Touching the Sky
Dave trained all this week for his ride of a lifetime in a U-2 spy plane.
Suiting Up
Dave pointed out on "The Early Show" that you can't just hop in a plane when you're going as high as man can go without heading into space; you have to go through what he called a "painstaking process" to prepare.Official U-2 Flyer
Dave's badge for flying at the Beale Air Force Base, in Roseville, Calif.U-2 in Action
Dave flying aboard a U-2 spy plane, an aircraft that gathers intelligence for the U.S.Adrenaline, Speed and Sky
Dave said adrenaline was pumping through him when he felt the throttle push him forward for the first time.Going Higher
After Dave took off, he told the pilot, "What a view!"The pilot responded, "Oh, it's only just begun."
Earth Underfoot
Dave said he said he realized how small human beings are.He said, "You're above the planes that fly, you're above all that runs around and makes life chaotic. And you just - you stand there and it puts thing into - for lack of a better term, an ultra-perspective - how small we are...how tiny this planet is when you compare it to everything above the canopy that you're in."
Ride of a Lifetime
"That is amazing, unbelievable," Dave said.Soaring Above the Sky
Dave flying to 70,000 feet.Only the astronauts in the International Space Station were higher than Dave and his pilot.
Man of Few Words?
Dave said this has been one of his hardest assignments because he has few words to describe his experience.Celebrating High Flight
Dave shares his first landing moments with other personnel on the Beale Air Force Base.Dave is now among the few people in the world that have flown to such high altitudes.