View Full Version : Want to take a U2 flight?
http://www.wimp.com/breathtakingfootage/
Richard
HowardCohodas
01-21-2010, 08:39
http://www.wimp.com/breathtakingfootage/
Richard
Must have been one of the trainer aircraft. Duty craft were single-seat.
Red Flag 1
01-21-2010, 09:16
Great video! Thanks Richard!!
I'd love to see one with the SR-71.
Toggle the next selector to "Kramer drinks a beer while smoking"; you'll like it!
RF 1
Slantwire
01-21-2010, 09:30
Duty craft were single-seat.
Still are.
While I was getting my commercial license in Tucson, a couple of U2 student pilots came out to learn to fly a tail-dragger in our 8KCAB Super Decathlon.
Being pilots, they sounded more excited by the Decathlon than the U2. Of course, you can't fly the U2 inverted...well, not for very long. ;)
Pat
HowardCohodas
01-21-2010, 11:58
While I was getting my commercial license in Tucson, a couple of U2 student pilots came out to learn to fly a tail-dragger in our 8KCAB Super Decathlon.
Being pilots, they sounded more excited by the Decathlon than the U2. Of course, you can't fly the U2 inverted...well, not for very long. ;)
Pat
My little brother was a commercial glider pilot and taught me a lot about stick and rudder flying. He often waxed lyrical about the U2.
Piloting a U2 required far better pilot skills than I was ever able to develop. (Private - Single Engine - Land). I don't know if the following is true about all U2 models built, but on the models he talked about two characteristics stuck vividly in my mind and had a very high pucker factor. For most of the flight the U2 is operated within 5 kts of it's stall speed and within 5 kts of its maximum speed. And it was such an efficient glider that with ground effect you could not land it without fully stalling the wing. Chase cars frequently paced it down the runway calling out wheel to ground distance.
I can see why the Decathlon was attractive. My brother frequently rented a Super Decathlon for aerobatics.
It's the bloke from Top Gear! (Hope they air that show in the US - you lot would love it!! :))
It's the bloke from Top Gear! (Hope they air that show in the US - you lot would love it!! :))
Yep, James May.
Here's a longer version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PmYItnlY5M&feature=player_embedded#
They do show the chase team talking him down but they don't show them installing the outriggers.
Notice that at 70,000' he's indicating 104kts. :eek: He lands at 76kts (dirty) so he could still do some climbing. ;)
Pat
Utah Bob
01-21-2010, 14:03
It's the bloke from Top Gear! (Hope they air that show in the US - you lot would love it!! :))
It's on BBC America. I never miss it. :D
Captain Slow in a U2, go figure, that'd be his kind of plane.
If you all don't recieve BBC America, you can find streams from the past seasons on streetfire.net, usually whole episodes.
mojaveman
01-21-2010, 19:42
Nice post,
I live about an hour from Edwards AFB and everytime I'm near there I'm fortunate enough to see something unusual flying around. You still see the U2 once in awhile.
HowardCohodas
01-21-2010, 20:01
Nice post,
I live about an hour from Edwards AFB and everytime I'm near there I'm fortunate enough to see something unusual flying around. You still see the U2 once in awhile.
Many years ago when the rocket test facility had one of my company's instruments, I had the occasion to be at the communication shack near the flight line fence. There I saw two planes "in the flesh" that I had only read about, the C5-A and a military version of a 747. I had never seen a T-tail airplane before and was staring up at the tail. I remarked to my escort that the horizontal stabilizer was pretty high. He said I really could not properly gauge it's height because I didn't have a good frame of reference. It turned out that I was staring up at the T-tails of airplanes that were 1/2 mile from my position. It wasn't until I toured a C5-A at an air show that I truly appreciated it's size.
My point is being around EAFB always provides views into our future for which we have no frame of reference.
mojaveman
01-21-2010, 20:29
My point is being around EAFB always provides views into our future for which we have no frame of reference.[/QUOTE]
Very true,
The B2 first started flying out there in the 90s. Without even looking into the sky you could tell when one was around because of the many cars that would be pulled over and parked on the side of the highway.