Lockheed U-2 Aircraft

[Keyboards'Fear]

I watched a Mythbusters episode yesterday, and the main topic was the hardest aircraft to fly. It was all about the U-2 aircraft really, and before watching that I had (shamefully) never knew it existed.

What an incredible episode, but more so incredible aircraft!

An ultra-high altitude reconnaissance plane that operates at 70 000ft, over twice the hight of commercial airliners.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_U-2

The pilots have to wear pressurised suits, pretty much space suits, and have to go through an massive amount of training before being able to even just sit in the thing.

The fuel is kept in the wings, making them super heavy, so heavy in fact that they can't even support their own load, and need castor wheels attached to the wings that detach on take-off. And the planes wheel configuration is like none other, with just a set below the cockpit and a set to the rear just below the engine in a bicycle configuration, so is notoriously difficult to land.

When landing the pilot has little visibility on seeing the runway, so there has to be a chase vehicle driven by a trained U-2 pilot who will guide him on his landing.

The pilots usually spend about 12 hours at 70 000ft gathering intelligence, which is amazing for both pilot and aircraft when you think of it.

Anyway, enough of that. I'm sure all you aircraft fans know what it's all about

In the episode though, Adam, that geek with glasses actually gets to fly in the plane (after lots and lots of training, which is awesome to see) and they fly up to 70 000ft, you can see the blackness of space so easily as it's almost the top of earth's atmosphere really lucky *******.
The best bit is the take-off though, the plane takes off after a very short time of accelerating, and rises at an incredibly steep rate in a circular motion.

Basically that episode just wowed me and introduced me to a spectacular machine. And induced horrible jealousy

I know the SR-71 went higher, and faster, but not for sustained times like the U-2.

Just watch the episode if you can, I won't link the YouTube vid as it's sort of copyright infringement, but I can't stop you searching

And yes there's not much point to this thread, just only hoping to introduce people to the U-2 like I was

EDIT: Sorry Surveyor, I thought Imgur had done it. Fixed now (1080p width too much?) Hopefully fixed now, Really sorry

Third time's a charm

 

[Keyboards'Fear]

Awesome vids, thanks Harry I would honestly give both my testicles and a kidney to fly in one of those things

 

[Keyboards'Fear]

Both the U2 and SR71 are two of the most fantastic aircraft ever made. Both strategic reconnaissance, although in slightly different roles. Both required essentially astronaut selection to even get into the training program. The first couple of flights the Space Shuttle did actually had NASA borrow some U2 and SR71 suits for the crew as they hadn't got any of their own at that time.

Borrow *or take out a loan and buy as they really ain't cheap* a couple of books called Sled Driver and The Untouchables by Brian Shul.

He's a former SR71 pilot and a extremely nice chap. Spent a couple of hours with him at his soon to open gallery in California. He's also a superb photographer and writer. Some of the stories he has about flying at Mach 3.5+ at 70'000ft+ are amazing.

SR-71 (Blackbird ) is pretty much my favourite aircraft ever, it looks amazing and it did impossible things. But by god it still looks more modern and scientific (almost alien) than anything else today.

It's just something with the U-2, it's design (50yrs old) and everything else involved, that has truly captured my spirit. That's why I had to start this thread. People need to know about this aircraft

 

[Keyboards'Fear]

1080p most commonly is 1920x1080 1080p being height and 1920width

Thanks for that, yea I see where I was going wrong. Was editing the wrong part in Imgur. I will remember for future and give Surveyor a rest, once again I apologise. All sorted now thankfully Apart from that red card which is actually a nice touch

 

[Keyboards'Fear]

To all those that told me to watch James May's show, it's pretty much exactly what I watched on Mythbusters, but doesn't show the things they did. Watch both if you haven't, you will feel something. Mythbusters shows more, but James May presents it best.

Anyway it's incredible that this was started 50 years ago, and as Rroff has said, it truly is sad we are not doing the impossible anymore.

That's why these incredible machines from the past are something to admire, and why they are still going

 

[Keyboards'Fear]

One of the saddest things about the improvement in orbital tech, and the end of the cold was is that we no longer need the likes of the u2 to get the images, and there is no longer the push of that sort of tech at the same rate there was

It's sad to think that we've basically given up on anything other than LEO for manned missions, and we've effectively dropped back about 30-50 years on some aspects of aircraft flight.

There is/was something awe inspiring about the likes of the strategic reconnaissance and other state of the art aircraft designed around that era, the U2, SR1, Vulcan, Concorde and Shuttle, now we don't seem to have anything that is so oddly beautiful and powerful looking as aircraft.

Satellites with super extreme digital photographic capabilities. No manned aircraft will be as cheap as those unfortunately. Technology has risen so much that we don't need a human to do those sorts of reconnaissance anymore. And it's sad, as said above because of that we are doing things more cost effective, and scrapping human capabilities.

We accomplish the same task cheaply, but sacrificing the outreach of our human capabilities.
We aim to do things better, but without a human involved it means we're actually gaining nothing, just going backwards in a way

 

[Keyboards'Fear]

^^^ Awesome vid Cosimo, love the takeoff of that thing. Such a short acceleration time before lift-off it's almost unbelievable.

You really are the man for posting incredible stuff (bows down to you)

Falling more and more in love with the U-2 every page

 

[Keyboards'Fear]

I don't know how many of you have tried Experience Japan on the Oculus Rift, or anything else like that, but it's incredible what can we done.

My point, they NEED to do this with flying in all these aircraft!

I watched this vid yesterday flying in the MiG-29 which is a brilliant video I highly recommend watching.

Imagine experiencing the full video with the Rift and free movement to look around the cockpit, and using that same music they used which I felt made it even more amazing.

Good news is I mentioned it on their site and they said "Will be done beginning in next year" with little winky smile face.

I truly do hope they make many of these experiences