There was a day in 2011 when I was told I was the highest person on the face of the Earth—literally. I traveled to space, equivalent to an altitude of 70,000 feet. It was a journey to the edge of infinity. For a few minutes I will remember for the rest of my life, I stared at the bubbles forming on the canopy of our aircraft as far as I could see.

I’m Gary Sinise, and this was my high flight. “Congratulations. Yeah. Good. You got it. That’ll be a good trick.” How are you? I’m Gary.

Over the years, I’ve had many opportunities to visit our soldiers and women in distant and often dangerous places where they live and work. In 2010, through a friend who worked with the USO, I was invited to fly on the legendary U-2 spy plane. As excited as I was, I didn’t fully realize all that a U-2 flight entails. By the time I boarded a plane to return home, I had met a group of people and traveled to a place I would carry with me for the rest of my life.

In 2011, I was invited to fly on the legendary U-2 spy plane. As excited as I was, I didn’t fully realize all that a U-2 flight entails. By the time I boarded a plane to return home, I had met a group of people and traveled to a place I would carry with me for the rest of my life.

Beale Air Force Base is an 86,000-acre base opened in October 1942 as an Army training site for armored and infantry divisions. It also served as a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. It was transferred to the Air Force in 1948. The 9th Reconnaissance Wing is a highly specialized group of over 3,000 individuals in four groups: the 9th Mission Support Group, 9th Medical Group, 9th Maintenance Group, and 9th Operations Group. Beale is the headquarters for our U-2 program.

The U-2 Dragon Lady is one of the most amazing defense systems the United States has ever developed. It’s a baby boomer. Born in the 1950s when we began to realize how little we knew about the newly emerging superpower, the Soviet Union. Once the Soviet Union became a nuclear power, it became a matter of national security to find a way to conduct reconnaissance. And doing so meant flying higher than any defensive aircraft or surface-to-air missile could reach. That meant flying to an altitude that is a true definition of space.

Designing such an aircraft became the priority of Kelly Johnson’s legendary Skunk Works at Lockheed Martin. Johnson was an aviation genius, developing over 40 aircraft, including the P-38 Lightning, P-80 Shooting Star, F-104 Starfighter, and SR-71 Blackbird. The U-2 program began, like many successful military programs, in a political environment. After World War II, political tension arose between the Soviet Union and the United States. There was little information about the interior of the Soviet Union. The United States secretly voted for a program to produce an aircraft that could fly above the suspected range of surface-to-air missiles at the time. Clarence “Kelly” Johnson and his Skunk Works team came out and said, “I can take an F-104 fighter. I can take this fuselage, remove its wings, and marry it to highly efficient glider wings—long, thin wings with a high aspect ratio that are extremely efficient at altitude.” The target altitude was 66,000 feet.

The first U-2 flew in 1955. In 1956, we used it operationally for the first time on a mission over the interior of the Soviet Union. On May 1, 1960, when Gary Powers was shot down, it did two things. First, it revealed the U-2 program. We should have made it so. The second thing it did, even if that particular aircraft went down, was confirm to us that the Soviets already had missiles that could reach that altitude. Through the ingenuity of its engineers and pilots, we took this Cold War system and changed how it was used so that it became suitable and effective at almost all levels of warfare.

In over 50 years of the U-2 Dragon Lady’s existence, only about 1,000 pilots have flown it. All our solo walls. Every pilot who flew the aircraft alone, alone and unafraid in the U-2, had his name and solo number written on a plaque. On another wall in the Beale Officers’ Club are photos of those who lost their lives while serving in the U-2 program. This is truly sacred ground.

I began to understand what a rare opportunity I had been given. The chance to join the High Flyers club. To go to the top of the Dragon Lady’s flight, at 70,000 feet. That’s twice as high as any commercial aircraft flies. It’s 40,000 feet higher than Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. If things go well, for a few incomparable minutes, I will be the highest human on the planet.

There you go, bud. Thank you for your service. Thank you. Click here. After all these years of traveling to support our troops, I’ve probably been on more military bases than many of those who actually serve in the armed forces. I am impressed by every visit. Our bases are special places, islands of efficiency, productivity, order, and courtesy. They are the places that stick with you, that inspire you to do a little better and be a little better when you return to your neighborhood. It was a great welcome at Beale.

