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U-2 Dragonlady info


Guest thebronze

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Huggy, tried to PM you but it didn't work...The slides yesterday had a big red block next to the U-2, according to the Air Ops and Static Display POCs they said it was a no-go...no idea where that is coming from.

I'll come drink with you guys any time!

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Huggy...WTF, over????!?!?!??!?!!!!!!!!!

Don't sweat it Kuma, he's just trying to make himself look good.

Edited by Spoo
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Yeah, the MC-12 definitely does appeal to me, and from what I've read, deployment schedules would be somewhat similar to the U-2. I like the idea of watching terrorists get their butts kicked and I like the idea of flying...both at the same time, perfect.

Seems like most C-21 guys right now leave their first tour with about 1000hrs. That said, we have a guy right now pushing 1,500 with a couple months left in his tour. I figure that MC-12 8-10months could give me that extra 300hr boost to get to 1,300 and like you said, it has the extra perk of being at Beale for a short time to see what the U-2 life is like. Believe me, I'm flying Saturdays and volunteering for the boring Andrews/Maxwell runs to build those hours and get better, the rest is up to luck/money/grace/big blue/etc. Standard stuff.

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  • 2 weeks later...
why'd the U-2 cancel out of the DM Open House? Weak.

Well, stract, your "intuition" was correct.

We will not be bringing a U-2 to D-M.

However, we will probably bring a T-38A (not that piece-of-FOD C-model), and an MC-12... no promises yet, though.

Go buy a lottery ticket... you knew more than I did.

Edited by Huggyu2
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I figure that MC-12 8-10months could give me that extra 300hr boost to get to 1,300 and like you said, it has the extra perk of being at Beale for a short time to see what the U-2 life is like.

500-600 hr boost. Let me know if you decide to come our way! Huggy, when are we going to get together for a beer? Was good seeing you yesterday at the 489th.

Edited by LL Windshear
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Well, stract, your "intuition" was correct.

We will not be bringing a U-2 to D-M.

However, we will probably bring a T-38A (not that piece-of-FOD C-model), and an MC-12... no promises yet, though.

Go buy a lottery ticket... you knew more than I did.

I'll mention this to the static display POC and see what the magic 8 ball sez next... ;)

Assuming you will be in the T-38A, look me up when you get here!

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Not necessarily "the best", but have you read "The Black Watch" by Ernie Gann?

The events are true, and everyone in there except the main character are "real people".

Good read, thanks for the recommendation. Gotta say though....your squadron parties don't sound like much fun.

Any other books you'd recommend? An old commander lent me some years back that I liked. But I can't remember what any of them were.

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http://www.airspacem...html?c=y&page=3

is this as big an issue still today as the author makes it out to be?

Yes, its still a big issue (in that it is still a real hazard) and any serious bends case can be critical-to-fatal. However, they watch it pretty closely, and the ultimate solution...increasing the cabin pressure (decreasing the ambient cockpit "altitude")...is finally being addressed by an airframe modification which will allow a higher cockpit pressure to reduce/eliminate the major cause of "bends" during flight. I'm told the AF has already funded the mods for the first batch of aircraft and the rest should get the mod over the next few years. Once they get the cabin pressure into the teens vs.30s the problem should be largely eliminated.

As to why the sudden increase in problems over the last decade, I think it had to do with increasing degrees of fatigue and stress. Based on what I've been told about the way the crews have been scheduled (more deployments per year, less time between sorties, more long sorties, etc.) I think the scheduling policies we used for decades were relaxed too much and as you spent more time deployed and flying, fatigue began building up. Combining lots of time away from home (added stress) and lots of long sorties at high altitude with limited rest and recovery (fatigue) is a classic set-up for the bends.

My personal solution (after many minor probable bends cases and finally a serious bends event in the 80s) was to pump up my suit a little when I flew...the pressure suit has a control valve that will allow you to put and hold pressure in the suit...so that my body stayed several thousand feet below the cabin altitude (probably in the low-mid 20s). After I started doing that, I had no further problems. The suit was a little stiffer, but most of the time that didn't present a major problem and if I needed the extra flexibility I could dump pressure for a while to do things in the cockpit, then add the pressure again when I was just cruising.

However, the aircraft mod is the ultimate answer.

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Hmmmm...I noticed she wasn't wearing her reflective belt. I'll be phoning your DO in the morning to discuss your Q-3.

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I read this book along with The Black Watch, before i interviewed, and this one was one of the best history books i've ever read. Crazy shit..

http://www.amazon.co.../ref=pd_sim_b_1

Didn't know Chris did an update to his prior book. Chris Pocock is a great guy. Got to meet him back in the early ninties when I was the ops officer at our squadron turned detachment at Alconbury during Operation Deny Flight (Bosnia).

Thanks for the link.

Smokey

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Well, stract, your "intuition" was correct.

We will not be bringing a U-2 to D-M.

However, we will probably bring a T-38A (not that piece-of-FOD C-model), and an MC-12... no promises yet, though.

Go buy a lottery ticket... you knew more than I did.

Huggy,

How ya doing? Ain't you retired yet?

Cabby still hanging around too?

Smokey....or as you'd know me F. Lee

And what's wrong with the C model? I helped with the initial design of the cockpit. However, don't blame me for the up front controller as it wasn't what was recommended.

Edited by Smokey
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Yes, its still a big issue (in that it is still a real hazard) and any serious bends case can be critical-to-fatal. However, they watch it pretty closely, and the ultimate solution...increasing the cabin pressure (decreasing the ambient cockpit "altitude")...is finally being addressed by an airframe modification which will allow a higher cockpit pressure to reduce/eliminate the major cause of "bends" during flight. I'm told the AF has already funded the mods for the first batch of aircraft and the rest should get the mod over the next few years. Once they get the cabin pressure into the teens vs.30s the problem should be largely eliminated.

As to why the sudden increase in problems over the last decade, I think it had to do with increasing degrees of fatigue and stress. Based on what I've been told about the way the crews have been scheduled (more deployments per year, less time between sorties, more long sorties, etc.) I think the scheduling policies we used for decades were relaxed too much and as you spent more time deployed and flying, fatigue began building up. Combining lots of time away from home (added stress) and lots of long sorties at high altitude with limited rest and recovery (fatigue) is a classic set-up for the bends.

My personal solution (after many minor probable bends cases and finally a serious bends event in the 80s) was to pump up my suit a little when I flew...the pressure suit has a control valve that will allow you to put and hold pressure in the suit...so that my body stayed several thousand feet below the cabin altitude (probably in the low-mid 20s). After I started doing that, I had no further problems. The suit was a little stiffer, but most of the time that didn't present a major problem and if I needed the extra flexibility I could dump pressure for a while to do things in the cockpit, then add the pressure again when I was just cruising.

However, the aircraft mod is the ultimate answer.

Agree, dialing in a little suit pressure can help with those "minor" issues I expect everyone had from time to time.....football knee for me.

Kevin Henry is a great pilot and had lots of experience in the plane. But as the saying goes, sh*t happens. The fact he survived in the end proves the old adage "it's better to be lucky than good."

A DCS hit like that to the CNS is rare but obviously can happen.

The modification is the answer.

Cheers,

Smokey

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