Mythbusters U2 episode airing now on Science Channel

[AggieMike88]

set your DVRs.

Questions is "are these the most difficult aircraft to land?"

 

[ktup-flyer]

Nope. I'd say a scramjet is

 

[MAKG1]

A V-1 is truly difficult to land. None ever succeeded.

 

[Shepherd]

There are some epic videos on YouTube of U-2 landings. Worth the watch.

 

[ktup-flyer]

A V-1 is truly difficult to land. None ever succeeded.

"Landing-an act of returning to the ground or another surface after a flight" I guess technically everything is easy to land as long as it doesn't go into orbit, lol

 

[Hank S]

"Landing-an act of returning to the ground or another surface after a flight" I guess technically everything is easy to land as long as it doesn't go into orbit, lol

Unlike centuries of maritime activity, aviation has a perfect record--we haven't left one up there yet.

 

[mscard88]

Used to enjoy watching a U2 when I was stationed in Korea. Takeoff/climbout is amazing. Landing is tricky because of the bicycle-type landing gear in the fuselage and from what I understand visibility sucks when landing. They use a chase vehicle, think was a Camaro maybe, that another U2 pilot drives and gives altitude advice to the pilot, like 20 feet, 10 feet etc. I think when the U2 slows enough or stops they put the pogo gear out on the wing.

 

[MAKG1]

"Landing-an act of returning to the ground or another surface after a flight" I guess technically everything is easy to land as long as it doesn't go into orbit, lol

V-1s returned to the ground after flight. They were just never usable again after doing so.

 

[MAKG1]

Used to enjoy watching a U2 when I was stationed in Korea. Takeoff/climbout is amazing. Landing is tricky because of the bicycle-type landing gear in the fuselage and from what I understand visibility sucks when landing. They use a chase vehicle, think was a Camaro maybe, that another U2 pilot drives and gives altitude advice to the pilot, like 20 feet, 10 feet etc. I think when the U2 slows enough or stops they put the pogo gear out on the wing.

We use a Charger. You just need a fast car.

The pogos are for takeoff and taxi. On landing, they skid a wing tip at low speed like a glider.

 

[mscard88]

This was in '73 or '74, @ Osan, believe it was a Camaro and it may even have been an El Camino. I wasn't sure if they installed the pogos after landing or not, thanks for clearing that up.

 

[Velocity173]

Had them at Osan in '97 as well. Think they still have there.

 

[RotorDude]

Definitely no pogos on landing, like MAKG1 said.

 

[Sac Arrow]

I've seen lots of U2 takeoffs and landings at Beale. they look like oversized gliders when they land. Well I guess they are, sort of.

 

[mscard88]

Had them at Osan in '97 as well. Think they still have there.

Still there. Don't know if there's still one or more. Had one when it first came to Osan in '73 or '74. I was walking outside to the barracks at the end of the day and heard something above me, looked up and about crapped myself. It was a U2 arriving in the overhead and pretty darn quiet as it was essentially gliding w/ idle thrust. Especially when compared to F-4s in the overhead.

 

[Velocity173]

Still there. Don't know if there's still one or more. Had one when it first came to Osan in '73 or '74. I was walking outside to the barracks at the end of the day and heard something above me, looked up and about crapped myself. It was a U2 arriving in the overhead and pretty darn quiet as it was essentially gliding w/ idle thrust. Especially when compared to F-4s in the overhead.

Yeah they did like a high circle down when I was there. I was surprised how often they flew. No barracks for me though. A tent next to the Patriot battery.

I called that place "the land of a thousand smells."

 

[Timbeck2]

Definitely no pogos on landing, like MAKG1 said.

The pogos fall off upon take off. If they don't, they try to shake it off and it it still won't fall off it is an emergency and they have to come back and land. The U2 was/is a PITA for controllers especially in Osan, Korea or Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia with a single runway. All the barriers need to be taken down and all other traffic needs to be held until they can get off the runway. At Osan, we weren't allowed to say "U2" so we used "priority" instead. After years of using "priority" you would think that the North Koreans would have figured it out.

They always sent up a Lt. Col or above to act as SOF (supervisor of flying, usually a captain or major who sits up in the tower and runs emergency checklists with the pilots..not a controller) when the U2 landed so he could over-ride the current SOF if any landing priority situations existed.

Not a fan of the Dragon Lady.

 

[MAKG1]

The pogos fall off upon take off. If they don't, they try to shake it off and it it still won't fall off it is an emergency and they have to come back and land. The U2 was/is a PITA for controllers especially in Osan, Korea or Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia with a single runway. All the barriers need to be taken down and all other traffic needs to be held until they can get off the runway. At Osan, we weren't allowed to say "U2" so we used "priority" instead. After years of using "priority" you would think that the North Koreans would have figured it out.

