A little levity

[INTJ]

Well there were (allegedly) a few with air to air refueling capability. This was never really pursued very far as the pilots endurance was fading quickly even after a non-refueled flight.

Additionally U-2's required a different jet fuel than other jet aircraft use due to their high altitude. Aside from security, the bases they flew from had to stock that fuel.
I can't imagine how much was going on in the pilots head all the time.

From personal experience I can tell you EXACTLY what goes in inside a USAF pilot's mind. So can @drano38 .........

 

[riflewoman]

Well there were (allegedly) a few with air to air refueling capability. This was never really pursued very far as the pilots endurance was fading quickly even after a non-refueled flight.

Additionally U-2's required a different jet fuel than other jet aircraft use due to their high altitude. Aside from security, the bases they flew from had to stock that fuel.
I can't imagine how much was going on in the pilots head all the time.

I’m not sure the U2, but the SR-71 did require JP7 and they had their own tanker support teams. So far as I know the U2 can burn JP8 even at altitude.

 

[Texas10]

How many of you folks knew that "Citabria" spelled backwards is airbatic.......

Yep. Years ago I made a business of buying old Citabria's and Decathlons and refurbishing them.

 

[Texas10]

As mentioned above, they are flown auto pilot about 95% of the time. I may have mentioned in passing that I have the flag and part of the wind screen of my son's plane that made a World Record weight altitude record.

Pretty sure they had relief tubes. It would just be a pain keeping the airplane within a few knots without autopilot for 12 hours

Pretty sure U2 pilots wore spacesuits and diapers, same as astronauts.

 

[INTJ]

Pretty sure U2 pilots wore spacesuits and diapers, same as astronauts.

Point being they had a way to pee....

 

[Texas10]

As my friend like to say, " you ain't lived until you've sat in a space suit for 12 hours with a poopy diaper"....LOL

 

[snakepit]

A B52 can land in a crab during a crosswind with the ability of the pilot to keep the landing gear pointed straight down the runway. Here is a video:

B-52 Makes High Crosswind Landing, But Not Like You'd Expect

Crosswind landings are a pretty standard maneuver (unless you're facing hurricane winds of course), and military, commercial and private pilots must know what they're doing when approaching a runway in such conditions. For a layman however, it could look and feel pretty scary if you're onboard, espe

worldwarwings.com

 

[Adam in WI]

As my friend like to say, " you ain't lived until you've sat in a space suit for 12 hours with a poopy diaper"....LOL

Bud Light in the sinus cavity feels great, thank you

 

[pdog2225]

A B52 can land in a crab during a crosswind with the ability of the pilot to keep the landing gear pointed straight down the runway. Here is a video:

B-52 Makes High Crosswind Landing, But Not Like You'd Expect

Crosswind landings are a pretty standard maneuver (unless you're facing hurricane winds of course), and military, commercial and private pilots must know what they're doing when approaching a runway in such conditions. For a layman however, it could look and feel pretty scary if you're onboard, espe

worldwarwings.com

I spent the year of 1976 in South Korea flying US Army UH-1 helicopters. During the summer I was headed south and requested permission from Osan Air Base to cross their extended on the east side. I was told to hold in a circular pattern 1 mile north. I did and did not see a reason for this but shortly a U2 was in sight for landing. Then two (2) chevy el caminos lined up on the end of the runway with an airman strapped to a roll bar. Just before the plane reached them they burnt rubber and caught up to the AC. Then they hooked one of those skinny little landing gears on the wings and then the plane slowed down and taxied off . We laughed our butts off at the show. I saw them take off a number of times and always the little wing gears fell off after they were airborne.

 

[jonbearman]

They are the hardest plane to land if I am not mistaken and any side draft causes a lot of what you saw because it is meant to fly not land. Landing from what every pilot ever described to me is a controlled crash.

 

[drano38]

A B52 can land in a crab during a crosswind with the ability of the pilot to keep the landing gear pointed straight down the runway. Here is a video:

B-52 Makes High Crosswind Landing, But Not Like You'd Expect

Crosswind landings are a pretty standard maneuver (unless you're facing hurricane winds of course), and military, commercial and private pilots must know what they're doing when approaching a runway in such conditions. For a layman however, it could look and feel pretty scary if you're onboard, espe

worldwarwings.com

Yep, the BUFF cannot do the wing low and crab technique to align the fuselage for landing -- the wing tip gear, fuel tank and outboard engine pod will hit the ground. So Boeing created the cross wind crab system to turn the front and rear trucks. I have almost 2,000 hours in the BUFF, and it was always weird rolling down the runway sideways. The most crab I ever set was an April Fools day coming home to Minot from Fairford England, landing in a blizzard.
Didn't realize one went to Scottland in '06. Must have been a Barksdale bird. Lots of crosswind on that video.

