<p>The first U.S. Navy McDonnell YF4H-1 <i>Phantom II</i> (BuNo 142259) taking off in September 1959. This aircraft made its first flight on 27 May 1958 but crashed on 21 October 1959 at Edwards Air Force Base, California (USA), while attempting a new height record ("Project Top Flight"), killing the McDonnell test pilot, "Zeke" Hoelsbeck.<br></p>
On 6 December 1959, while flying another YF4H-1, Commander Lawrence E. Flint established an absolute manned-flight altitude record of 30.040 m as part of "Project Top Flight". This marke eclipsed by nearly 1220 m the record previously held by a Soviet aircraft.
U.S. Navy
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://collections.naval.aviation.museum/emuwebdoncoms/pages/doncoms/AdvQuery.php">U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation</a> photo No. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://collections.naval.aviation.museum/emuwebdoncoms/pages/doncoms/Display.php?irn=34400&amp;QueryPage=%2Femuwebdoncoms%2Fpages%2Fdoncoms%2FAdvQuery.php">1996.253.7320.034</a>