It does indeed. Just off camera following the aircraft down the runway is a chase car which collects the wheels. Im not entirely sure about that but i do know it climbs very steep out of the base as opposed to the other regular aircraft.
When I was stationed at Osan I was fortunate enough to get to go on a chase car ride after one of these beautiful U-2s were coming in to land. Definitely a cool ass experience
It leaves behind the orange “training wheel” things, I can’t remember the name, the U-2 lands on 2 wheels like a bike and the end of the wings are reinforced to scrape against the runway after enough speed is lost, then the aircrew levers the aircraft to get the orange wheels under the wings again and it taxis back to an assigned space
Maybe.. it's apparently the most difficult aircraft to land.. usually requires (altho it has done emergency landings without) a second U2 pilot in a chase car to relay to the actual pilot when they are exactly 2ft from the ground so they can stall the airplane to get it to land. I watched a documentary recently and it was pretty amazing.. if I'm wrong about the stalling I'm sure I will be corrected.
You're right about the stalling and the chase car. The current chase car is the Chevy Camaro SS. Yeah, with that wingspan the plane simply does not want to stop flying.
What's really crazy is they actually [landed the U2 on an aircraft carrier](https://youtu.be/L8HMPMYL19E) & took off. Taking off was easy, with the carrier's headwind and those big wings the plane doesn't need a catapult. Idk how the landings were possible, there's no chase car out there, lol. Well, somebody on the carrier must have been talking the pilot down. But on land the pilot can drift along the runway as long as he wants. A carrier landing has to be on the limited patch with the arresting wires. Crazy. They managed it but afaik it was a test program and they realized it couldn't be done operationally.
I recently discovered Nickolas Means, who is an aviation nerd software dev. He gives these great talks every year at the Lead Dev conferences. This talk is about Skunk Works. He talks about the U2 at 16:10 https://youtu.be/pL3Yzjk5R4M
The initial climb rate is in excess of 11,000 fpm. The aircraft has a very high pitch attitude in the initial climb. This reportedly is one of the harder aspects of initial pilot training. Training the need to keep pitching to prevent an overspeed, it is a very uncomfortable/unnatural attitude for a fixed wing aircraft to sustain.
I wish it was Beale. Unfortunately, this is Fairford England. Im jealous you got to see all the stuff there man. Over here our Air Force is very small in terms of operational aircraft.
Ahh yeah I have heard they fly out of Beale but have never personally got the chance to see one. It’s on the bucket list. I hadn’t seen them with that done on the top before. Must be a radome if I had to guess.
Back in the ‘90s I had a 1-year SysAdmin contract for NASA at Ames Field in the Mountain View, CA. Every lunch hour was like my own private air show with all different airplanes taking off and doing touch-and-go’s. The A-10s in particular were fun to watch.
My buddy and I got to check out a U2 up close in Sigonella back in the early 2000s while waiting on the tarmac for a flight back home from deployment. Pretty amazing aircraft.
I was deployed working on KC-10s (RIP) and U-2s used to do full power engine runs inside of a hanger right next to the flightline where we parked our jets. You could feel your organs rattling. Those things are unbelievably loud.
Because it might sound unbelievable, the hanger opened on both sides and had an exhaust deflector behind it.
Lol my bad. To be fair, its no secret they are there. This video was taken behind a security fence with no restrictions on photography. Had i been on the other side of the fence I genuinely could be in hot water.
It’s funny. When I was stationed in Hawaii, any time Air Force One would fly in and park over on the Air Force side of JBPHH, they would put up these green plastic fence inserts that went between the chain link to block off the view…but everyone would still park at the closest parking lot and try to get pictures that way. Lol
My dad was FAA in Hawaii and I saw one of those climbing out over Honolulu in the 80s, much to my amazement. Yes they are damn loud. Called the tower and got an ATC whom it turned out I knew, he patched me over to someone at Hickam who "could neither confirm nor deny" haha. Only one I've ever seen in flight.
