U-2 ATC Comm

[ExBoneOSO]

I was cruising through some recorded ATC comms on liveatc.net, and came across this of a U-2 trying to get back to Sigonella, and apparently getting some grief from the controllers. Audio doesn't have the controller comm, just the U-2. Pretty interesting stuff though - gotta love VFR on Top at FL600..:)

Dragon 20 on 25711.1.wav

[brabus]

Heard a U2 dude trying to get clearance over one of the ranges down south a few weeks ago...they asked his alt and he just said, "Above 60". Awesome.

[StoleIt]

"I've been in a spacesuit going on 7 hours now by myself. If I have to, I'll declare an emergency..."

That's awesome.

2. Anyone know over what time span that was condensed from? Seems like he was over Germany at one point, then France, then getting cleared direct to Holloman? If he is over FL600 then why does he need to talk to anyone? Is that just a PC thing when flying over other countries?

[Guest Alarm Red]

2. Anyone know over what time span that was condensed from? Seems like he was over Germany at one point, then France, then getting cleared direct to Holloman? If he is over FL600 then why does he need to talk to anyone? Is that just a PC thing when flying over other countries?

You still need dip clearances regardless. Didn't catch the Holloman part - he was trying to get to Sig.

[Steve Davies]

... then getting cleared direct to Holloman?

"I am looking to get back to my original route to Lima India Charlie Zulu". As Alarm Red says, that's Sig.

[ExBoneOSO]

This one's pretty good, too...flight of 2 Eagles touring Swiss airspace waiting for clearance...."hey, I think that's the Matterhorn...!"

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[HiFlyer]

Heard a U2 dude trying to get clearance over one of the ranges down south a few weeks ago...they asked his alt and he just said, "Above 60". Awesome.

I was cruising along on an extended test mission once, heading across Texas in the max range cruise mode at about 59,000 feet. Houston Center called me up and wanted to know why I was below 60, as they had never seen a U-2 "down there". I told him I was doing a "low level". You could hear the whole Center staff laughing in the background before the controller released the mike.

Another time there were several of us flying over northern Arizona one day and suddenly the controller realized that in a few minutes we would all be passing over the Prescott area above 60....two U-2s from Davis-Monthan, another U-2 from Palmdale, and an SR from Beale. He got real nervous because he couldn't read out altitudes (the Mode C locks out at FL 600) and the controller's rule book says we were supposed to have 5,000 ft separation when above 60. He quickly started asking us to climb or decend and we all came up and picked altitudes from 60 to 80K. I think I "climbed" from 65 to 75 in about 30 seconds). Actually, nobody moved an inch (we talked to each other on a "company freq", but he didn't know that). One U-2 went below me at about 1000', while the SR went by about 3000' above me (really, really fast!!!). The fourth guy was off to the side and didn't conflict. The controller thanked us profusely for altering our altitudes so quickly to avoid a possible collision. We smiled...

By the way, although the airspace above FL 600 is "uncontrolled" (no jet routes or altitude assignments), in the CONUS it is still monitored by ARTCC and the aircraft squawk and flight follow with them for safety's sake.

[Day Man]

is there any way we can nominate HiFlyer as supreme story teller or something?

Awesome...

[summe32c]

"2" thats an awesome story.

[StoleIt]

This one's pretty good, too...flight of 2 Eagles touring Swiss airspace waiting for clearance...."hey, I think that's the Matterhorn...!"

Nice little "so to speak" in there too.

[Guest CA]

is there any way we can nominate HiFlyer as supreme story teller or something?

Awesome...

3

[yzl337]

he has lots more, trust me, tell him to write a book already, they're all good

[HerkDerka]

I want to hear some of Huggy's good comm stories.

HD

[ExBoneOSO]

I want to hear some of Huggy's good comm stories.

HD

"2" - I was hoping that the U-2 gang would chime in..I can only imagine the stories...of course, the best ones of all wouldn't be able to be written here.

[Spoo]

"2" - I was hoping that the U-2 gang would chime in..I can only imagine the stories...of course, the best ones of all wouldn't be able to be written here.

I'm a little loaded and pre-ocupie-eyed, but here's a quickie...

Afghanistan. Young awacs controller. Calling out unidentified traffic to everyone within 10 miles of my lat/long. Numerous calls of no-joy... I woke up from a nap and figured out he was talking about me. I got on the radio and said, "I think you're talking about Dragon 69 ." ...many seconds of silence..."Traffic is no factor."

Found out later that he thought something was messed up with the radar return.

Edited July 31, 2009 by Spoo

[Spoo]

I want to hear some of Huggy's good comm stories.

HD

He's at Osh Kosh, probably trying to convince somebody with a P-51 to let him fly it.

[HiFlyer]

I'm a little loaded and pre-ocupie-eyed, but here's a quickie...

Afghanistan. Young awacs controller. Calling out unidentified traffic to everyone within 10 miles of my lat/long. Numerous calls of no-joy... I woke up from a nap and figured out he was talking about me. I got on the radio and said, "I think you're talking about Dragon 69 ." ...many seconds of silence..."Traffic is no factor."

Found out later that he thought something was messed up with the radar return.

Ha. That reminds me of another one. When we got involved MTW-Grenada we were flying U-2s out of Patrick. We'd launch and file a delay once we cleared the ADIZ, but we really didn't know exactly when we'd be back due to ops requirements...that is, no pre-defined ADIZ penetration return time on our ICAO flight plans (which the AD people then couldn't match in the computer because there was no specified track ID/call sign for our flights). We'd just call up Miami Center on the way back in when we got to their airspace and they knew who we were. Well, apparently it turned out nobody at Miami told the Air Defense (AD) people in that sector about our return (or the AD people screwed up the notification), and we were't squawking or providing Mode-C outside Miami's airspace, which was well inside the ADIZ. The pilots were constantly hearing calls on guard for some aircraft at 7,ooo' to contact some controller or be intercepted, but didn't pay any attention, since they were well above 7,000'. After about a week we got a call from SAC about our return routes and filing procedures. It turns out that the AD guys were picking us up from raw returns when we put out gear and boards for the descent, but the controllers weren't used to seeing anything that high and mis-read the readout as 7,000' instead of 70,000' on the height-finding radar. For five days they'd been scrambling the JAX guard AD unit who were going nuts trying to find this target off the coast at 7000' and decending. After we finally figured out what was happening, I called the guys at JAX to explain what had happened on our end (assuming the AD center had told them) and apologize. It turns out the AD Center hadn't said a word (it probably would have required them to explain why, and that would have been a little embarrassing). The JAX commander was laughing his ass off as I explained and said they didn't mind at all, the pilots were having a great time on the missions roaring around at low level and the Feds had to pay for all the flying time (since it was a directed scramble) so the Guard unit got all the flying time for free. He said to keep on doing it, but unfortunately HQ SAC had already alerted the AD Center and blew the deal.

[GW]

The JAX commander was laughing his ass off as I explained and said they didn't mind at all, the pilots were having a great time on the missions roaring around at low level and the Feds had to pay for all the flying time (since it was a directed scramble) so the Guard unit got all the flying time for free. He said to keep on doing it, but unfortunately HQ SAC had already alerted the AD Center and blew the deal.

Where did this AF go?

Because that's not the AF I know now...

GW

[HiFlyer]

Where did this AF go?

Because that's not the AF I know now...

GW

Easy...it wasn't the AF, it was the Guard (flying F-106s at the time). They love to fly and the pilots get some kind of extra active duty credits while the Florida Guard got free flying hours when the active AF scrambles them. They were loving it! Of course, that was 1983, not 2009...25 years does make a difference. But then again, we didn't come home with pine trees in our wings, like Chuck Yeager did, and laugh about it. Times were changing then, too.

[HiFlyer]

Easy...it wasn't the AF, it was the Guard (flying F-106s at the time). They love to fly and the pilots get some kind of extra active duty credits while the Florida Guard got free flying hours when the active AF scrambles them. They were loving it! Of course, that was 1983, not 2009...25 years does make a difference. But then again, we didn't come home with pine trees in our wings, like Chuck Yeager did, and laugh about it. Times were changing then, too.

Also, keep in mind that the JAX Guard was responding exactly in accordance with their mission guidance from the scope dopes at Ft. Lee, and we were complying exactly with the procedures set out by the Fragord put out by SAC and the Joint Staff, so we were both squeeky clean. I have no idea what happened up at the sector center when they figured out their controllers couldn't read their scopes correctly for a solid week. It may not have been so humorous up there!

[Marco]

Easy...it wasn't the AF, it was the Guard (flying F-106s at the time). They love to fly and the pilots get some kind of extra active duty credits while the Florida Guard got free flying hours when the active AF scrambles them. They were loving it! Of course, that was 1983, not 2009...25 years does make a difference. But then again, we didn't come home with pine trees in our wings, like Chuck Yeager did, and laugh about it. Times were changing then, too.

Ask any of the old-time FANG dudes about the pilot in one of our F-16's (at the time) who hit a pig on the runway while landing, punched out, and put ye'old Viper in some pine trees. Of course, that's a little different than Yeager, but hey, there's pine trees......

HiFlyer's right, the Guard is a different breed than active duty. I for one, as a Florida Guardsman, love it and wouldn't change a thing. Except maybe put the stripper pole back up in the NCO club.

Edited August 1, 2009 by Marco

[GW]

Easy...it wasn't the AF, it was the Guard (flying F-106s at the time). They love to fly and the pilots get some kind of extra active duty credits while the Florida Guard got free flying hours when the active AF scrambles them. They were loving it! Of course, that was 1983, not 2009...25 years does make a difference. But then again, we didn't come home with pine trees in our wings, like Chuck Yeager did, and laugh about it. Times were changing then, too.

Here's the bitch of it: I'm in the guard.

[HiFlyer]

Here's the bitch of it: I'm in the guard.

So? If you were on alert today and the sector scrambled you and drove you all over Florida chasing ghosts, you'd be doing your "duty" and getting free flying time. No harm, no foul (for you). Hopefully this kind of thing doesn't happen often, as it certainly raises questions about the competency of the AD controllers!