little harder to come by. 148 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:13,760 We're gonna have to make our own. And to do that, I'm gonna use a lot of this. 149 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:15,760 And this guy right here. 150 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:19,760 And it's going to spur blood if it actually gets cut. 151 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:21,760 It's gonna be awesome. 152 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:27,760 Yep. Adam's manufacturing a mortal mannequin that will react accurately to an impact. 153 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:32,760 The basic gist of what I'm gonna be doing is casting a neck out of ballistics gelatin. 154 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:36,760 How tall is this neck? Who were these men? 155 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:42,760 With holes in it that I can fill with blood that will be blue for televisual purposes. 156 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:45,760 It needs to be really close to the edge of the skin. 157 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:51,760 So I'm gonna effectively mold those veins using these brass rods in here. 158 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:54,760 It's sort of like thinking inside out and backwards. 159 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:05,760 With the negative mold of the blood vessels in place, it's time to prepare the fake flesh. 160 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:10,760 As Jamie and I have discovered, this stuff reacts to a bullet similar to human flesh. 161 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:17,760 But to get the tenacity of skin and muscle, we need to add this fiberglass filler to the ballistics gel 162 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:19,760 as we're casting it into my mold. 163 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:22,760 Aw, beauty. 164 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:26,760 I'm very pleased with how this is going so far, based on nothing. 165 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:31,760 One set, it's simply a case of easing the fleshy throat free of the mold. 166 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:35,760 Almost. Come on. 167 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:47,760 That's it. Alright. Thank you. 168 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,760 Then Adam plums the system with blue blood... 169 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:52,760 Nice. 170 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:56,760 ...and tests his anatomically accurate jugular. 171 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:59,760 It's at the right depth beneath the flesh. 172 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:01,760 That is a bleeding neck. 173 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:04,760 ...and requires the same force to slice. 174 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:07,760 Alright, could someone give me a bandaid? 175 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:13,760 Allow me to introduce you to the analog bursting jugular vein multi-rotor testing neck rig. 176 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:15,760 Yeah, rolls right off the tongue. 177 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:20,760 It is basically a rig for bleeding when it senses a lethal injury. 178 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:24,760 Now, I have more than two veins in this rig, even though we have only two in our neck, 179 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:28,760 because we can test multiple times just by turning the neck. 180 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:30,760 Yeah, it's like that versatile. 181 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:36,760 So we can test as much as we want and watch bursting blue blood, blue blood, blue blood. 182 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:39,760 Blue blood fly out of the veins. 183 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:41,760 I'm going to stop talking. 184 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:48,760 But before Adam's blue blood dummy is deployed in the drone firing line, 185 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:59,760 it's back to Beale Air Force Base to tackle the myth that the U2 is the world's toughest plane to pilot. 186 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:04,760 Welcome to the HALT Institute Physiology and Full Pressure Suit Orientation. 187 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:08,760 Adam and Jamie are both in training for an in-flight investigation. 188 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:11,760 One will fly, one will be on standby. 189 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:13,760 Pop your helmet off just like that. 190 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:17,760 And they're starting with several not-so-brief briefings. 191 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:19,760 We're going to have a suit controller like this. 192 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:21,760 About the safety equipment. 193 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:23,760 It acts as a backup pressurization system. 194 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:25,760 And emergency procedures. 195 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:28,760 We're going to teach you how to parachute safely to the ground. 196 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:32,760 These are no minute-long demonstrations from a flight attendant. 197 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:35,760 Primarily it's to prevent decompression sickness. 198 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:39,760 And a clear indication of the enormity of the endeavor. 199 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:41,760 If you lose cabin pressure, the suit would inflate. 200 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:44,760 If you are in contests, there are inflators inside. 201 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:46,760 During this time, your visor is going to freeze over. 202 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:47,760 You will not be able to see. 203 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:49,760 The plate, so if you have to cut yourself down from something. 204 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:52,760 Now, we're nowhere near getting into one of these planes yet, 205 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:57,760 but already we've got all this stuff that we have to know how to deal with. 206 00:13:57,760 --> 00:13:59,760 The good news is you have an ejection seat. 207 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,760 The bad news is you actually have to pull your own ejection handle to get out of the aircraft. 