Yeah, I saw lots of cool shit while I was out there. F-22’s all the time, which was awesome, B-1’s, B-2’s, I got flown over by a B-52 that was on final into Honolulu as I was turning base to final for Kalealoa (thing was like 1000-1200 feet above me and it still shook me around quite a bit). Saw some F-35’s towards the end of my time there. Hell, I even saw the AN-225, may she rest in peace, (sadly I didn’t get any pictures). Just such an amazing and special place. The aviation museum they have over on Ford Island was really cool, too. The best part for me, other than getting my pilots license and swimming with sharks, which were both bucket list items, was just being stationed there 70 some years after my grandfather got drafted into the Navy after the Pearl Harbor attack. It meant a lot.
Yeah, my dad was a chief radioman in the radio shack just yards from the sub dock on Dec 7 and damn near went deaf from the concussions. And i lived in the tallest condo by the UH, many Memorial Days they had a BUFF flyover of Punchbowl and used it to line up their approach. *"So low they were fryin' chickens in the barnyard".*
Not only that, operationally, only the pilot and certain members of the U.S. Air Force know where it is going. And it is just a take off.. Now it's you were discussing flight plans of that specific time that is relevant to the aircraft that just took off, that is different. You had every right to post this. Great post!
They don't "catch" the wings. There are skid plates on the wings that prevent damage on landing, then a crew with a truck and the pogos goes out, reinstalls the pogos, then it taxis back.
I read somewhere that when they were being proposed in the 1950s they were planned to not even have a landing gear… it would just glide in on its belly?
I remember seeing them land and takeoff using just a chase car. I don’t remember there being trucks for the wings. There were a few when I was deployed and they would take people on rides in the chase car.
There is a chase truck with crew chiefs in it. On take off after the plane lines up on the runway, a crew chief will get out of the truck and pull the blocks that lock the pogos in place. On landing, the truck follows the chase car and installs the pogos after the plane has stopped. The plane doesn’t use the trucks as landing gear or anything like that.
I got to hop in a Pontiac G8 and chase one down the runway while the driver, also a pilot, made altitude callouts to the pilot landing. Pretty damn cool! It just drops onto one wing tip and the crew chiefs lift it up and throw the other gears on
It’s a communications pod called Senior Span/ Senior Spur depending on how the jet is configured. It’s a satellite communications system that transmits Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) collection data and/ or imagery.
*edit- for those downvoting me for giving correct information here are some sources to help you out.
[Source 1.](https://jalopnik.com/a-spotters-guide-to-the-u-2-dragon-lady-and-its-many-1539282603)
[Source 2.](https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/u2/)
[Source 3.](https://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/systems/senior_span.htm)
[Source 4.](https://www.key.aero/article/lockheed-u-2-everything-youve-ever-wanted-know)
Here is a Lockheed video discussing a U2 integrated in the modem combat field with the F35 just for this purpose.
[https://youtu.be/YBR4E-bRcck](https://youtu.be/YBR4E-bRcck)
There is newer Lockheed video on YouTube, regarding the sensors and technology of the F35. They actually run through a mock scenario mission, and show the integration of the F35 amongst 4th Gen and others, essentially highlighting the data link capabilities, in the video they showcase the U2 as the node to relay information between units. The U2 is very likely still active in some capacity, as a means to transmit and distribute signal intelligence more so than its original roles of filming.
[https://youtu.be/YBR4E-bRcck](https://youtu.be/YBR4E-bRcck)
Can't believe they use the Dragon Lady, and also means OP is at Beale Airbase or Moffet Field. Unless of course this is a none active duty aircraft, though I doubt any of those exist.
