Remembering the Dragon Lady
#22
#24
New Hire
Joined APC: Nov 2013
Posts: 5
The Sky Still Burns in Your Memory -U-2 story
With no stall strips, no functioning autopilot, and an airspeed tolerance of only three knots, even a small deviation in temperature or turbulence can quickly put the U-2C in an out-of-control situation. That morning, 40 miles south of Key West, ground radar following the mission watched in horror as the U-2C plunged almost vertically and disappeared from radar. Within eight minutes, search and rescue aircraft spotted an oil slick at the location the plane disappeared from radar. Ten days of extensive search and rescue ensued, and the wreckage was salvaged from beneath 100 feet of the Gulf of Mexico water. Hope remained alive for a long time because the survival gear was found, and it appeared that the pilot had departed the aircraft. Maybe, just maybe, the pilot would be found floating, alive, in in the water somewhere. With each ticking hour, then days, hope diminished until the search had to be terminated. The body of the pilot was never found.
The pilot of that U-2C that day was my father, Captain Joe Hyde, Jr. He was only 33 years-old when he died.
Full story
The pilot of that U-2C that day was my father, Captain Joe Hyde, Jr. He was only 33 years-old when he died.
Full story
#25
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4080th_...naissance_Wing
In the late 1950s the wing had two aircraft - the RB- 57D and the U-2. Many of the RB-57D pilots like "Red Dog" Campbell transitioned into the RB-57F at Kirtland AFB where he was my "ops officer." . They retained their friendships with the U-2 family and I have copies of correspondence between Red Dog and Pat Halloran regarding the RB-57F loss over the Black Sea in December on Dec 14, 1965.
I will drink a toast tonight to Red Dog, Joe Hyde, and the many other "pressure suit" flyers that have gone before us. There is a new book about to be published "Stratonauts" which will chronicle many of their accomplishments.
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