I was quite comfortable, although an arm's length from where I was sitting the air temperature was minus 4S℃ (-49℉) and the wind speed stronger than that ever generated by any natural phenomenon on Earth. No, I was not at some secret alien outpost on the planet Jupiter, but a mere seven miles (11km) above the deserts of Saudi Arabia, sitting in the best seat the Airbus A330 has to offer-one of only two with six large windows and aisle access. The temperature was actually about what you would expect; a bit warmer than the standard temperature for FL360 (36,000ft), but that was 85℃ (153℉) cooler than the temperature at takeoff. It was a balmy 40℃ (104℉) as we departed. The apparent wind speed of 480kt was of course the result of the motion of the jet through the air.
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