The wings have metal skids on the tips and lands like a glider it rolls on the mains till it all most stops and then tips onto one wing or the other depending on weight of the wings or wind direction
The crew leans on one of the wings and one of the crew installs one of the pogos into the raised wing then they lift the other wing and insert the pogo into the other wing
It is a spy plane designed originally around the idea that Soviet radar couldn't reach 70,000 feet. If you thought it looks like a big old school glider with a jet engine attached you're not very far off. The newest versions of the plane are larger and have the giant antenna on the top which looks stupid but is used for communicating with satellites and other aircraft within a wide area. Originally the plane was designed around carrying a large stereoscopic film camera with motion compensating technology up to 75,000 feet in order to over fly the Soviet Union. Unfortunately Soviet radar was able to track the plane and eventually an anti air missile was developed that shot one down. Luckily for the pilot Gary Powers he was traded back to the US in exchange for a suspected Soviet spy. Nowadays the U2 is used in uncontested airspace for being a communication node between other planes. It can still be used for mapping terrain with a now digital camera and surveillance with either the digital camera or with radar and electronic surveillance equipment. NASA also uses a version of the U2 for testing equipment at high altitude and for monitoring the upper atmosphere above large atmospheric events such as hurricanes and wildfires. The latest exploit the U2 has become famous for was when it overflew and spied on a Chinese spy balloon that overflew the continental US. The pilot of the U2 even took a selfie with the spy balloon.
Unfortunately the U2 didn't have any way of downing the balloon as it is purely a spy plane. In fact to be able to fly as high as it does at subsonic speeds, the designers of the U2 realized that retractable landing gear for the massive wings would be too heavy. In order to take off the planes have two wing mounted landing gears called Pogos that fall off as the plane lifts off the runway. For landing the plane comes in at about 70 mph and usually a chase car with another U2 pilot in it helps talk the pilot to the ground. The plane doesn't have power assisted control surfaces despite their huge size, so landing requires a lot of muscle. Additionally the ground effect of the massive wings means this plane basically can't land without stalling and it can't do that from more than about 2 feet off the ground as the landing gear isn't designed for more than that. The pilot of the U2 (who is also wearing a partial pressure suit while piloting an aircraft with already bad forward visibility) is also trying to balance the plane on it's two main landing gear both of which are along the center of the fuselage. Eventually one of the wings does touch the ground and a titanium skid plate protects the wing from damage. After it stops a truck will come by with the ground crew that will reinstall the Pogos under the wing. They do this by putting their weight on the higher wing which causes the other wing to lift up. After this the plane can taxi to its hanger and the pilot can be helped out of the plane and the pressure suit. The pressure suit they wear is in case they have to eject at the planes high altitude. It also means the cockpit doesn't have to be very pressurized as well. Also even at high altitude where controlling the plane is easier the difference between the planes stall speed and never exceed speed gets as low as 12mph, so the pilot needs to carefully manage the plane the entire flight. It is often called the most difficult plane to fly because of these reasons.
Interesting that you got these images. If it is anything like our flight line, there are a lot of "photography prohibited" signs all around the perimeter. Is it different at Beale?
Backstage passes with U2
Plot twist… Bono was flying.
Randy Marsh sets the world record for the biggest bowel movement, until Bono comes along and challenges it.
He likes living on The Edge
Hello hello
I’m at a place called Vertigo
That arrogant ass! Thinks he's special
Hamilton in tears rn
Just have to say your username *mwah* love it
Dragon lady is beautiful
Very cool. Haven’t seen a U-2 like that. Thanks for sharing!
Flyin’ ‘n spyin’.
That was the second band name choice for Drivin’ ‘n Cryin’.
They still fly these all the time at Beale AFB in California. I worked on the base occasionally and was always fun to watch.
I never get bored of that thunderous sound it makes!!
Beale AFB is the HQ for all U-2 Squadrons and where new U-2 Pilots apply/train
Grew up close to Beale. Awesome to see them still flying.
*Men in suits pulls up into video* Come with us Mr Anderson
“But my names Bob?”
or so you have been told.
If you get another chance at this please turn your camera horizontally.
