In September of 2007 in my 0-360 1959 172 I attained 18,003 ft GPS above 19AZ. I checked with Cessna customer service. The fella called me back a couple of days later. As far as he could find I did set a record. The plane was still climbing slowly and rather wobbly. I was happy to roll out and level off at 15 000 ft where I could catch my breath. I took off with a little less than half gas.
This is an addendum to my earlier post setting the 18,003 ft. GPS altitude record for my 1959 Cessna O360 172 in September 2007.
How could it be " impossible "? I was there. My GPS was pretty accurate. In fact, I held my holding pattern for a couple of minutes to get the average GPS altitude. I was carrying a carbon fiber Pulse Ox O2 tank but didn't feel the need to turn it on. I have experience with high altitude hiking and mountaineering, so sitting in a little airplane, pressure breathing was an easy task. It was the wobbly or sloppy control surfaces I was concerned about. There was little to no wind that afternoon, but even so, the Downwind Leg added to slop. My take off airport 19AZ elevation was 3,370ft and the ambient surface temperature was about 90°F. I was in constant radio contact with my wife and a neighbor who were way down below. Early on in my flight training I mastered an Unusual Attitudes and Emergency Maneuvers course. Subsequently I was offered the Extra 300 that was available on the school's flight line for rental. So with a little calculated planning and careful preparation I felt confident that day. Lawrence Allen PP L&S [email protected]