The first steps you take to reach 70,000 feet are to go to the flight surgeon’s office. This whole adventure could end here. So, for a high-altitude or high-altitude flight, the things we look for include, first, making sure they fit in the ejection seat and can eject safely. So it’s unique to each airframe, and it has different parameters, and so we just have to make sure it meets the criteria for that type, and that’s the first thing we look at. The second reason has a lot to do with decompression sickness, the idea of going from a high-pressure state to a low-pressure area. When that happens, we have gases in our bodies that would bubble into the bloodstream, like opening a Coke bottle or a product like that, where you can then get a bunch of bubbles coming out. As a result, that can lead to some problems that we might later have to use hyperbaric treatment or a hyperbaric chamber to treat. And the things we also want to look at are that gas expands, or if there are problems with the ears or sinuses, or they couldn’t clear those areas, or if they have tooth pain, or tooth pressure, again, that gas could expand in those areas and create a lot of problems. So we don’t want them to fly if we have these issues in that combination.

Everything good? Yes. To be honest, I have some problems with my ears and sinuses, and I’ve never been to 70,000 feet before, so I’m eager to go, but also a little apprehensive. Mr. Smith, this is your number 1042. This is your clearance to fly and go to altitude and board the aircraft. Great. I’m good. You’re good to go, sir. Enjoy a pleasant flight at 70,000 feet. It’s a hostile environment for humans at that altitude, where a catastrophic loss of pressure would cause body fluids to start boiling within seconds. So there are some things you need to know and do before the Air Force takes you to the edge of space.

For our mission. Confident. Calm. Prepared. Unafraid. Funny. Ejection, so the ejection altitude we control, we want to be at least 2,000 feet above ground level. For some reason the aircraft went out of control today. We want to get out immediately. We don’t want to wait. But I’ll tell you if that happens. Please do. Physiological incidents, so if at any time during the flight you feel bad or funny, or have any questions about why am I feeling this way? Ask. Let me know. Bad news doesn’t get better with age, especially if it’s bubbles in your brain and spinal column. So we can do little to fix it. So tell me, and if you have any kind of gastrointestinal issues, let that gas out when it starts to build up. Don’t hold it in. Keep holding it in and keep holding it in, and then things can get messy. Yes. Thank you. Appreciate it. Peace, guys.

Join us. You want me in this? Sure. Okay. I mean, everyone who comes here is already a good pilot. So it’s just a matter of training. You like to be alone. I do. Because you’re up there alone. How long? 12 hours plus. 12 extra hours of flying just. But the altitude you’re at, which will be inside the aircraft, is about 28 or 29 thousand feet, so if you think about it, you’re sitting on top of Mount Everest because you know you’re descending and you’re going to feel like you’ve been run over by a truck sometimes. So then I’ll say yes. He goes out and leaves. How are you? I’m Gary. Thank you. Thank you. Hello. Hello, sir. My name is Heather. Heather. I’m going to teach you today about the full pressure suit. Great. Thank you.

The summary of physiology is interesting, to say the least. I began to learn what can happen to the body at altitude, and I met my best friend, my spacesuit. Basically, open this guy. You should be able to feel it open. And go ahead and add a little bit of air volume. Close the suit a little. You’ll feel the suit. You don’t want to inflate it fully, but just add a little bit. A loss of pressure in the aircraft immediately makes the spacesuit a life support system. There are a host of risks to humans at 70,000 feet that could make for a very bad day. Will someone ask me how I feel or teach me to describe what’s happening to me? There’s hypoxia, which is a lack of oxygen reaching the tissues. Initially, you feel euphoric before becoming completely incapacitated. Decompression sickness. That’s what divers call the bends. It can be fatal too. Altitude sickness. A condition caused by rapid ascent to high altitude resulting in oxygen deficiency, characterized by hyperventilation, nausea, and fatigue.

Heather Fox, a U-2 pilot who led the briefing, knows her subject and symptoms well. In February 2009, I was flying an Ops 40 over Afghanistan and started feeling bad from decompression sickness, and I began to feel symptoms of nausea, dizziness, and a little difficulty staying conscious, and I felt like I was going to pass out. So at that point, I realized it was decompression sickness and started heading back to my home base. Although jumping at the location I was in probably wouldn’t have worked out well, so at that point, the option was to bring the aircraft back. The flight took about four hours to get home, which was probably the worst four hours of my life, I must say, and I just started the journey home. I’ll say that we have people here who do this every day, and most of the time things go well. So this isn’t something that happens to many people, but it happened to me that day. But this is something we all know exists, and we gladly do it to support the troops we support on the ground. To support the troops we support on the ground. It’s something we want to do.

