posted 09-22-2021 03:05 AM            

Young was in a pressurized Navy Mark IV suit flying a modified F4H-1 Phantom II. He had shut down his two jet engines on his way up through 60,000 feet as he attempted to set a world time-to-climb record. Shortly he'd find out if they would re-light, and if he could make it back to the Navy base at Point Mugu on the coast near Oxnard on minimum fuel. He already had one record under his belt in the same airplane from the previous month.

In his own words: "Setting the two time-to-climb records, I believe to this day, was a major factor in my consideration for astronaut selection." The circumstances of that second record were also oddly prescient, in view of the STS-1 mission, almost exactly 19 years later.

Hobby Master has announced its intention to release the "Project High Jump" time-to-climb record setting F4H-1 flown by then future astronaut John Young. The release date is stated as February, which usually means something like three months or so later.

posted 04-30-2022 08:49 AM            

Seems in close agreement with the rather scant published facts. The only controversial thing I can see is the ejection seat in the back cockpit. Some actual High Jump pictures show a seat there, others don't. I guess it's easier to remove a seat, than put in one they haven't given you.