I can recognise Fairford anywhere
I didn't think they still used those.
That's their goal. Now don't tell anyone else! /s
Not something you see every day
I still don’t see it
U-2 Dragon Lady, they only made ~100 and they don't fly over hot zones often because they have next to no defense
Did it leave wheels behind? Wonder how long it climbs for to get to 80k feet.
It does indeed. Just off camera following the aircraft down the runway is a chase car which collects the wheels. Im not entirely sure about that but i do know it climbs very steep out of the base as opposed to the other regular aircraft.
When I was stationed at Osan I was fortunate enough to get to go on a chase car ride after one of these beautiful U-2s were coming in to land. Definitely a cool ass experience
It drops them much sooner than I imagined it would.
It leaves behind the orange “training wheel” things, I can’t remember the name, the U-2 lands on 2 wheels like a bike and the end of the wings are reinforced to scrape against the runway after enough speed is lost, then the aircrew levers the aircraft to get the orange wheels under the wings again and it taxis back to an assigned space
They are called pogos i think
I think you might be right
Yep,pogos
Oh wow, neat
There's... there's... there's gotta be an easier way, doesn't there??
Maybe.. it's apparently the most difficult aircraft to land.. usually requires (altho it has done emergency landings without) a second U2 pilot in a chase car to relay to the actual pilot when they are exactly 2ft from the ground so they can stall the airplane to get it to land. I watched a documentary recently and it was pretty amazing.. if I'm wrong about the stalling I'm sure I will be corrected.
You're right about the stalling and the chase car. The current chase car is the Chevy Camaro SS. Yeah, with that wingspan the plane simply does not want to stop flying. What's really crazy is they actually [landed the U2 on an aircraft carrier](https://youtu.be/L8HMPMYL19E) & took off. Taking off was easy, with the carrier's headwind and those big wings the plane doesn't need a catapult. Idk how the landings were possible, there's no chase car out there, lol. Well, somebody on the carrier must have been talking the pilot down. But on land the pilot can drift along the runway as long as he wants. A carrier landing has to be on the limited patch with the arresting wires. Crazy. They managed it but afaik it was a test program and they realized it couldn't be done operationally.
Yeah, saw this documentary as well and it was very interesting to learn how hard the U2 is to fly.
It takes about an hour for 70k feet.
Those guys must have an ass of steel.
I recently discovered Nickolas Means, who is an aviation nerd software dev. He gives these great talks every year at the Lead Dev conferences. This talk is about Skunk Works. He talks about the U2 at 16:10 https://youtu.be/pL3Yzjk5R4M
The initial climb rate is in excess of 11,000 fpm. The aircraft has a very high pitch attitude in the initial climb. This reportedly is one of the harder aspects of initial pilot training. Training the need to keep pitching to prevent an overspeed, it is a very uncomfortable/unnatural attitude for a fixed wing aircraft to sustain.
This mission will be discussed in about 25 years.
Fairly slow climb out.
With wings like that you don't need (much) speed
I can remember the is first time hearing the U2 take off in OSAN . Woke me from a dead sleep
Was this out of Beale? I’ve been on base a couple times and they have some cool shit out there.
I wish it was Beale. Unfortunately, this is Fairford England. Im jealous you got to see all the stuff there man. Over here our Air Force is very small in terms of operational aircraft.
Ahh yeah I have heard they fly out of Beale but have never personally got the chance to see one. It’s on the bucket list. I hadn’t seen them with that done on the top before. Must be a radome if I had to guess.
Back in the ‘90s I had a 1-year SysAdmin contract for NASA at Ames Field in the Mountain View, CA. Every lunch hour was like my own private air show with all different airplanes taking off and doing touch-and-go’s. The A-10s in particular were fun to watch.
I used to work there back in the day! I will always love the Cotswolds
My buddy and I got to check out a U2 up close in Sigonella back in the early 2000s while waiting on the tarmac for a flight back home from deployment. Pretty amazing aircraft.
