Noticed an interesting line in the U-2 robot email this morning: "New opportunities are emerging for U-2 pilot selects to PCS directly to overseas assignments after initial qualification training at Beale AFB." Any publicly-releasable details on that? I'm not in a position to apply right now, just curious.

“Free trip to Korea.”

Call the Chief of Recruiting:  DSN 368-4447.  

On October 3, 2017 at 11:24 PM, ThreeHoler said:

“Free trip to Korea.”

To the world's best squadron. Tied only with the other U-2 locations. Ask some of your KC-10 bros if they'd ever go back.

On 10/3/2017 at 9:57 PM, HuggyU2 said:

Call the Chief of Recruiting:  DSN 368-4447.  

Bring booze.

There are other places than Korea, at least there used to be. 

To the world's best squadron. Tied only with the other U-2 locations. Ask some of your KC-10 bros if they'd ever go back.

Didn’t say Korea was bad. It was just a free trip there. Or maybe Cyprus. Or that other sunny place.

I’ve been to all three and none of them are really bad.

2024... at least.  

 

USecAF_VCSAF_HAT_Rescission_Memo_19-Oct-17.pdf

5 hours ago, HuggyU2 said:

2024... at least.  

 

USecAF_VCSAF_HAT_Rescission_Memo_19-Oct-17.pdf

Well, sh1t...we do seem to have lost the touch about killing airplanes...

So 2023 we'll see another U-2 extension letter I assume.

4 hours ago, YoungnDumb said:

So 2023 we'll see another U-2 extension letter I assume.

You are wise beyond your years.  

On November 1, 2017 at 3:09 AM, brickhistory said:

Well, sh1t...we do seem to have lost the touch about killing airplanes...

Are you suggesting that one of the Air Force's measures of effectiveness should be its ability to successfully retire the U-2?

25 minutes ago, Majestik Møøse said:

Are you suggesting that one of the Air Force's measures of effectiveness should be its ability to successfully retire the U-2?

No.

USAF is supposed to provide air superiority, i.e., destroy enemy airplanes.

We can't even kill (off) our own. Therefore, can we still do that mission?

An attempt at ironic humor...

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2018/02/05/u-2-versus-global-hawk-why-drones-arent-always-the-best-solution-for-warfighters/#6175eb0c4d7e

 

someone is on your guys side

Making ISR great again

Just another day at the office...

The U-2 Spy Plane Is Still Flying Combat Missions 60 Years After Its Debut

Edited June 8, 20187 yr by AZwildcat

19 minutes ago, AZwildcat said:

Just another day at the office...

10/10 do want. Need hours. 

Just another day at the office...

The U-2 Spy Plane Is Still Flying Combat Missions 60 Years After Its Debut

Looks awesome. So excited to start!

Spoo approves. 

Just saw the Mythbusters episode of the U-2 flight a few years late. Really cool. If anyone hadn’t seen it, worth the time. Not sure I could do 6-9 hours in a space suit. Hats off to you guys.

There is a Top Gear episode where James May gets a U-2 flight as well that is pretty sweet.

I liked the Top Gear one better

12 hours ago, di1630 said:

Not sure I could do 6-9 hours in a space suit. Hats off to you guys.

The suit is definitely weird at first; you first fly with it on ride 8, and it feels like a brand new jet again. Like you’re in a cocoon and disconnected from the world. Then it becomes normal after a while and you don’t really think about it.  

The tolerance for this varies among U-2 guys. It seems proportional to your mass; some taller or wider guys complain a bit more about tired backs and shoulders. And some are totally ok, it differs from person to person. Go figure.

The good thing about the suit is that it was designed to accommodate an 8-10 hour single seat flight as well as could be expected given the constraints. The methods for eating, drinking, pissing, and temperature control are pretty well sorted. I’d guess that the 6-9hr missions that some fighter guys are doing in the desert can be less comfortable.

The worst part is being on the ground when it’s hot/humid. Cockpit starts to swelter pretty quick, and the suit air doesn’t get cooled on the ground. The U-2 doesn’t like being anywhere near the ground. It likes to go up. Once it’s going up, everything is as it should be.

New capabilities for the U-2:

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/22469/usaf-plans-to-test-a-system-called-symphony-inside-an-irascible-pod-on-a-u-2-spy-plane

That was a long article that stated absolutely zero.  

It did, however, make me look up "irascible".  So I got that going for me.

 

Which is nice.  

Edited July 29, 20187 yr by HuggyU2