OZCUBAN Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 Hi all I think this has been posted before on the forum ,more than likely by me ,I never get tired of seeing this footage ,so thought we could revisit for the benefit of new members enjoy Cheers OZ A Ride in a U2 Spy Plane 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 Camaros — 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
#2 man Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 Wow !!! BAD ASS Oz ! Awesome !!I had no idea they flew that high great video thanks for sharing
strayvector Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 Great post. Saw the whole program a while back and the footage doesn't show how giddy James may was during the preparation for the flight.
mykeuva Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 You couldn't come up with a better journalist to take part in this. James May is great, glad he was given this opportunity.
warren516 Posted January 7, 2011 Posted January 7, 2011 That was awesome. When I was in the Air Force, I stationed in California where the U-2 and the SR-71 were based. It was incredible watching them take off, especially at dusk.
El Capitan Posted January 7, 2011 Posted January 7, 2011 Awesome stuff Oz! Now that's what I call perspective. "Airforce buys American" funny when the Pontiac GTO is a Holden Monaro built in Australia and rebadged as a Pontiac. But I guess Holden is a GM owned company so it still stacks up.
sandholm Posted January 7, 2011 Posted January 7, 2011 Hi That is not the complete movie, check this one out instead, You will also hear how they guide the plane in during landing (and a bit of "sport car" discussion also Jeremy Clarkson went up in a F15E (and he fly it...) and then James May (Mr U2 also Top Gear) goes up in a Harrier Jump Jet cheers
BlackFriar Posted January 8, 2011 Posted January 8, 2011 I wonder if they ever get too close with the chase car that the paint on the car begins to bubble?
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