U-2S Dragon Lady 80-1079 BB from 99th RS 9th RW Beale AFB, CA
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Now this is a plane i can honestly say i have very few images of.
In fact, this is the only one i can think of
Darren
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Luckily I live 20 minutes from Fairford so getting there in a short timeframe isn’t a problem. Back in February 24 we had three aircraft to photograph in one day, a mission U-2 going out then back, a circuit trainer and one transiting from Akrotiri to Beale after being detached there.
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Great stuff, the U-2 is one of the types I hardly have any shots of and sadly with their days numbered it looks like I won’t get the chance. In fact the only digital shots I’ve got are a couple of the static U-2s at older RIATS, I’ve never once seen one fly there.
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Its such a curious plane. Why design it with a central undercarriage when landing the thing is such a problem. What happens when it comes to a stop, Does it fall to one side then atatch the stabilisers? if so then i go back to my original question… Why?.
Darren
To minimize complexity. Wider landing gear or permanent outriggers would have consumed volume, added weight, detracted from overall performance, and probably cost more. Remember too that (1) back in the 50s, making an airplane difficult to operate was an acceptable trade-off for radical mission capability and performance, and (2) nobody envisioned when the U-2 was designed that it would be operated for 60+ years.
The B-52 followed a similar philosophy. It’s big like an airliner, but that doesn’t mean it’s refined, easy to fly, or pleasant to be inside. The crews earn their pay. (Right, @KevinJ ?)
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Thanks mark.
Darren
Not forgetting the fuselage was based on the F-104, and even with the Starfighters twin main gear it was a pig to fly. With the massive wingspan they would have needed outriggers anyway and as Mark said, weight was a big issue in what is basically a powered glider (and if you see todays gliders they still have a similar set up to the U-2). That they designed and built the original U-2C less than ten years after WW2 is incredible really.
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