So we’re going to attach your helmet to the suit. Bear with us. We had some problems fitting my visor and they seemed concerned about it for a while. So when you put the mask back on, press it down, since there’s an aluminum strip around your face, you might just want to press down so it actually conforms to your face. Sorry? Things should go this way. And… 1.1…800. Okay, that was successful. We’re moving on. Yay!

Those lounge chairs they use are really comfortable, but after lying there for a few minutes, you have a little time to think. I remember one of the crew asked me what I was thinking about. To be honest, I was thinking, I’m glad my wife doesn’t know all about this. Pre-breathing starts with breathing pure oxygen. You have to spend 10 or 12 minutes on the elliptical machine to really start. This pre-breathing of pure oxygen removes nitrogen from the blood and tissues, reducing the risk of the bends I mentioned earlier. Once this process starts, you can’t breathe normal air again. You have to hold your breath while putting on your helmet, then carry the assist unit with you so you continue breathing only pure oxygen. I started to feel a little tired, but my day had just begun.

To help me recognize the onset of hypoxia or other altitude-related illnesses, the team put me in the altitude chamber. 3, 2, 1. The first thing I look for is making sure he’s comfortable in the suit. He’s comfortable moving in it while fully inflated at altitude. He knows that many of the things Heather mentioned earlier today are ventilation air, the control unit, and how to be able to use that, how to be able to urinate, and be able to recognize his hypoxia symptoms, and that’s very important. There won’t be anyone sitting with him up there, so he’ll definitely need to be able to recognize these on his own. Remember you’re talking to an actor. Remember what I said about ear problems? I really felt them in the chamber. Watch what happens to the cup of water when the simulated altitude in the chamber reaches 60,000 feet. At this altitude, the air pressure is so low that your normal body temperature of 98.6 degrees would cause your body fluids to boil. Things that make you think. It’s not over yet.

Now I have to learn the art of egress, getting out of the U-2 if something goes wrong on the ground or in the air. Of course, if you find yourself hanging from a parachute at 70,000 feet, you also need to know how to control it. Tonight, the command at Beale hosted a dinner for us. It’s a great honor to be able to talk with these people. They are the best in the world at what they do. I hope they understand how much they inspire and support the rest of us. All I can say is God bless our troops. I’m a tired man retiring. I feel like I’ve been drinking from a fire hose all day. It’s all coming together. I don’t know how much I actually remember. If something happens, will I really be able to save myself? Well, there’s no going back. I’m going to visit a place I’ve never seen before and probably won’t see again.

Everything starts with feeling a little surreal. I’m definitely ready for sleep. I just wish I could. In many ways, it’s just another day at the office for U-2 pilot Jay Ford. Over a light breakfast, we reviewed the flight plan again. Basically, we’re going to do a big flight over Northern California. The fear I took to bed last night has left me. Let’s do this. Jay takes a last look at the forecast weather. Great news. And we’re on track for a severe clear. With a little luck, I might be able to see forever.

Hey, thank you very much. Thank you for serving the United States of America. You guys are great. It’s wonderful to be here. Thank you for your support. Challenging. Enjoy a safe flight. Thank you. Bye. Bye. Is it possible to feel like a veteran without actually traveling by plane? Hey guys, we have a little tight meeting. We have someone to wear a suit. Two people actually. But last night I was able to tell Mr. Sinise that our motto that we always hear in large groups is very fitting for him today. But for his peak today, we want to pin it! Hooah! There you go. Have a great flight. Thank you very much.

Yesterday, I had trouble with my gloves and visor. I fumbled with fitting those personal assembly devices that everyone is always curious about when wearing a spacesuit. I was worried about holding my breath long enough to put on my helmet and have pure oxygen flow through it. But today, well, I feel like I’ve been here before. Actually, I’m ready. This is so cool. I admit it. I’ve always been from the space group. When I was preparing to play astronaut Ken Mattingly in the film Apollo 13 directed by Ron Howard, I met Jim Lovell and a number of astronauts. I met Gene Kranz, the flight director, who did so much to bring that badly damaged vehicle and its crew home. I sat in NASA’s mission control room where it all happened and let my imagination run wild. There was a space shuttle launch when we started filming. I just had to see it. I flew to the Cape and went out alone to stand with others who had gathered to watch. I was fascinated. I watched the ignition, that big, terrible smoke billowing from the huge nozzles at the bottom of the shuttle and its tanks. There was a slight delay as the sound and shock waves rolled across the water to the viewing area. When they hit, I felt them literally in my chest, clear to my heart. What an emotional experience. I’m truly sorry for anyone who never had the chance to see a shuttle launch in person.

