Every landing of the U-2 spy plane has a car chasing it. The plane cruises above 70,000 feet, yet the Air Force calls it the most difficult plane to land.
So what does the driver do?
The Air Force long ago required chase cars driven by U-2 pilots to follow the plane for landings and talk the pilot through touchdown. The pilot sits in a pressure suit and fishbowl helmet with a limited view, and a 105-foot wingspan to keep off the ground. About two feet above the runway the pilot holds off until the plane stalls and drops onto the runway. The chase cars are muscle cars that reach landing speed from a standstill in roughly a quarter mile, run about three car lengths behind the tail and radio the plane’s height and roll angle. Every fact in this Short comes from the sources below.
SOURCES
S1 Popular Mechanics, Chasing the U-2 Spy Plane – In a Pontiac GTO, Sam Smith, 2012
S2 Los Angeles Times, New Camaros tear down runway to help U-2 spy planes land, W.J. Hennigan, 2012
S3 DVIDS video 940701, 9th Reconnaissance Wing, 2024
S4 DVIDS video 478042, Airman Magazine, 2016
S5 DVIDS video 444885, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, 2015
S6 DVIDS video 900993, 9th Reconnaissance Wing, 2023
Footage: U.S. Air Force / DVIDS (9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale AFB: videos 908150, 900993 and 157901), public domain; no endorsement implied.
Iron Cutaway opens up America’s military machines, the aircraft, ships and weapons, and shows how each part works and why it was built that way. Scripts draw on official records, manufacturer documentation and public technical sources. Every episode stands on its own, so start with any one.
#U2 #USAirForce #SpyPlane
source
Pressure suit, fishbowl helmet, 105-foot wings, a stall about two feet up. Would you land the U-2 or drive the chase car? Pilot or driver.
Sources: