Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: 68ZooM on March 18, 2010, 12:37:47 PM

Title: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: 68ZooM on March 18, 2010, 12:37:47 PM
Greetings, a squadmate of ours 68Catus sent us all this email with this footage of a u2 spyplane at 70,000+ feet, its absolutely the most beautiful video i have seen in awhile the view at 13 miles up all i can say is I'm envious, so grab some coffee kick back and enjoy this flight, its 10 Min's and its well worth it  :aok

http://www.wimp.com/breathtakingfootage/ (http://www.wimp.com/breathtakingfootage/)
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: oakranger on March 18, 2010, 01:57:04 PM
WOW, that has to be a ride of a life.  I did not see how fast the aircraft was going, but it look like over 1,000 mph
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: Spikes on March 18, 2010, 02:06:44 PM
Too cool.
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: 68ZooM on March 18, 2010, 02:09:31 PM
wasn't that spectacular? i burned a copy to DVD so i could watch it on the 46" LED HD it was awesome the music and his comments made the vid, i liked how he had an itch and had to use the straw, lol wouldn't want to take your helmet off at that alt.
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: AKH on March 18, 2010, 02:17:42 PM
That's from 'James May on the Moon'.  Most of you will know of May from 'Top Gear'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lfdbv (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lfdbv)
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: Plazus on March 18, 2010, 02:40:06 PM
Excellent find! Very inspirational too.  :aok
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: Strip on March 18, 2010, 03:42:34 PM
U-2 is sub-sonic, a lot less than 1,000 mph....

Strip
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: Drex on March 18, 2010, 07:30:21 PM
My father's best friend "hojo" was a U2 pilot.  He was very much a big part of my life growing up.  I have always known all about the U2, but I had no idea it was like that.  Thank you for link.

Drex
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: mbailey on March 18, 2010, 07:59:16 PM
That was amazing, thanks for sharing sir!!

Best 10mins i spent today

<S>

Mbailey
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: Cougar68 on March 18, 2010, 09:49:36 PM
It's part of a two hour special that James May did.  It can be found with a little poking.
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: eagl on March 18, 2010, 09:58:04 PM
My father's best friend "hojo" was a U2 pilot.  He was very much a big part of my life growing up.  I have always known all about the U2, but I had no idea it was like that.  Thank you for link.

Drex

A couple friends of mine just transferred to the U-2.  I decided not to follow them or interview at the end of my current assignment because I have 2 small children and the U-2 deployment tempo would be extremely difficult for my wife.  And it might effectively end her career, which would pretty much shatter our post-military service plans.

I think I'd enjoy flying the U-2 and I wouldn't personally mind the deployments, but it would be very very hard on my family with no real payoff to us except for the cool factor of flying that plane.  Which wouldn't help my wife at all.  If she tells me she wouldn't mind me being gone half the year (2 months gone, 2 months back, 2 months gone... etc), then I still might go out to Beale to interview...
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: rogwar on March 18, 2010, 11:12:49 PM
Thanks...that was breath taking!
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: xNOVAx on March 19, 2010, 12:13:57 AM
Cool video..

I had a professor in college who flew U2's and SR-71's.. Was cool to hear his stories about flying those planes..
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: Tac on March 19, 2010, 12:40:30 AM
I didnt know that thing has only 1 wheel.. i'd hate to have to land that thing.
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: Russian on March 19, 2010, 04:13:46 AM
A couple friends of mine just transferred to the U-2.  I decided not to follow them or interview at the end of my current assignment because I have 2 small children and the U-2 deployment tempo would be extremely difficult for my wife.  And it might effectively end her career, which would pretty much shatter our post-military service plans.

I think I'd enjoy flying the U-2 and I wouldn't personally mind the deployments, but it would be very very hard on my family with no real payoff to us except for the cool factor of flying that plane.  Which wouldn't help my wife at all.  If she tells me she wouldn't mind me being gone half the year (2 months gone, 2 months back, 2 months gone... etc), then I still might go out to Beale to interview...

You can go for two weeks screening process....and 'not make it'.  :devil  :bolt:
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: trax1 on March 19, 2010, 04:35:30 AM
Amazing video, thanks for sharing it. :aok
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: 007Rusty on March 19, 2010, 07:54:55 AM
wow ... thanks for sharing    :aok
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: sntslilhlpr6601 on March 19, 2010, 01:31:03 PM
I didnt know that thing has only 1 wheel.. i'd hate to have to land that thing.

So would I. She's a tough bird, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eamnTyfkUBY (music has bad language)
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: Flipperk on March 19, 2010, 01:54:14 PM
I thought you had to have 20/20 to be in the airforce
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: Phaser11 on March 19, 2010, 02:18:33 PM
Look for the U2 vid of some girl reporter going for a ride. The were setteled before an IFE at 70,000 or so keeping the speed right at 135 knts. Any faster and the dragon might showe its face.
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: Phaser11 on March 19, 2010, 02:19:50 PM
I thought you had to have 20/20 to be in the airforce

You do or corected by lasers, but once you're in they don't toss you if you get older and your eyes start to change for the worse. That being said there is always a limit.
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: indy007 on March 19, 2010, 02:28:02 PM
I thought you had to have 20/20 to be in the airforce

I've heard you can get an exemption for that. YMMV
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: Drex on March 19, 2010, 03:53:04 PM
A couple friends of mine just transferred to the U-2.  I decided not to follow them or interview at the end of my current assignment because I have 2 small children and the U-2 deployment tempo would be extremely difficult for my wife.  And it might effectively end her career, which would pretty much shatter our post-military service plans.

I think I'd enjoy flying the U-2 and I wouldn't personally mind the deployments, but it would be very very hard on my family with no real payoff to us except for the cool factor of flying that plane.  Which wouldn't help my wife at all.  If she tells me she wouldn't mind me being gone half the year (2 months gone, 2 months back, 2 months gone... etc), then I still might go out to Beale to interview...

I think you should sit down and talk to her about it.  You've ripped it in a F-15, and now you could have the chance to fly where only a select few humans have ever been.  I think your kids and wife would be proud of that.  Plus, I've met your wife... She is an extremely smart independent woman who doesn't need you!  ;)   I'll watch the kids for a ride at 70,000ft!  

Drex
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: Buzzard7 on March 19, 2010, 08:35:29 PM
Airspeed was reading 104-110 kts and mach # of.7
Nice find.
Title: Re: 70,000 Feet + U2 ride
Post by: eagl on March 19, 2010, 09:51:42 PM
You can go for two weeks screening process....and 'not make it'.  :devil  :bolt:

Yea, I know that.  I've flown with a bunch of guys who DID make it though, and I think I have similar capabilities.  If I did try out and get turned down, it wouldn't bug me that much.  I'm good at what I'm doing now, and I hope I can keep doing it for a while longer.  No reason to try to force something that isn't going to work out...

Plus it would be pretty hypocritical of me to get upset if I got turned down for a special program like the U2...  Part of my job is separating "regular" pilots from the "fighter" pilots we try to produce at ENJJPT, before they get in over their heads and kill themselves.  I've been responsible for re-directing a handful of smart young pilots to the C-130 or other airframes, instead of continuing them at ENJJPT.  Sucks to be told sorry you're gonna be a pilot but we're not going to give you a chance to even try out for fighters, but some of the students we get simply don't have the aptitude for the job.  Rather than just let them wash out of T-38s, IFF, or FTU, we're trying to get them into a job where they'll be highly successful.  To my knowledge, most or all of the re-tracks out of ENJJPT after T-37s or T-6s have done quite well where we sent them, which is a total *win* for the USAF.