MKopack Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 The Lady Endures by 2nd Lt. Kidron B. Vestal Chief of Public Affairs, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing 10/19/2009 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The year was 1968. The Tet Offensive began in Vietnam. Simon & Garfunkel premiered the soundtrack to The Graduate. Martin Luther King 'had a dream.' The U.S. Air Force had a vision. The plane known as the U-2 Dragon Lady, Aircraft No. 068-0337, came on board to offer strategic, aerial capabilities equal to none. She exceeded her 25,000th hour of flight Oct. 18, 2009, in a mission out of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia. America's premier, high-altitude intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance plane is the second U-2 to reach this milestone. Aircraft No. 068-0329 clocked a quarter of 100,000 hours Apr. 4, 2009, also of the 380th AEW. These two are the first of 33 U-2 airframes worldwide to achieve this feat. The plane, with a wingspan of 105 feet, is maintained by military members and civilian contractors. Many elements come together on this piece of equipment, manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Superintendents help oversee the maintenance operations of their dedicated crew chiefs, and assistant dedicated crew chiefs, who care for the plane as though she were their own. "Every day, they come to work knowing they are responsible for the most critical high-altitude intelligence asset in the world, and they are dedicated to ensuring every mission is delivered on time and ready for the fight," said Capt. Vaughan Whited, 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron officer-in-charge. This celebrated plane has overcome much in its 41 years. Over the course of Aircraft No. 0337's life, she has bellied in three times, each requiring a major overhaul. Captain Whited said, "The technicians and contractors continue to synergize their best maintenance practices in order to ensure she keeps flying strong." The plane's design is accommodating for the ISR mission, not necessarily for an ease in maintenance. This makes No. 0337's achievement even more remarkable. Tech. Sgt. Dave Wright, 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron expeditor, says the airframe is more labor-intensive than others, given its age and the changes in technology over time. When designed, some things were not considered, he said. "Most aircraft have access panels and a hydraulic system that is easily accessible. The U-2 does not," said Sergeant Wright. While this might appear as a blunder, there may be a good explanation. Col. Ricky R. Murphy, 380th Expeditionary Maintenance Group commander, said, "The U-2 is unique in that to maximize combat capability, there's no redundancy in the primary systems on the aircraft...as to minimize weight and maximize loiter time over the area of operations." There are various platforms of ISR systems, with cameras that capture the broadest, most in-depth imagery of anything out there, said Captain Whited. Because of their maintenance, the systems are, "Consistently reliable every time," said Colonel Murphy. Ten thousand five-hundred feet of Kodak film is used on the weapon system, in addition to digital and satellite documentation. Artistry for this airframe is not limited to such imagery, however. Staff Sgt.'s Jason A. Ortiz and Michael L. McVey, 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, sketched with chalk symbolic designs on the airframe, prior to the flight. Consistency was a highlight of the day, echoed by Chief Master Sgt.'s William K. Renner and David E. McGuigan, 380th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron (Chief McGuigan, Group). "Looking at it long-term shows you how you have consistent maintenance practices over time," said both gentlemen near-simultaneously. Four decades of 'getting it right' led us to Oct. 18, 2009. Success did not come by accident. Every factor for attention is considered, even for the operator. Given the aerial elements that the pilot will face at 70,000 feet, Lt. Col. Robert B. Wehner, 380th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, received pure oxygen for one whole hour prior to flight. Thus, his pre-flight inspection was executed by another pilot, as is the practice for every U-2 mission. "There is a huge amount of trust there for a pilot, between the maintainers and other pilots," said Captain Whited. Even with the layered workload, he continued, "Many have said the U-2 is the most demanding and rewarding aircraft anyone could fly." The Dragon Lady was once assigned to the CIA, and flew special operations worldwide. After a reassignment to the Air Force, the U-2 was present for every major allied contingency to date. She is used for diverse missions as well, including the mapping of wildfires in California and providing oversight to the Counter Drug War in Panama years back. Over the years, the wingspan grew, the cockpit was upgraded, and the engine became more fuel-efficient. Other than that, the plane is the same as it was when embraced by the Air Force. For the pilot who flew the Dragon Lady into its honored status, Colonel Wehner said, "If that airplane feels as good as I do, I guess that's a good thing for both being 41 years old." The men and women of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing support Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa. SOUTHWEST ASIA—Lt. Col. Robert B. Wehner, 380th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, piloted the U-2 Dragon Lady in a milestone mission Oct. 18, 2009. Aircraft No. 068-0337 clocked its 25,000th hour of flight, after 41 years of faithful Air Force service. Maintainers of the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron honored the pilot with an engraved commemoration. (U.S. Air Force Photo by 2nd Lt. Kidron B. Vestal) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
