Trip on a U-2 spy plane

[Kathryn41 3,205]

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 high technology

Enjoy the ride!

Lockheed U-2

Take A Ride in a Spy Plane, Click the link 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.

http://www.wimp.com/...htakingfootage/

Edited November 18, 2010 by Kathryn41

[spookyturtle 9,465]

I saw this one before and I just watched it again now. It is still as powerful as the first time. Excellent video.

[slim 1,525]

What's really cool is seeing this in person. The Dragon Lady is still one of the sweetest planes we've got.

The stealths are neat and the fighters are bad@$$ - but true airpower comes from the old workhorses, the U-2, the B-52, C-130s and let's not forget the secret of America's air superiority, the 135s.

70 missions a month over Iraq and Afghanistan

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.

Read through this paragraph again and then draw a 300 mile circle around Iraq and Afghanistan and you'll see why we're doing 70 missions a month.

We're not sending those up to look for bin Laden.

[Ban Hammer 13,334]

i still like the sr-71 more

[spookyturtle 9,465]

i still like the sr-71 more

Me too. That was an incredible plane.

[slim 1,525]

i still like the sr-71 more

All that @$$ to take 3 pictures. Wow.

Typical "clandestine" ops. HUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuge tax-payer supported budget that accomplished next to nothing.

Edited to add - Kind of like what we do today by sending up all these aircraft when we could just use Google Earth.

Edited November 20, 2010 by slim

[Eveline 9]

seen this video about two weeks ago and my three year old decided then to become an astronaut. He's been asking me ever since if he's finally big enough and smart enough to go to space now.

It's fascinating. I have no words for it...just wow.