Every time an airplane I'm in reaches V1 and then V2 at take-off, I marvel at the miracle of flight. V1 is the speed at which the plane creates enough lift to raise the front wheel off the ground, hopefully followed by V2, which is when all wheels leave the ground. You have to wonder about DaVinci and all those other dedicated experimenters of yore who just didn't have the means to accelerate their latest flying vehicle to the point at which it would encounter V1 and V2. The miracle of Lift: velocity = air pressure, + wing shape = flight.
In case you were wondering, here's what the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class cabin looks like. This was my first flight with the newly redesigned cabin and it was both good and bad. The seat space seems small at the shoulders but wider at the hips, and the old Soviet Block-era, DOS-based entertainment system interface has been replaced with a great touch-screen, HD interface. And the dividers between seats have been changed to etched glass rather that solid materials, which produces a sense of more space but also takes away privacy. So, a bit of a mixed bag.
The herringbone seat arrangement means you never have to climb over someone else to go to the loo, the bar, etc. and, yes, those seat backs flip forward to make a flat bed (duvet and pillow provided). Yes, there's a 4-stool bar in Upper Class, too. So what with all these amenities and excellent food and service, the cost of this ticket class is easily justified. Of course, I pay for a lesser ticket and use frequent flyer miles to upgrade to Glorious Food and Seating Class, so it's very worthwhile for me.
The Occasionally-Examined Life 