Incredible insight!
Did you get your degree in Moral Theology?
Mmmm... no,... it doesn't appear that you did.
Hopefully, you fly aircraft better than you throw out moral opinions.
Not so much a function of the "heaviness", but more along the lines of needing a large throw. The yoke rotates 120 degrees.
If the aircraft were designed today, it wouldn't look anything like a U-2 , since the current U-2 fails all the test pilot evaluations on the Cooper-Harper scale. But if everything remained the same, a standard stick would not work. That's why we have the yoke.
They also put a deflector-cage in front of the tail wheel and on the wingtips to keep them from snagging the the cable.
Additionally, the flaps could be lowered to 50 degrees, vice the normal 35 degree max setting. That added a lot of extra drag, and gave the power response they needed.
That is not a U-2G. That is a U-2R, which is much larger... the same airframe being flown today.
The U-2G was a modified U-2C model. You are correct that the U-2G flew a couple of operational sorties, watching the French set of nukes in the Pacific.
The U-2R never flew operationally off of the carrier.
While you may not be overly impressed with Steve Fossett like I am, your lack of class and disrespect toward someone who gave a ton to aviation,... and was a great guy at the same time,... is disappointing.
Bingo! I'm out! Leveling at FL700 and RTB.
Need to get home to my daughter,... and remind her to stay away from the internet in general,... and baseops.net in particular.
I'm speechless.
Maybe it was the idea of the "coded information inside".
Proving once again that talk shows are what will enlighten America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVr1hRjbKvQ
Odd request here,...
If anyone has a copy of AFR 35-10, ACC Sup, from back in the 1990's, please let me know.
I need some info out of it.
It might even be in 36-2903, ACC Sup shortly after they changed it to the 36- series.