208 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:11,760 Even something like peeing, it seems like it's kind of a complicated ordeal. 209 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:16,760 Push down, lock it to the side, and you can begin your slow, controlled urination. 210 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:23,760 I don't think that I want to be pushing or pulling buttons without really knowing exactly what they do. 211 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:27,760 So it's going to take a little practice. 212 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:30,760 So why all of this complex equipment? 213 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:34,760 Why is the YouTube program the only program besides NASA? 214 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:36,760 Absolutely unreal. 215 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:39,760 And the space program that utilizes a full pressure suit? 216 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:44,760 The primary purpose of wearing this full pressure suit is to prevent hypoxia. 217 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:48,760 Well, one is of course because it flies higher than any other normal airplane 218 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:52,760 into what they call the space equivalent zone above 50,000 feet. 219 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:55,760 But more primarily is what happens to us when we go to that height. 220 00:14:55,760 --> 00:15:01,760 Our bodies have evolved to process oxygen properly from sea level to 10,000 feet. 221 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:11,760 When we go above that, we cease being able to functionally take in oxygen. 222 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:16,760 Put up the switches, we will die. Put up the switches, come on. 223 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:27,760 Therefore, the suit and the cabin of the plane have to artificially induce the conditions of atmospheric pressure 224 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:29,760 in order so that the pilots stay alive. 225 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:33,760 That is a significant amount of technology to solve that one problem. 226 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:35,760 Let's pull down on the red lanyard. 227 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:37,760 It tends to be a whack in the face. 228 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:39,760 It releases a hook on the inside of your harness. 229 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:43,760 After a full day of intense information acquisition, 230 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:46,760 day three dawns and our raw recruits, 231 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:48,760 Time to start training, 232 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:50,760 are getting physical. 233 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:52,760 Want to see the coolest part? 234 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:54,760 Look at that. 235 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:58,760 With a crash course in what to do if the plane crashes. 236 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:01,760 That's three weeks of Army Airborne Pairing and Pursuing training right there. 237 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:02,760 That's all you do. 238 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:07,760 This is pretty cool. 239 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:11,760 We've just gotten walked through all of the different contingencies that could happen 240 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:14,760 if we have to bail out of the plane at altitude. 241 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:16,760 This is very cool. 242 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:19,760 What happens when the parachute lands? How to land? 243 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:21,760 It's easy to land like so? 244 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:22,760 Gonna break one of them. 245 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:23,760 Something's broken. 246 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:24,760 Fascinating. 247 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:25,760 And most specifically, 248 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:27,760 There we are. 249 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:32,760 I just learned how to actually lower myself if I end up landing in a tree 250 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:35,760 and I'm like hanging above the ground. 251 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:39,760 There we go. 252 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:42,760 And then lowering myself safely down to the ground. 253 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:44,760 Lower myself down. 254 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:46,760 Very nice. 255 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:52,760 All of this is stuff that I hope I only ever have to try here in the safety of this room. 256 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:56,760 It's been a long and exhausting day. 257 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:58,760 Bail out, bail out, bail out. 258 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:06,760 And the sheer scale of the task, technology and expertise required to fly at the edge of space 259 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:08,760 could not be more apparent. 260 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:13,760 Two words come to mind during all this complex and terrifying. 261 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:23,760 Three days of information overload. 262 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:27,760 The ejection seat we have was also used in the first four flights of the Spatial of Columbia. 263 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:31,760 And the rigors of flying the Dragon Lady are evident. 264 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:34,760 But is it the hardest plane to pilot? 265 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:39,760 To find out, the mythbusters are being prepped to fly to the edge of space. 266 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:41,760 Is it like my space, Jamie? 267 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:43,760 And despite the high spirits. 268 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:47,760 All right, sir, can you hear me? 269 00:17:47,760 --> 00:17:49,760 Yep, I kind of feel like dancing. 270 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:52,760 The pressure is on, literally. 