Takeuon
Registered
I know there have been posts on the U-2 before. I don't know about you but I find it completely fascinating that we developed this aircraft over 50yrs ago, yet it still reigns supreme for the job it was designed to do.
Definitely worth another look if this is a repost.
You can see why the U-2 is considered the most difficult plane in the world
to fly.
Each pilot has a co-pilot, who chases the plane on the runway in a sports
car. Most of the cars are either Pontiac GTOs or Chevrolet Cameros - the Air
Force buys American.
The chase cars talk the pilot down as he lands on bicycle-style landing
gear. In that spacesuit, the pilot in the plane simply cannot get a good
view of the runway.
Upon takeoff, the wings on this plane, which extend 103 feet from tip to
tip, literally flap. To stabilize the wings on the runway, two pogo sticks
on wheels prop up the ends of the wings.
As the plane flies away, the pogo sticks drop off.
The plane climbs at an amazing rate of nearly 10,000 feet a minute. Within
about four minutes, I was at 40,000 feet, higher than any commercial
airplane. We kept going up to 13 miles above Earth's surface.
You get an incredible sensation up there. As you look out the windows, it
feels like you're floating, it feels like you're not moving, but you're
actually going 500 mph.
The U-2 was built to go higher than any other aircraft. In fact today, more
than 50 years since it went into production, the U-2 flies higher than any
aircraft in the world with the exception of the space shuttle.
It is flying more missions and longer missions than ever before -nearly 70
missions a month over Iraq and Afghanistan , an operational tempo that is
unequaled in history.
The pilots fly for 11 hours at a time, sometimes more than 11 hours up there
alone. By flying so high, the U-2 has the capability of doing reconnaissance
over a country without actually violating its airspace.
It can look off to the side, peering 300 miles or more inside a country
without actually flying over it. It can "see" in the dark and through
clouds. It can also "hear," intercepting conversations 14 miles below.
The U-2, an incredible piece of history and also a current piece of high
technology, is at the center of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan .
Enjoy the ride! Lockheed U-2
Take A Ride in a Spy Plane, Click the link below. Once the screen opens
after clicking below go to the lower right corner of the screen and click
the icon immediately to the left of the volume control to bring up the full
screen.
Breathtaking spy plane footage. [VIDEO]
Definitely worth another look if this is a repost.
You can see why the U-2 is considered the most difficult plane in the world
to fly.
Each pilot has a co-pilot, who chases the plane on the runway in a sports
car. Most of the cars are either Pontiac GTOs or Chevrolet Cameros - the Air
Force buys American.
The chase cars talk the pilot down as he lands on bicycle-style landing
gear. In that spacesuit, the pilot in the plane simply cannot get a good
view of the runway.
Upon takeoff, the wings on this plane, which extend 103 feet from tip to
tip, literally flap. To stabilize the wings on the runway, two pogo sticks
on wheels prop up the ends of the wings.
As the plane flies away, the pogo sticks drop off.
The plane climbs at an amazing rate of nearly 10,000 feet a minute. Within
about four minutes, I was at 40,000 feet, higher than any commercial
airplane. We kept going up to 13 miles above Earth's surface.
You get an incredible sensation up there. As you look out the windows, it
feels like you're floating, it feels like you're not moving, but you're
actually going 500 mph.
The U-2 was built to go higher than any other aircraft. In fact today, more
than 50 years since it went into production, the U-2 flies higher than any
aircraft in the world with the exception of the space shuttle.
It is flying more missions and longer missions than ever before -nearly 70
missions a month over Iraq and Afghanistan , an operational tempo that is
unequaled in history.
The pilots fly for 11 hours at a time, sometimes more than 11 hours up there
alone. By flying so high, the U-2 has the capability of doing reconnaissance
over a country without actually violating its airspace.
It can look off to the side, peering 300 miles or more inside a country
without actually flying over it. It can "see" in the dark and through
clouds. It can also "hear," intercepting conversations 14 miles below.
The U-2, an incredible piece of history and also a current piece of high
technology, is at the center of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan .
Enjoy the ride! Lockheed U-2
Take A Ride in a Spy Plane, Click the link below. Once the screen opens
after clicking below go to the lower right corner of the screen and click
the icon immediately to the left of the volume control to bring up the full
screen.
Breathtaking spy plane footage. [VIDEO]
Francis Gary Powers used to park his news chopper about 100yds
