15.04.2010

Highest crane man

On April 12th Graeme Riley, chief executive of GGR Unic, the master dealer for Unic spider cranes and Galizia pick & carry cranes, travelled to Russia to take a flight to the edge of space.
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All tucked in..... not the most sophisticated access method

Riley, an experienced helicopter pilot, flew in a Russian MIG 29 UB fighter jet from the Sokol aircraft plant at Nizhny Novgorod , Sokol.
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All ready to go Unic hat on...check

The flight went to over 72,000 feet – 22,000 metres- experiencing speeds of Mach 2 or 2,000 kph /1,500mph
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The MIG 29 UB

Seeing the curvature of the earth and the dark sky above at 72,000 then completing 7g aerobatic manoeuvres including the tail slide and low level high speed passes and 360 degree loops.
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The view from on high

Riley says he figures that on Monday he was the fifth or sixth highest man in the world, given that there are five in the space station. He also says that he would be delighted to tell anyone who is interested all about it at Bauma. So either head for the Unic stand or avoid him, depending on your interest in the subject.