As an actor, I’m used to playing roles. The spacesuit certainly brings back memories of the roles I’ve played. But this is not a role. It’s about to become very real. First, they integrate you into your spacesuit, and they have to integrate into the aircraft. I had to test my ability to reach those levers and handles. I would have to eject if it became necessary to exit the U-2 for any reason. There comes a moment when you have to arm your ejection seat. If you have to emergency egress, there’s an explosive charge that blows your entire seat out of the aircraft with you in it. I was fully aware that I was sitting on a bomb.

PINION 9-2, your engine start is approved, approved at wheel airport as submitted. On departure or taxi to the runway, maintain flight level 230, expect flight level 600 after 5 minutes of departure. Departure frequency north 353.7, squawk 4454, taxi for departure on request. 4454 on squawk for PINION 9-2. Yes, PINION 902. Yes, PINION 902 ready to taxi. We’ll turn right to exit the parking area and head toward Bravo. PINION 902, turn right to exit the parking area. Runway 15, taxi via Gulf, Bravo. 15 Gulf, Bravo on PINION 902. Bravo to you.

And so begins a journey I have never taken before. The traditional salute to the dedicated ground crew who keep this extraordinary bird flying. I know the camera crew is somewhere. Whatever happens, there will be pictures. And there are chase cars. The funny thing about the U-2 is that it’s flown by one pilot, but it can’t be flown by one pilot. That’s because when a U-2 tries to land, its high aspect ratio wings don’t want to stop flying. The only way to get it back to the ground is to induce a full stall at the right altitude above the runway. So other U-2 pilots and chase cars called mobile phones have to race and tell the pilot in the aircraft exactly where he is relative to the ground at every moment. Look at those amazing wings. They’re so long that they must be supported by small wheels at the tips called pogo wheels. The pogo must be lowered cleanly once the aircraft is airborne and then removed from the runway. That’s why mobile phones are needed for chase cars at takeoff too.

Altitude short 15, wind 9 2. Wind 9 2, check. Check. Wind 9 2, 15 at Bravo, altitude short, ready. We are cleared to go. I can’t believe how the U-2 exploded into the air. The aircraft needs 5,000 feet, or a mile or so, to get enough airspeed to take off. We covered less than a tenth of that, just four or five hundred feet. This U-2 is so smooth that I feel calm inside. Yet the altimeter clearly shows it climbing as if it has no longing for home.

Starky, good morning, Tracer 9-2 with you at 3000 climbing 230. Tracer 9-2, nothing for you, try calling. Are you looking outside? Oh yes, maybe you can read. If you like, you can open your T-blocks and do as you please at this point. Maybe just open it a little. You can get a good amount of air through there. It may sound strange to say, but so far the flight feels like a comfortable break from all the intense training I did for it.

Matter above flight level 6-0-0. Matter above 16, PINION 9-2. Jay has a mirror so he can see me. I didn’t know until we got there that this is the only way we can have visual contact between me and Jay. The altimeter continues to spin upward. Higher. So we’re at about 29,000. Yes, we just passed 29, approaching 30. And we’ve been in the air for about five minutes. That’s fast. Yes. We went from the bottom of Mount Everest to the top in five minutes, and I don’t know, I think most people train for about four months to try to do that. Your perspective really changes quickly. Man-made things look like sand dunes or snow piles. As Jay said, we’re higher than 29,000 feet on Everest at any time. My cockpit is about a foot higher than Jay’s. Because of that, at flight level, I will be the tallest person on the face of the Earth when we reach the top.

It’s a beautiful view here. Yes, it is. It’s getting better too. It’s very special. So I can see how I’ve become a little addicted to this. Yes, it’s very special. Raptor. Okay, here’s 45,000 feet. So we’ll continue to set new personnel altitude records for you for the rest of the day. That didn’t take much. No, okay, there’s 50,000 feet. Our cabin altitude, where your body sits, is 24,000 feet, about 25. So we’ll gain another 20,000 feet, but the cabin altitude will only go up another 5. Very comfortable now. Yes. Yes, 59.2, passing through 52,000 feet in the green zone. I’m copying in green. Mobile copying in green now. Good flight. Thank you.

