the aircraft 's nose punched through the top of the clouds at 21,000 feet and the crew found themselves skimming through the tops of the altocumulus while the ec bounced in and out of the bright tropical sun , shortly after leveling out at 26,000 feet with the clouds below them rolling to the horizon in all directions , rick headed for the cargo compartment to escape some of the tedium of the long flight ahead by eating an in-flight box lunch .