Science: High Flyer

The highest human of the week was Lieut. Colonel Marion E. Carl, 37, one of the Marines’ top fighter pilots of World War II (18½ enemy planes), who flew a Douglas Skyrocket to 83,235 ft. over Muroc Dry Lake, Calif., beating Test Pilot Bill Bridgeman’s record of 79.000 ft. Carl was also the fastest military flyer, but his best speed (1,143 m.p.h.) did not beat Civilian Bridgeman’s record (1,238 m.p.h.).

On his altitude flight, Carl’s rocket plane was dropped from a 6-29 at 33,500 ft. His first rocket barrel did not fire at once, and he dropped to 28,000 ft. before the power came on. Then he pointed the Skyrocket upward at about 30°, gradually steepening the climb toward 40° as the burning of the fuel made the plane lighter. The three tons of fuel lasted less than three minutes. At “burnout,” Carl was at 75,000 ft. He coasted upward the rest of the way, turning down only when his plane began to wallow.

During the flight, Carl wore an “omni-environment” pressure suit. If the pressure in his cockpit had failed, he would have needed it; during much of the flight he was above the altitude (63,000 ft.) at which human blood boils. But the pressure did not fail, so he did not have the unpleasant opportunity of testing the suit’s protection against the near-vacuum 16 miles above the earth.