338skybolt Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Good article and amazing accomplishment! I was an EW tech. thrown into the datalink operator role at Osan. Enjoyed working the mission with the U-2 pilots, a good bunch of men and women. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WheelzUp Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Crazy to think that she will keep flying for a number of years yet! Here's to Kelly Johnson and the Skunkworks. Hail Dragons! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoo Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Crazy to think that she will keep flying for a number of years yet! Here's to Kelly Johnson and the Skunkworks. Hail Dragons! Hail Dragons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuggyU2 Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 (edited) Hail Dragons! Edited October 21, 2009 by Huggyu2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuma Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Hail Dragons! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky_king Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 2.85 years of flight time. That's impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Day Man Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 SrA Saiz looks like he's 12 yrs old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runnerdm6 Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I have a question for all of the Dragon Lady pilots out there. I know the topic of just how much longer the U-2 will be in service has been debated a lot, and from reading the threads, along with google searches, it seems to be the answer is "for a while longer," as the Global Hawk isn't capable of fully replacing it yet. I know "for a while" can mean a lot of different things, but do you think that it will be in long enough that a person who is entering UPT right now will ever have the opportunity to fly it? (Yes, I know you can't go to it right out of UPT due to the numerous requirements to apply) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuma Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I have a question for all of the Dragon Lady pilots out there. I know the topic of just how much longer the U-2 will be in service has been debated a lot, and from reading the threads, along with google searches, it seems to be the answer is "for a while longer," as the Global Hawk isn't capable of fully replacing it yet. I know "for a while" can mean a lot of different things, but do you think that it will be in long enough that a person who is entering UPT right now will ever have the opportunity to fly it? (Yes, I know you can't go to it right out of UPT due to the numerous requirements to apply) Runner- My answer is yes. You can expect UPT to take you 1 year. After UPT, you can expect 2-3 years before you meet the minimums to apply. So, will the Dragon Lady be around in 2013? I absolutely think so. The first thing that they will shut down is the FTU (training squadron) and the PDM (Depot maintenance). Once they do that, the program is unsustainable and it will close about 2 years later. Everyday we hear about another extension. I've heard everything from 2012 to 2020. Right now, we know that we are fully funded through 2012. There are lots of rumors that we can expect full funding through 2014, but it is just that...rumor. Nobody can tell you for sure until the U-2 is in the POM or the APOM, but the desire for us to stay (from COCOM level) is strong. We are in an ISR-centric war right now. For you, concentrate on UPT. Do well enough (and time it well enough) to get the mission you want. Build time and experience and if the U-2 program is around when you're looking...then check us out. Good luck- Kuma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoo Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Kudos to Kuma...sorry, just wanted to write that. That was probably the most accurate answer and best advice you could get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RazorB Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Hail Dragons! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uhhello Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Was the aircraft "chalk" job a one off for the flight or is that for the duration of the deployment. Asking because my 15c was the first true C model to reach 7,000 hours and we had one of our chiefs do a damn fine eagle chalk job on the nose but as soon as leadership saw it, we had to spray it down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nasty2004 Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 I don't know how many KC-10s don't have 25K hours, but I don't think it's many. The oldest one is also 11 years younger than this jet, so I sort of fail to grasp the newsworthiness of this story. Not to take anything away from the U-2 or it's pilots...nothing but love for you guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead Last Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I don't know how many KC-10s don't have 25K hours, but I don't think it's many. The oldest one is also 11 years younger than this jet, so I sort of fail to grasp the newsworthiness of this story. Not to take anything away from the U-2 or it's pilots...nothing but love for you guys! Your average airliner was designed for twice as many hours in 20ish years. 25k hours for an aircraft in such a harsh environment is pretty awesome. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nasty2004 Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Your average airliner was designed for twice as many hours in 20ish years. 25k hours for an aircraft in such a harsh environment is pretty awesome. Cheers Good point about the operating environment...hadn't thought about it like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoo Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 (edited) It's all relative. 25K hours on a KC-10, 25K hours on a T-38, 25K hours on an A-10, 25K hours on a U-2, 25K hours on an F-22, 25K on a C-130... All different animals. Think hours airborne, G's pulled, gross weight, touch 'n go's, altitude, pressurizing, depressurizing, cargo, no cargo, employing ordinance, length of the average sortie, etc... Edited October 24, 2009 by Spoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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