271 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:54,760 All right, any other questions you? 272 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:59,760 Jamie and Adam have one final stage of training to be passed as fit to fly. 273 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:01,760 Hello. 274 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:02,760 You doing okay? 275 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:03,760 That's a different. 276 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:07,760 In fact, that doesn't feel very good. 277 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:11,760 Ow. 278 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:12,760 Can I bring you back down? 279 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:18,760 I could see somebody feeling like panicking. 280 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:22,760 It's just, that's a lot of stuff to process. 281 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:29,760 They each have a full systems check in the pressure suit, followed by a high altitude emergency simulation. 282 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:35,760 Right now, Jamie is getting fitted into this high altitude pressure chamber. 283 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:37,760 Right and left gloves are integrated in lock? 284 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:44,760 It will replicate the lack of pressures that he might experience under different circumstances in that very suit. 285 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:49,760 The environment inside the chamber will simulate the flight plan of a U-2. 286 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:52,760 So Jamie, what we're going to do now is bring the chamber up to 5,000 feet. 287 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:55,760 Check the ears and sinuses and make sure they're clear and okay. 288 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:58,760 If the cabin pressure of the U-2 was to fail. 289 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:00,760 How are you feeling right now? 290 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:06,760 Jamie needs to prove he can operate the suit and emergency systems. 291 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:10,760 Right now we're just doing a slow stand-up to 5,000. 292 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:16,760 As they approach cruising altitude, there's a startling reminder of the dangers involved. 293 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:19,760 There we go. 294 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:23,760 A beaker of water at body temperature begins to boil. 295 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:29,760 If Jamie's suit were to fail, that's what the liquids in his body would do. 296 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:32,760 Alright, let's go ahead and try to reach that ejection handle. 297 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:38,760 With that thought in mind and at maximum altitude, Jamie has a few tasks to complete. 298 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:42,760 Down by your right buttocks there, that's the scramble handle. 299 00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:44,760 Pull it up towards your chin just a little bit. 300 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:45,760 That's good. 301 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:51,760 The final being the suit's automated response to a sudden cabin pressure failure. 302 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:54,760 Three, two, one. 303 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:57,760 And go ahead and pull that helmet hold down. 304 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:03,760 That was something else. It's kind of scary actually. 305 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:04,760 One. 306 00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:11,760 There's a lot of force and when they decompress rapidly, it's just like, whoa. 307 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:15,760 You're sort of feeling like popcorn. 308 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:21,760 While Jamie clearly didn't enjoy the experience, he did pass muster. 309 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:26,760 Awesome. 310 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:28,760 Cue fanboy savage. 311 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:30,760 Oh, the gloves. 312 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:35,760 The coolest thing about this is I'm not just wearing a suit. 313 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:37,760 I'm not even wearing a machine. 314 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:38,760 Wow. 315 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:41,760 Oh man, that's far out. 316 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:42,760 Woo. 317 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:48,760 I'm wearing the apex of decades of tens of thousands of people problem solving how to 318 00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:53,760 survive in hostile conditions and I can feel that technology. 319 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:54,760 Whoa. 320 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:56,760 Ha ha ha ha. 321 00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:01,760 I can feel how reliable they've made things to touch and to understand with your hands. 322 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:05,760 All of this born by hard experience, lots of people gave their lives so they could 323 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:06,760 protect these pilots. 324 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:07,760 Are you good to go? 325 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:08,760 I am good to go. 326 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:12,760 Honestly, everything about this kind of astounds me that people do this every single day. 327 00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:15,760 Starting from the 5,000, eat it 5,000, keep from it. 328 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:18,760 It takes a team of people to put me in this suit correctly. 329 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:19,760 How's your comfort level? 330 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:21,760 Well, I'm far enough to storm. 331 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:26,240 But more than that, one time I was under the simulated, you know, the 332 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:31,240 where the suit would inflate, it gets incredibly tiring. 