Awesome music to the U-2 video in post #1. Hours of boredom interrupted by seconds of shear terror. If their diaper wasn't full before those landings, I'm sure a few were after.

 

[Brians356]

As my friend like to say, " you ain't lived until you've sat in a space suit for 12 hours with a poopy diaper"....LOL

Go find the old interview of astronaut Jim Lovell (Apollo 13 Commander) on C-Span. It's fantastic. What a man, the perfect temperament to command in crisis. Anyway, he tells of setting an orbital endurance record of 14 days alongside Frank Borman in Gemini 7 in 1965. The Gemini capsule was unbelievably tiny. It was a testbed to prep techniques for Appllo, not for long trips. The two men were literally crammed shoulder to shoulder. Toilet functions were awkward, to say the least. Lovell joked Borman was no fun to be around longer than two minutes on the ground. And Borman dreaded having to poop so much that he didn't ... for 9 whole days. Finally Borman, chagrinned, announced "Well, Jim, this is it. I can't hold out any longer." Lovell looked at his chronograph and replied "Geez, Frank, are you sure? You only need to hold it five more days."
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[Brians356]

I may have mentioned in passing that I have the flag and part of the wind screen of my son's plane that made a World Record weight altitude record.

Which type did he set that record in?
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[centershot]

Very interesting topic!

 

[butchlambert]

Which type did he set that record in?
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The plaque on the windscreen says aircraft 80-1064. It says U2. They called them TR1 at some stage but it is back to U2.

 

[butchlambert]

I spent the year of 1976 in South Korea flying US Army UH-1 helicopters. During the summer I was headed south and requested permission from Osan Air Base to cross their extended on the east side. I was told to hold in a circular pattern 1 mile north. I did and did not see a reason for this but shortly a U2 was in sight for landing. Then two (2) chevy el caminos lined up on the end of the runway with an airman strapped to a roll bar. Just before the plane reached them they burnt rubber and caught up to the AC. Then they hooked one of those skinny little landing gears on the wings and then the plane slowed down and taxied off . We laughed our butts off at the show. I saw them take off a number of times and always the little wing gears fell off after they were airborne.

Chad was stationed 2 times at Osan. He learned to like Kimchi.

 

[okie]

Go find the old interview of astronaut Jim Lovell (Apollo 13 Commander) on C-Span. It's fantastic. What a man, the perfect temperament to command in crisis. Anyway, he tells of setting an orbital endurance record of 14 days alongside Frank Borman in Gemini 7 in 1965. The Gemini capsule was unbelievably tiny. It was a testbed to prep techniques for Appllo, not for long trips. The two men were literally crammed shoulder to shoulder. Toilet functions were awkward, to say the least. Lovell joked Borman was no fun to be around longer than two minutes on the ground. And Borman dreaded having to poop so much that he didn't ... for 9 whole days. Finally Borman, chagrinned, announced "Well, Jim, this is it. I can't hold out any longer." Lovell looked at his chronograph and replied "Geez, Frank, are you sure? You only need to hold it five more days."
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LMAO

 

[Brians356]

LMAO

Here's the James Lovell oral history interview from 1999. It's 90 minutes long, but worth every second. We need more men like Lovell.

James Lovell

Former NASA astronaut James Lovell talked about his life and career. He was a veteran of the Gemini and Apollo missions. In 1968 he was command module pilot on Apollo 8, the first NASA mission to orbit the moon. He was commander of Apollo 13 in 1970, a mission to land on the moon that was...

www.c-span.org

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[mike mccormick]

Sometimes for a chuckle, I will listen to Brian Shul's LA Speed Story. The SR-71 is a marvel

 

[TAJ45]

back in 66-68 Altus AFB was a SAC base with B-52's and a wing of fighters. this was during the cold war and there was always a group of bombers in the air and the fighters in the ready room at the end of the runway. my uncle was the circulation manager of the local paper and i would work summers running the papers in his old 62 ford falcon station wagon. i would take all the papers to the airbase machines outside the PX, commissary, bowling alley, etc. i was also allowed to take free ones down to the ready room. got so regular they would tell me to stop by and bring hamburgers, KFC, or pizza for them- they would tip me very well!!!! anyway one aft i was in the ready room and all of a sudden there was some scramble and confusion. they got word that a U2 was making an emergency landing. i had to stay in the room until it was on the ground. in about 10 minutes a B52 came in for landing. right on its tail was the U2 much to close for comfort. the B52 did a touch and go and the U2 landed and was towed directly into the hanger very quickly!!! quite the circus - they said the B52 would mask the U2 to hide it. they said when it took off it did the same thing, right on the tail of a B52
stan

Now that is interesting. A Buff creates a huge amount of turbulence so seems counter intuitive. Not at all "calling" you out - nope, not. I simply do not understand. I only have 22 hrs of stick time so not even anywhere near experienced or knowledgeable.