They always sent up a Lt. Col or above to act as SOF (supervisor of flying, usually a captain or major who sits up in the tower and runs emergency checklists with the pilots..not a controller) when the U2 landed so he could over-ride the current SOF if any landing priority situations existed.

Not a fan of the Dragon Lady.

Bay TRACon used to close San Francisco Bay Area airspace when a U2 was taking off out of Moffett. Fortunately, it only took a few minutes for that monster to transit the airspace. By the time it was across the Bay, it would be at 30,000 feet over Oakland.

That crosses the usual final approach for SFO, and in good weather, the airliners usually perform tandem landings.

The U2s (now ER2s) were transferred to Edwards, then Palmdale, years ago.

 

[Pilawt]

Most difficult to land? My vote goes to the Convair XFY.

 

[mscard88]

At Osan, we weren't allowed to say "U2" so we used "priority" instead. After years of using "priority" you would think that the North Koreans would have figured it out.

My buddy and myself talking to a Col one day at Osan and there were 3 F-111s on the ramp, bright daylight big ramp. We asked what they were doing here. Col said, what F-111s, there's no F-111s here. Took the hint and we shut up.

 

[Pilawt]

I was flying near Palmdale some years ago, when Joshua Approach called out an F-111 as traffic. Must be very effective; never did see it.

 

[Timbeck2]

The F-111 had ashtrays. Really.

 

[mscard88]

Elephant Walk at Osan.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/mil...10s-and-f-16s-elephant-walk/?src=social-email

 

[mscard88]

The U2s (now ER2s) were transferred to Edwards, then Palmdale, years ago.

You sure they're not based at Beale AFB?
I just received the AFA Air Force Almanac issue and it says Beale w/ permanent forward worldwide locations.

 

[MAKG1]

You sure they're not based at Beale AFB?
I just received the AFA Air Force Almanac issue and it says Beale w/ permanent forward worldwide locations.

Not all U2s are Air Force. No USAF U2s were ever stationed at Moffett. It was a Navy base 25 years ago.

 

[Timbeck2]

Actually I don't know how many actual U2s there are anymore, most of them if not all are TR-1s/U2S.

 

[mscard88]

Not all U2s are Air Force.

NASA is the other operator but I don't know of anyone else. Do you have that info?

 

[creweite]

Used to enjoy watching a U2 when I was stationed in Korea. Takeoff/climbout is amazing. Landing is tricky because of the bicycle-type landing gear in the fuselage and from what I understand visibility sucks when landing. They use a chase vehicle, think was a Camaro maybe, that another U2 pilot drives and gives altitude advice to the pilot, like 20 feet, 10 feet etc. I think when the U2 slows enough or stops they put the pogo gear out on the wing.

 

[MAKG1]

NASA is the other operator but I don't know of anyone else. Do you have that info?

According to Wikipedia, operators are USAF, NASA, CIA, UK RAF and RoC AF. Only USAF and NASA are still current.

 

[mscard88]

Ahh forgot about the CIA. Gary Powers (Air Force) was working for the CIA when he was shot down. Who is RoC AF?

 

[creweite]

V-1s returned to the ground after flight. They were just never usable again after doing so.

There was a piloted version flown by Hanna Reisch. This one was in the Old Warden collection in the UK around fifty years ago!

 

[Hank S]

Ahh forgot about the CIA. Gary Powers (Air Force) was working for the CIA when he was shot down. Who is RoC AF?

Isn't Taiwan's full name the Republic of China?

 

[MAKG1]

Ahh forgot about the CIA. Gary Powers (Air Force) was working for the CIA when he was shot down. Who is RoC AF?

Taiwan.

 

[Luvrv8]

There are a couple civilian pilots that test fly them after rebuilds here in So Cal. I was able to talk to a retired U2 pilot at the ElCentro airshow, wish I could get the complete stories from him.

 

[ateamer]

Not all U2s are Air Force. No USAF U2s were ever stationed at Moffett. It was a Navy base 25 years ago.

I believe NASA Ames had a U-2 or whatever they called it based at Moffett. They also had a Harrier or two, painted white.

 

[Ted]

I met a retired U-2 pilot. He now flies a Lancair IV-P. Said he stalled it once. "It did a split s on me. After that, I put in an AoA indicator and decided not to stall it again."

 

[mscard88]

Actually I don't know how many actual U2s there are anymore, most of them if not all are TR-1s/U2S.

Were the DC-130s w/ drones there when you did your tour? Had them plus H-3 to recover the drone. That's all I say about it 'cause I really don't want to kill any POAers.

 

[Timbeck2]

Nope. I was there Jan 2001 - Jan 2002.

 

[Gucci Pilot]

"Most Difficult" is pretty subjective. From the looks of them it isn't easy. Especially being in a space suit. Got to ride in the chase car(Chevy Camero) a year ago. Pretty fun side job when you aren't flying! The chase cars they had when we did it were the Camero and the G8.