333 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:34,240 Locate the ejection handle in between your legs. 334 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:35,240 There you go. 335 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:36,240 So your fingers around it. 336 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:37,240 Yeah, there we go. 337 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:38,240 Okay. 338 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:42,240 These guys have to be an incredible shape because I was just sitting in a chair being 339 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:43,240 tested. 340 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:45,240 These guys are actually potentially the best. 341 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:48,240 I'm not sure if you can see it, but I'm not sure. 342 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:49,240 I'm not sure. 343 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:50,240 I'm not sure. 344 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:51,240 I'm not sure. 345 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:52,240 I'm not sure. 346 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:53,240 I'm not sure. 347 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:54,240 I'm not sure. 348 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:55,240 I'm not sure. 349 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:56,240 I'm not sure. 350 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:57,240 I'm not sure. 351 00:21:57,240 --> 00:21:58,240 I'm not sure. 352 00:21:58,240 --> 00:21:59,240 Okay. 353 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:02,240 So my first question is, is there a plane that chair being tested? 354 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:05,240 These guys are actually potentially flying planes under these conditions. 355 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:08,240 Three, two, one. 356 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,240 Go ahead and pull that green lanyard. 357 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:11,240 Use the mirror. 358 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:14,240 So our training is done, and we are ready to fly. 359 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:15,240 Excellent. 360 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:16,240 Welcome. 361 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:17,240 Welcome, everyone. 362 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:21,240 Remember, we went through all of that just to be passengers on the U-2. 363 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:23,840 And two, we got to let these professionals figure out 364 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:26,040 the logistics of their flight plan. 365 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:28,080 Just a little bit of waiting. 366 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:30,880 While Adam and Janey wait for flight clearance, 367 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:33,560 the guys decamp to the perfect location 368 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:36,200 for wind-protected precision flying. 369 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:38,080 We are testing the myth that multi-rotors 370 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:39,400 can possibly be lethal. 371 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:41,080 So this is our multi-rotor. 372 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:43,720 This is our multi-rotor pilot, James Franklin Heineman. 373 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:46,760 And this is our potential victim with veins filled 374 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:47,640 with blue blood. 375 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:50,560 Clearly a Vulcan who we're going to steer 376 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:51,920 this thing right into. 377 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:52,840 You ready to fly? 378 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:53,320 Sure. 379 00:22:56,920 --> 00:22:58,000 OK, here we go. 380 00:22:58,000 --> 00:22:58,480 All right. 381 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:03,960 For this first test, we're going to get our little copter 382 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:05,560 up about this high. 383 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:08,320 I wouldn't want this thing flying at me. 384 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:11,440 Sounds like a swarm of angry bees. 385 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:14,600 And then drag it right into the neck of our dummy. 386 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:16,760 And we'll see what happens at that speed 387 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:17,960 with those propellers. 388 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:22,520 Oh! 389 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,520 That was a perfect hit. 390 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:27,520 And it was going pretty quick. 391 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:34,120 It doesn't seem to me that anything at all happened to the neck. 392 00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:36,560 Take a look at the high-speed footage of the multi-rotor 393 00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:37,320 hitting the neck. 394 00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:40,560 You can see the props bending right out of the way, 395 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:44,320 even in the face of something as soft as neck flesh. 396 00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:45,200 Yeah. 397 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:47,720 Clearly they were designed to do that. 398 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:53,080 Yep, the fly it out of the box quadcopter didn't make a dent. 399 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:56,280 But next up, the kit model. 400 00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:59,280 That was much scarier. 401 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:01,840 More likely to be used for large deliveries, 402 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:05,120 it's heavier, has more power, six rotors, 403 00:24:05,120 --> 00:24:07,160 and sturdier propellers. 404 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:08,960 Let's see what it can do. 405 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:10,840 Oh! 406 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:12,040 What? 407 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:13,800 That's no good. 408 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:15,600 Take two? 409 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:17,760 It's going right for me. 410 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:18,760 Oh! 411 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:19,760 Oh! 412 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:20,760 Oh! 413 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:26,320 Sorry about that. 414 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:29,600 I'd rather not experiment on each other. 