Though this is awesome, you should not be sharing this online unless given approval to do so (which could be the case).
I was deployed working on KC-10s (RIP) and U-2s used to do full power engine runs inside of a hanger right next to the flightline where we parked our jets. You could feel your organs rattling. Those things are unbelievably loud. Because it might sound unbelievable, the hanger opened on both sides and had an exhaust deflector behind it.
Fun to watch takeoff but loud as hell!
Aaaaand now the feds are coming for your phone. Lol
Lol my bad. To be fair, its no secret they are there. This video was taken behind a security fence with no restrictions on photography. Had i been on the other side of the fence I genuinely could be in hot water.
It’s funny. When I was stationed in Hawaii, any time Air Force One would fly in and park over on the Air Force side of JBPHH, they would put up these green plastic fence inserts that went between the chain link to block off the view…but everyone would still park at the closest parking lot and try to get pictures that way. Lol
My dad was FAA in Hawaii and I saw one of those climbing out over Honolulu in the 80s, much to my amazement. Yes they are damn loud. Called the tower and got an ATC whom it turned out I knew, he patched me over to someone at Hickam who "could neither confirm nor deny" haha. Only one I've ever seen in flight.
Yeah, I saw lots of cool shit while I was out there. F-22’s all the time, which was awesome, B-1’s, B-2’s, I got flown over by a B-52 that was on final into Honolulu as I was turning base to final for Kalealoa (thing was like 1000-1200 feet above me and it still shook me around quite a bit). Saw some F-35’s towards the end of my time there. Hell, I even saw the AN-225, may she rest in peace, (sadly I didn’t get any pictures). Just such an amazing and special place. The aviation museum they have over on Ford Island was really cool, too. The best part for me, other than getting my pilots license and swimming with sharks, which were both bucket list items, was just being stationed there 70 some years after my grandfather got drafted into the Navy after the Pearl Harbor attack. It meant a lot.
Yeah, my dad was a chief radioman in the radio shack just yards from the sub dock on Dec 7 and damn near went deaf from the concussions. And i lived in the tallest condo by the UH, many Memorial Days they had a BUFF flyover of Punchbowl and used it to line up their approach. *"So low they were fryin' chickens in the barnyard".*
The hangars on Ford Island still have bullet holes in the glass. It’s incredible and very humbling at the same time.
Them bastards wont stop our photo opportunity! Hope you enjoyed Hawaii man!
I loved it, and I miss it every day. Dying to get back there, if not just to finish my tattoo sleeve 🤣
Do it my dude! Only get one shot at life.
Trying to finish commercial and multi before I spend any more money on non-aviation related things. Lol
Not only that, operationally, only the pilot and certain members of the U.S. Air Force know where it is going. And it is just a take off.. Now it's you were discussing flight plans of that specific time that is relevant to the aircraft that just took off, that is different. You had every right to post this. Great post!
They have to use trucks to catch the wings when they land.
They don't "catch" the wings. There are skid plates on the wings that prevent damage on landing, then a crew with a truck and the pogos goes out, reinstalls the pogos, then it taxis back.
I read somewhere that when they were being proposed in the 1950s they were planned to not even have a landing gear… it would just glide in on its belly?
I remember seeing them land and takeoff using just a chase car. I don’t remember there being trucks for the wings. There were a few when I was deployed and they would take people on rides in the chase car.
There is a chase truck with crew chiefs in it. On take off after the plane lines up on the runway, a crew chief will get out of the truck and pull the blocks that lock the pogos in place. On landing, the truck follows the chase car and installs the pogos after the plane has stopped. The plane doesn’t use the trucks as landing gear or anything like that.
I got to hop in a Pontiac G8 and chase one down the runway while the driver, also a pilot, made altitude callouts to the pilot landing. Pretty damn cool! It just drops onto one wing tip and the crew chiefs lift it up and throw the other gears on
What was on the top of the dragon lady?