Where are you from, Jay? I’m from Georgia, originally. I grew up there, born in Albany, south, and moved north to Atlanta when I was two years old. I joined the Air Force when? 1998. So I went to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, got my degree in computer science. I went to Mississippi State for a year for pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base, then back to Georgia to Robins Air Force Base. I was a pilot for a year, then went to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. I got my degree in computer science, then went to Mississippi for a year for pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base. Then back to Georgia to Robins Air Force Base. I got my degree in computer science, then went to Mississippi for a year for pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base. I got my degree in computer science, then went to Mississippi for a year for pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base. I got my degree in computer science, then went to Mississippi for a year for pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base. I got my degree in computer science, then went to Mississippi for a year for pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base. I got my degree in computer science, then went to Mississippi for a year for pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base then back to Georgia to Robins Air Force Base near Macon, and stayed there for four and a half years before coming back to Georgia. Came here.

Okay, okay, apparently, yes, there’s 60. So we’re now much higher than the equivalent of space, because if we didn’t have the suit and we went out, you’d boil. That’s followed shortly by freezing to death because it’s about -60 degrees Celsius outside. Okay, let’s stay inside. Yes, I like that idea.

The U-2 is not an easy aircraft to fly. The thinner the atmosphere, the faster the aircraft must fly so the wings can provide proper lift. To maintain the required airspeed at 70,000 feet, the U-2 must fly at the upper edge of its speed envelope. If it drops by 5 or 10 knots, the wing could stall. If that happens, coffin corner. This is incredible. Amazing. Yes, it really is. It never gets old. Best view in the world. Getting a little darker there. Yes, it is. Yes, if you look up toward the sun, you’ll find the sky is completely black there. And then when you look near the ground, where most of the atmosphere is, and since we’re above most of it now, you get that beautiful thin blue line, and all the things that keep us alive. But stay hydrated. Okay, I’ll keep drinking. I’m making movies here. Amazing. We’re really here. Oh yes. Coming up on 66,000. Can you see that the Earth is actually round? An amazing thing. Yes. Just, it almost leaves you speechless. Using words to describe what you feel and what it looks like to be here is not enough. It’s just so smooth. It looks like a glider. I’ve traveled by plane before. There’s a vastness I can feel in the depths of my being, but I can’t describe it in words. I completely understand why some astronauts feel compelled to become writers and painters. At some point, even prominent geographical features on the ground, like mountains and large lakes, become so small that you feel like you’re leaving them behind. When you travel to the outer edge of everything you’ve ever known, a feeling of isolation begins to emerge. I thought about the expression, Mother Earth, which we use spontaneously, and it suddenly seemed profound.

So 10, 19, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. We have one. One. Check. Mom, I’m home. Ha ha ha ha. Amazing. This is amazing. Okay. Amazing. Amazing. Look at this reception part. My people are here. I return to God’s good earth a different person. I left Beale Air Force Base a much richer man.

Emerson wrote that there is no history, only biography. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of biographies associated with the U-2 Dragon Lady. From Kelly Johnson to Francis Gary Powers to Jay Ford, there have been thousands of dedicated pilots on the ground who kept her flying. There are countless brave soldiers still alive today because a U-2 was there to tell them what was waiting for them on the next sand dune. I leave Beale, as I leave many military bases, with a deep and profound appreciation for those who serve our country in harm’s way. Remember, this is an all-volunteer force. These are the men and women who believe deeply in the fundamental principles of America and willingly sacrifice their lives to defend them. There is no greater love than for a man or woman to lay down their life for another. I thought about that up there on the purple edge of space with my life in Jay Ford’s hands. And I thought about it when I landed back on Earth, having seen the Earth in a way I had never seen it before, and probably never will again. I’m Gary Sinise, and that was my high flight. I wish you were here. Now.

Hi, I’m Gary Sinise. I hope you enjoyed the high flight. For information about the Gary Sinise Foundation’s mission to serve and honor the needs of defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need, please visit our website at www.garysinisefoundation.org. Thank you. Thank you. www.garysinisefoundation.org. Thank you.

As the wheels touched down, the chase cars racing alongside, I felt the weight of the world return—but also a lightness I hadn’t known before. “Welcome back, Gary,” Jay’s voice crackled over the radio, and I realized I had just lived a dream shared by millions.

That night, I stood among the pilots and crew, their quiet dedication a stark contrast to the thin air I’d breathed. They didn’t need medals; the sky was their reward.

“You’re one of us now,” Heather said with a smile, and I knew she meant every word. I left Beale not just with memories, but with a mission—to honor those who guard the edges of our world.

What would you do if you had the chance to touch the edge of space?