415 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:33,160 The larger model is proving trickier to handle. 416 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:34,320 Oh! 417 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:37,320 But eventually, Jamie gets it going where he wants it. 418 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:41,320 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! 419 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:43,440 Nice! 420 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,680 Well, bigger multi-rotor, bigger propellers, 421 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:50,040 nice fat hit right here in the vein. 422 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:51,040 Nothing. 423 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:53,440 No penetration. 424 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:56,320 I just say that aside from being amazing pieces of technology, 425 00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:59,040 these multi-rotors are genuinely spooky to be around. 426 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,800 One, they sound like a hive of angry bees. 427 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:02,880 Oh! 428 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:06,400 Two, I am genuinely physically afraid of them hitting me. 429 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:09,000 But apparently that fear is without any reason, 430 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:10,880 because we've been smacking them into our necks 431 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:13,600 without any injury whatsoever. 432 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:15,160 So where does that leave us? 433 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:17,680 Come on, with the mythbusters. 434 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:20,880 We're going to sling our camera platform into it. 435 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:24,560 This has eight rotors, weighs 16 pounds, 436 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:27,480 and the propellers are not made of plastic 437 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:28,400 that bends out of the way. 438 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:32,040 No, they're made of carbon fiber. 439 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:34,320 I'm genuinely scared about what this 440 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:36,720 is going to do to this neck. 441 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:37,720 Scared and hopeful. 442 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,680 The myth that one of these can cause a lethal injury 443 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:48,600 is looking suspect. 444 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:50,480 He's totally fine. 445 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:57,040 But the team is dumping the two realistic mid-range models 446 00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:00,840 and going for broke with the mythbusters' own custom-made 447 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:03,200 camera-carrying behemoth. 448 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:05,920 I thought the other two multi-rotors were staring. 449 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:08,720 Cue the team's expert pilot, Duncan. 450 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:12,640 And this myth's final chance for Gory Bloor. 451 00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:14,000 I was wrong. 452 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:16,040 That thing is terrifying. 453 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:18,280 This large multi-rotor is a different beast 454 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,480 than what we've been handling earlier. 455 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:22,360 All right, shall we do this? 456 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:23,480 You ready? 457 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:24,480 Ready. 458 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:26,800 It's much bigger and heavier. 459 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:29,400 Once it starts to move into the neck, 460 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:34,080 it doesn't want to just bounce off, because it's so heavy. 461 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:37,680 So I think this is going to actually do something to our neck, 462 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:38,720 something bad. 463 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:47,200 Yes! 464 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:50,880 Look at that! 465 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:51,880 It's bleeding. 466 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:54,560 That's bad. 467 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:55,060 Dude! 468 00:26:58,840 --> 00:26:59,340 Yes! 469 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:05,600 There you have it, kids. 470 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:08,880 It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye or a vein. 471 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:16,680 You put your finger there, you'll be fine. 472 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:17,680 I'm not sure. 473 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:21,960 So what have we proven after all this mayhem? 474 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:24,520 I think we've actually proven two different things. 475 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:27,960 On one hand, the smaller multi-rotors you can buy at the store 476 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:30,640 are pretty darn safe, and they're designed to be that way. 477 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:33,120 But this is a new hobby, and there are lots of people 478 00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:35,200 building larger and larger multi-rotors 479 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:36,960 to handle bigger and bigger payloads. 480 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:39,160 And when those multi-rotors get bigger, 481 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:42,120 the dangers they present are absolutely real. 482 00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:44,160 I know we've been looking at a worst case scenario, 483 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:46,880 but I think we've got to call this thing plausible. 484 00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:47,720 You agree? 485 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:48,440 I agree. 