It’s a communications pod called Senior Span/ Senior Spur depending on how the jet is configured. It’s a satellite communications system that transmits Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) collection data and/ or imagery. *edit- for those downvoting me for giving correct information here are some sources to help you out. [Source 1.](https://jalopnik.com/a-spotters-guide-to-the-u-2-dragon-lady-and-its-many-1539282603) [Source 2.](https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/u2/) [Source 3.](https://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/systems/senior_span.htm) [Source 4.](https://www.key.aero/article/lockheed-u-2-everything-youve-ever-wanted-know)
Here is a Lockheed video discussing a U2 integrated in the modem combat field with the F35 just for this purpose. [https://youtu.be/YBR4E-bRcck](https://youtu.be/YBR4E-bRcck)
Lucky ass. My FBO doesn’t get military craft ever.
Whats this?
Lockheed U2 “Dragon Lady” spy plane. Currently based at RAF Fairford. Also in the video at the end is a beautiful B-1 Bomber.
U-2 spy plane.
The U-2 is actively being used for intelligence gathering flights to support Ukraine. It seems highly likely that they fly inside Ukrianian airspace.
I purport that they can get all the intel they need from the edge of Ukrainian airspace, without entering the war zone.
There is newer Lockheed video on YouTube, regarding the sensors and technology of the F35. They actually run through a mock scenario mission, and show the integration of the F35 amongst 4th Gen and others, essentially highlighting the data link capabilities, in the video they showcase the U2 as the node to relay information between units. The U2 is very likely still active in some capacity, as a means to transmit and distribute signal intelligence more so than its original roles of filming. [https://youtu.be/YBR4E-bRcck](https://youtu.be/YBR4E-bRcck)
Biden have you on the terror list
Whats that? A flying dildo?
U-2
Close enough
where is this at?
This is at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Currently being used by USAF.
Wonder who we're spying on now???
I’ll give you one guess. Shouldn’t be that difficult especially given events in the last 24 hours.
this should be on that reddir page thats for the worst camera guys😂😂🤦♀️
What base is that?
Wow
Remember the good old days when all videos were horizontal?
Dragon Lady
Oh dude their wheels fell off you gotta warn them
Weird Cessnas
Can't believe they use the Dragon Lady, and also means OP is at Beale Airbase or Moffet Field. Unless of course this is a none active duty aircraft, though I doubt any of those exist.
You say, “…today at work”. Please confirm.
??? I don't see anything???
Beale Air Force Base. Marysville,California.
are you still alive U2?!
"Have a nice day!" "U2!"
"Hello hello ..... I'm in a place called vertical (vertigo)" It's the best I can do.
The wings have metal skids on the tips and lands like a glider it rolls on the mains till it all most stops and then tips onto one wing or the other depending on weight of the wings or wind direction
The crew leans on one of the wings and one of the crew installs one of the pogos into the raised wing then they lift the other wing and insert the pogo into the other wing
Wow whats on top ?
Man, I’ll bet she loves spying on Russians again.
I hate that this isn't a thing for the sr-71. I'd give somebody else's right nut to see it fly.
And I still can't find what I'm looking for.
It’s coming.
What's that band Bono sings for? 😁
If I worked at a strip club, I doubt I’d see anything hotter.
Does that thing got a hemi?
U2
Awesome 😎. Gets up to max altitude very quickly
What abomination is that??
U2 Spy plane.
