Originally Posted by
hotshot
Very neat, but two questions:
1 Why do they chase it when it's landing?
2 Is the guy on the radio calling out "Two, two, one, two" the pilot giving his altitude?
1) on takeoff, attached to the wingtip are landing gear that drop at lift-off. on landing the U-2 is chased by a very fast vehicle (in Vietnam and Thailand it was an El Camino w/ a 396cu/in eng) and two fleet footed airmen who jump out, catch the wing before it drops and re-install the gear. note too the turned-down wingtips are frangible.
2) the U-2 w/ its bicycle gear is reportedly not easy to land and w/ the vis and in the space suit, it is difficult to estimate height in those last few feet so another U-2 driver in the fast car is calling height above touchdown.
In Thailand and out of Bien Hoa they would sweep the runway for debris prior to launch and on departure the U-2 would circle as it climbed to mission alt. you would watch this tiny black plane turn into just a black dot, see a few corkscrew contrails and then nothing. a few hours later it would come quietly drifting back in. it would have orbited some target areas giving wx reports and target info..
correction... they move the aux gear inboard ...