486 00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:50,760 You know, as a general rule, I always 487 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:54,480 try not to put my neck near large, heavy, fast-moving objects 488 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:55,880 with spinning blades on them. 489 00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:57,680 I think that's a good general rule. 490 00:27:57,680 --> 00:27:58,800 Let's get out of here. 491 00:28:03,120 --> 00:28:08,120 4, 3, let it down a little bit more. 492 00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:12,120 Back at Beale, the guys are ready to carry out the final test 493 00:28:12,120 --> 00:28:14,600 on the mythically difficult to fly U2. 494 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:20,720 But only one of them gets to go. 495 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:24,520 Well, you know, for crying out loud, 496 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:26,720 you're fanatic about this stuff. 497 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:27,920 You collect these things. 498 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:28,800 Yeah, I do. 499 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:31,520 So I can't end up in a bad place. 500 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:32,020 I do. 501 00:28:32,020 --> 00:28:35,560 So I can't, in good conscience, deny you 502 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:38,640 the pleasure of doing something like that. 503 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:40,400 I really appreciate that, sir. 504 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:41,240 Thank you very much. 505 00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:41,800 You owe me one. 506 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:43,840 Oh, I totally owe you one. 507 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:44,600 Absolutely. 508 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:50,560 Jamie, the gentleman steps down. 509 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:53,400 A very happy Adam steps up. 510 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:54,760 I'm pretty excited. 511 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:56,560 Can you tell? 512 00:28:56,560 --> 00:29:00,320 For the defining not quite hands-on test. 513 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:03,160 Now it's go time to figure out just how hard this plane will 514 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:03,800 be to fly. 515 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:04,880 I won't be flying it. 516 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:05,360 No, no, no. 517 00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:06,920 I'll just be helping to assess that. 518 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:28,600 It is an unbelievable day here in Northern California. 519 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:30,600 There is barely a cloud in the sky. 520 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:33,440 It's incredibly clear. 521 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:35,040 It is a perfect day for flying. 522 00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:02,320 So Adam, the engine's starting to spool up. 523 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:03,320 Oh, yeah. 524 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:05,480 Once that's happened, and we have sufficient RPM, 525 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:07,600 I'll add a little bit of jet fuel here. 526 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:13,600 OK, here we go, folks. 527 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:15,600 Adam's got to be freaking out about now. 528 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:16,600 I don't know if I can hear you. 529 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:24,600 All right, Adam, at this point, you 530 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:26,400 need to make sure that the boost lever is 531 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:29,200 aft and your key block there under your left rib cage 532 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:30,400 is one notch open. 533 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:34,400 Yes, it is currently one notch open. 534 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:36,400 The boost lever is still aft. 535 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:37,400 Here's where we are. 536 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:38,400 I'll tell you one thing. 537 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:42,400 This plane is such a unique and problematic thing to fly, 538 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:46,400 that it requires a lot of people to make sure it's all perfect 539 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:48,400 before it takes off. 540 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:50,400 All right, the Pogo crew has pulled the pins, 541 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:52,400 so the Pogos will fall away as we take off. 542 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:53,400 We're flying Q5. 543 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:55,400 You don't have to clear your flight. 544 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:57,400 All the checklists have been checked. 545 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,400 We are just seconds away from taking off. 546 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:04,400 All right, here we go. 547 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:07,400 Brake release, full power. 548 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:09,400 Here we go. 549 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:10,400 Here we go. 550 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:12,400 We are taking off. 551 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:14,400 Oh, man. 552 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:16,400 That is a lot of horsepower. 553 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:17,400 That's a wow. 554 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:19,400 We're already lifting. 555 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:21,400 That's crazy. 556 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:23,400 Wow. 557 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:27,400 Man, that's deep. 558 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:28,400 Wow. 559 00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:30,400 We are already lifting. 560 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:32,400 We're back yard to the right. 