The Amazing Lockheed U-2 Spy Plane. " The Dragon Lady "

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• published: 05 Jan 2016
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The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "Dragon Lady", is a single jet engine, ultra-high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day and night, very high-altitude (70,000 feet 21,000 m), all-weather intelligence gathering. The U-2 has also been used for electronic sensor research, satellite calibration, and communications purposes. The design that gives the U-2 its remarkable performance also makes it a difficult aircraft to fly. It was designed and manufactured for minimum airframe weight, which results in an aircraft with little margin for error. To maintain their operational ceiling of 70,000 feet (21,000 m), the early U-2A and U-2C models had to fly very near their never-exceed speed. The margin between that maximum speed and the stall speed at that altitude was only 10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h). This narrow window is called the "coffin corner" because breaching either limit would likely cause airflow separation at the wings or tail. For most of the time on a typical mission the U-2 was flying less than five knots above stall speed. A stall would cause a loss of altitude, possibly leading to detection and overstress of the airframe. The U-2's flight controls are designed for high-altitude flight, the controls require light control inputs at operational altitude. However, at lower altitudes, the higher air density and lack of a power assisted control system makes the aircraft very difficult to fly. Control inputs must be extreme to achieve the desired response, and a great deal of physical strength is needed to operate the controls in this manner. The U-2 is very sensitive to crosswinds, which, together with its tendency to float over the runway, makes the aircraft notoriously difficult to land. As it approaches the runway, the cushion of air provided by the high-lift wings in ground effect is so pronounced that the U-2 will not land unless the wing is fully stalled. A landing U-2 is accompanied on the ground by a chase car and an assisting U-2 pilot calling off the angles and decreasing aircraft height as the aircraft descends. The USAF needed a fast car to keep up with the U-2 upon landing. Chase cars have included Ford Mustangs, Chevrolet Camaro SSs, Pontiac GTOs, Pontiac G8 GTs, and Dodge Chargers. Instead of the typical tricycle landing gear, the U-2 uses a bicycle configuration with a forward set of main wheels located just behind the cockpit, and a rear set of main wheels located behind the engine. The rear wheels are coupled to the rudder to provide steering during taxiing. To maintain balance while taxiing, two auxiliary wheels, called "pogos" are added for takeoff. These fit into sockets underneath each wing at about mid-span, and fall off during takeoff. To protect the wings during landing, each wingtip has a titanium skid. After the U-2 comes to a halt, the ground crew re-installs the pogos one wing at a time, then the aircraft taxis to parking. Because of the high operating altitude and the cockpit's partial pressurization, equivalent to 28,000 feet pressure altitude, the pilot wears a partially pressurized space suit, which delivers the pilot's oxygen supply and provides emergency protection in case cabin pressure is lost. The need for chase cars is not to impress our allies and adversaries for the rad spectacle that comes from this. This is a necessity as this is one of the hardest aircraft to land. The aircraft has a landing gear bicycle configuration and its massive wings creates a ground effect that creates a cushion of air under the aircraft; which it prevents the aircraft from landing. Because of this, the aircraft had to purposely stall, or lose lift in its wings, in order to land. There's also the problem of a lack of visibility in the cockpit. Because of this, the pilot needs an extra set of eyes to guide them by radio in landing the aircraft. Because of this, the extra set of eyes is another U-2 pilot sitting in a souped up car following behind the spyplane. The Lockheed Skunkworks division concocted this jet that had a large glider-like wingspan to allow it to gain lift in the thin air up at 70,000 feet. " New videos uploaded on Tuesdays! "