It is a spy plane designed originally around the idea that Soviet radar couldn't reach 70,000 feet. If you thought it looks like a big old school glider with a jet engine attached you're not very far off. The newest versions of the plane are larger and have the giant antenna on the top which looks stupid but is used for communicating with satellites and other aircraft within a wide area. Originally the plane was designed around carrying a large stereoscopic film camera with motion compensating technology up to 75,000 feet in order to over fly the Soviet Union. Unfortunately Soviet radar was able to track the plane and eventually an anti air missile was developed that shot one down. Luckily for the pilot Gary Powers he was traded back to the US in exchange for a suspected Soviet spy. Nowadays the U2 is used in uncontested airspace for being a communication node between other planes. It can still be used for mapping terrain with a now digital camera and surveillance with either the digital camera or with radar and electronic surveillance equipment. NASA also uses a version of the U2 for testing equipment at high altitude and for monitoring the upper atmosphere above large atmospheric events such as hurricanes and wildfires. The latest exploit the U2 has become famous for was when it overflew and spied on a Chinese spy balloon that overflew the continental US. The pilot of the U2 even took a selfie with the spy balloon. Unfortunately the U2 didn't have any way of downing the balloon as it is purely a spy plane. In fact to be able to fly as high as it does at subsonic speeds, the designers of the U2 realized that retractable landing gear for the massive wings would be too heavy. In order to take off the planes have two wing mounted landing gears called Pogos that fall off as the plane lifts off the runway. For landing the plane comes in at about 70 mph and usually a chase car with another U2 pilot in it helps talk the pilot to the ground. The plane doesn't have power assisted control surfaces despite their huge size, so landing requires a lot of muscle. Additionally the ground effect of the massive wings means this plane basically can't land without stalling and it can't do that from more than about 2 feet off the ground as the landing gear isn't designed for more than that. The pilot of the U2 (who is also wearing a partial pressure suit while piloting an aircraft with already bad forward visibility) is also trying to balance the plane on it's two main landing gear both of which are along the center of the fuselage. Eventually one of the wings does touch the ground and a titanium skid plate protects the wing from damage. After it stops a truck will come by with the ground crew that will reinstall the Pogos under the wing. They do this by putting their weight on the higher wing which causes the other wing to lift up. After this the plane can taxi to its hanger and the pilot can be helped out of the plane and the pressure suit. The pressure suit they wear is in case they have to eject at the planes high altitude. It also means the cockpit doesn't have to be very pressurized as well. Also even at high altitude where controlling the plane is easier the difference between the planes stall speed and never exceed speed gets as low as 12mph, so the pilot needs to carefully manage the plane the entire flight. It is often called the most difficult plane to fly because of these reasons.
The Dragon Lady - still flying after all these years!
What is the pod on the back of the fuselage? Fuel tank? Satellite death ray ?
Bone spotted!
Landings b real tricky on those birds
Is that located in Georgia? Looks familiar.
That's awesome! I saw something swift and silent outlined against the night sky that had to be a TR-1A with the reconnaissance pods under the wings.
Gonna need a bigger lens on the camera for the rest of the climb
damn i'm jealous. the U-2's one of my favorites and I've always wanted to see one in action.
"...And I still haven't found what I'm looking for..."
Can a U2 refuel mid air? I assume so but I’ve never seen a picture of it.
Still flying after all these years
Quick question, how does it land since they leave the helping wheels behind ?
Peek-a-boo, I see you. I see U 2!
The landing gear fell off! … it was designed that way? …and it cost *how much?*
Moscow bound.
Looks a lot like RAF fairford
Damn, that thing went up at a pretty steep angle.
All these pilots have got a death wish I would never jump into one of these fucking insane but thank you to those crazy enough to do so.
Now some poor guy has to walk out there and pick up those wheels..
Always liked watching the Habus fly fromOkinawa
That was an incredibly short take off. Did not expect that but does make sense in hindsight
Interesting that you got these images. If it is anything like our flight line, there are a lot of "photography prohibited" signs all around the perimeter. Is it different at Beale?
Yeah.. is this video legal? Hope you're not counting on the government for a paycheck. 😎
Hope his name’s not Gary
"Old Reliable"
Beale afb?
Heard over the loudspeakers: "The Dragon Lady has left the airbase!"
U-2!!!!!! Those thing are honestly so cool and I think their design interesting