561 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:39,400 This is part of a takeoff that keeps the U2 above the base 562 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:42,400 for sort of spiraling straight up. 563 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:49,400 Here we go. 564 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:52,400 That was so fast. 565 00:32:00,400 --> 00:32:05,400 We're turning on a dime as we spiral up into the air, 566 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:07,400 climbing very rapidly. 567 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:13,400 After a tricky takeoff and rapid initial ascent. 568 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:17,400 Oh, my God, the view is beautiful. 569 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:22,400 Major Bartholomew and Adam get a chance to sit back and relax. 570 00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:25,400 Right now we just passed the top of Monteverst. 571 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:28,400 Until they attain cruising altitude. 572 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:34,400 We're transitioning now from 160 knots and climb to a .715 Mach cruise. 573 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:37,400 Three quarters of speed of sound. 574 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:44,400 This is officially the highest up the ground I have ever been. 575 00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:51,400 We're coming up on 60,000 feet, 12 miles above the surface of the Earth. 576 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:55,400 The sky has gotten to be a very, very dark blue. 577 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:58,400 What an unbelievably beautiful day. 578 00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:05,400 And from this height, 67,500 feet, 579 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:10,400 the edge of our planet has a definitive curve to it. 580 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:15,400 It is more three-dimensional than I have ever seen it. 581 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:18,400 There we are. 582 00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:21,400 It is in gentlemen 70,000 feet. 583 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:30,400 At this point, aside from the six astronauts on the space station, 584 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:34,400 we are the two highest humans off of planet Earth. 585 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:40,400 More than double the height of a standard commercial airliner. 586 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,400 Oh, and did I mention I'm wearing a pressurized space suit? 587 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:49,400 Yeah, strapped to a rocket. 588 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:52,400 This is not a bad way to spend your day. 589 00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:59,400 Jamie, I totally owe you one. 590 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:06,400 The complex, exhaustive preparations and taxing takeoff seem a world away. 591 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:12,400 Oh, look at that. Wow. That is San Francisco. That's my home. 592 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:15,400 But this is exactly what the U-2 is designed to do. 593 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:19,400 Spend hours up here looking down, gathering intelligence. 594 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:25,400 The view from a commercial airliner is beautiful. This one is transcendent. 595 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:30,400 It's the maneuvers at either end of proceedings where the pilots are in the big bucks. 596 00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:33,400 The challenges in landing this plane are unique. 597 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:37,400 And Adam is about to get a real close look. 598 00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:41,400 We'll be back with our landing after this commercial break. 599 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:47,400 Hey, Space Boy, how are you doing up there? 600 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:52,400 I'm doing pretty good, Jamie. The view up here is absolutely astonishing. 601 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:58,400 Looking up makes you realize that you've left the bulk of the Earth's atmosphere. 602 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:00,400 That's why it's dark. 603 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:08,400 You're looking down at this fragile mist that surrounds our globe that allows us to breathe. 604 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:16,400 What allows me to do so is the ingenuity of thousands and thousands of hard-working men and women 605 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:23,400 who have sought to harness the raw materials that we dig out of the ground 606 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:27,400 into things as astonishing as airplanes and pressure suits. 607 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:32,400 A privilege. 608 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:41,400 Oh, man. That is a lot of horsepower. 609 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:45,400 Wow, we're already lifting. That's crazy. 610 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:48,400 Whoa! Wow! 611 00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:54,400 Oh, my God, the view is beautiful. 612 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:03,400 Wow, look at that. 613 00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:10,400 There's no doubt the high-altitude U2 is a beautiful piece of aviation technology. 614 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:13,400 Captained to Apple Pie. 615 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:18,400 But the question yet to be answered is, oh, that's delicious. 616 00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:21,400 Is it the most difficult to fly and land? 617 00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:26,400 These guys fly these planes upwards of 12 to 14 hours at a time. 618 00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:27,400 Mmm. 619 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:30,400 Yep, and after such mammoth flight times, 620 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:36,400 you must have some butt-shimming exercises you do to keep yourself from going numb during long flights. 621 00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:39,400 I call it building your ass callous. 622 00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:42,400 Comes the landing. 623 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:45,400 Ready. Ready to begin the descent. 624 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:49,400 This is where the rubber meets the runway. 625 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:52,400 You start by dropping the gear so you feel a little bit of a clunk. 626 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:56,400 And perhaps the biggest challenge facing any pilot anywhere. 627 00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:58,400 Two gear down and locked. 628 00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:00,400 I'm going to bring the throttle back. 629 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:05,400 The Dragon Lady lands tail wheel first at a speed that practically stalls the wing. 630 00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:12,400 And with only two sets of landing gear in the center of the fuselage, it's like landing a bicycle. 631 00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:18,400 The pilot has lowered the landing gear and implemented several procedures to add drag 632 00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:23,400 so that it's moving slow enough when we get to the runway that we can actually land. 633 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:24,400 That's not all. 634 00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:26,400 There's the ground effect. 635 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:30,400 The U2's high-aspect ratio wings and commensurate uplift 636 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:37,400 means that on final approach, it tends to float, requiring incredible skill to control. 637 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:40,400 There's also the issue of runway visibility. 638 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:44,400 This is the chase car and it's being driven by an actual U2 pilot 639 00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:48,400 because the pilot in the plane has such limited visibility 640 00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:52,400 that he can't even see the runway when he's down close to it. 641 00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:58,400 This pilot is going to be talking him down with foot-by-foot instructions 642 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:02,400 so that he can respond appropriately at the right time. 643 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:08,400 Here we have our threshold speed, being under 2,000, down to 2,000. 644 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:12,400 And now this is the fun part. This is the part where I earn the big U2 pilot bonus money. 645 00:38:12,400 --> 00:38:23,400 Alright, so we have one guy rolling out on final ahead of us. 646 00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:27,400 Yee-haw! 647 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:31,400 We are ear down, flaps full, speed breaks out, stalls to the right, 648 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:34,400 lights on and spoilers in the landing position. 649 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:37,400 Contigued and ready for landing. 650 00:38:38,400 --> 00:38:42,400 480. 651 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:46,400 Look at that. 652 00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:59,400 16, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, let it down a little less, 4, 3, 2, hold at 1, inches. 653 00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:02,400 Oh! 654 00:39:06,400 --> 00:39:07,400 Wow. 655 00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:10,400 Very nice. Welcome back gentlemen. 656 00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:14,400 He's required by tradition to stay very nice with there it is or not. 657 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:16,400 Oh, okay. 658 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:19,400 It's been a lot of fun. Thanks Adam. 659 00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:22,400 Now there's our big old reception committee. 660 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:25,400 Alright, throttle off. 661 00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:31,400 Alright editors, if you could give us a little montage of some of the astonishing things we've got to do in the course of doing Mythbusters. 662 00:39:31,400 --> 00:39:32,400 Welcome back. 663 00:39:32,400 --> 00:39:36,400 I'm thinking flying a rocket car across the desert. 664 00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:42,400 Watching a rocket sled accelerate to the speed of sound and hit the immovable wall. 665 00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:45,400 That was awesome! 666 00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:51,400 Sliding down a 200 foot water slide 70 feet through the air into a target. 667 00:39:56,400 --> 00:40:00,400 This tops all of those by a factor of two. 668 00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:07,400 That was unbelievable. Unrepeatable. Incredible. 669 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:10,400 I'm out of superlatives. 670 00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:21,400 I have just spent the last two hours strapped to a rocket, wearing a space suit, flying to the edge of our Earth's atmosphere and seeing my hometown from a vantage point. 671 00:40:21,400 --> 00:40:23,400 Wow! It's a great view of the bridge. 672 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:25,400 It is an incredible view. 673 00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:29,400 That was completely unique. 674 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:32,400 So Adam, how do you figure we're going to call this? 675 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:39,400 Because, I mean, this is supposed to be the most difficult plane to fly, but we haven't looked at any other planes. 676 00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:46,400 Okay, but we did learn this. It is a completely unique airframe, purpose built for a completely unique mission. 677 00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:52,400 It requires a more numerous flight crew and a more exhaustive set of protocols than any other plane in the military. 678 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:58,400 And it is the only airborne endeavor besides going to space that requires the wearing of the space suit. 679 00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:00,400 This is not a bad way to spend your day. 680 00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:03,400 I think that places it in the plausible category. 681 00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:06,400 Okay. 682 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:09,400 Alright, I think it also places it in the ultra cool category. 683 00:41:09,400 --> 00:41:10,400 Absolutely. 684 00:41:10,400 --> 00:41:11,400 Let's get out of here. 685 00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:19,400 So Adam, do you know why she's called the Dragon Lady? 686 00:41:19,400 --> 00:41:20,400 No, I don't. 687 00:41:20,400 --> 00:41:24,400 Because you don't know whether she's going to land like a dragon or a lady.