U-2 Dragonlady info

[HuggyU2]

But seriously, now I'm curious too. Can you pack whatever beverage you want?

Pretty much,... yes.

[TacAirCoug]

...a little bit of orange juice, some pineapple juice, a splash of grenadine, spiced rum...

[chuckschwartz]

Another great treat were the little Kraft caramel squares. Take a few out of your pocket and set them on the canopy rail for a while and presto, hard candy treats to suck on.

Is it really that warm up there? I would imagine they would have to melt quite a bit to suck them through a straw...

[lloyd christmas]

Yes, it is a Garmin. Big rubber band,... but I like the pantyhose idea too.

We carry about 4 Garmin's on an operational sortie.

May be a really stupid question, but how does your standard Garmin act at 70+000 feet? Does it say "turn left in 150.2 miles in 6.9 seconds" or what?

Edited February 19, 2013 by lloyd christmas

[HuggyU2]

The Garmin acts normal. We avg about 410 knots ground speed at cruise, and it does just fine.

Edited February 19, 2013 by Huggyu2

[murdocjxx]

Huggy why you no accept PM?

[HiFlyer]

Is it really that warm up there? I would imagine they would have to melt quite a bit to suck them through a straw...

Nah...just pop the faceplate open, toss one in the mouth, then snap it shut again. You wouldn't want to leave it open to eat, but a couple of seconds open with your hand on the bar to slam it shut won't hurt. Maybe not the "official" procedure, but it works fine.

[MichaelBuckle]

This is probably a stupid question but by opening the faceplate this presumably 'spoils' the pre-breathe by introducing nitrogen back into the body?

Edited February 19, 2013 by MichaelBuckle

[ThreeHoler]

This is probably a stupid question but by opening the faceplate this presumably 'spoils' the pre-breathe by introducing nitrogen back into the body?

It is all about ppN2 and exponential decay within the body.

Open and shut will not introduce a significant amount of N2 into the body because of a low absorption rate due to the significantly lower number of available molecules in the atmosphere at 29kft+.

[Spoo]

It is all about ppN2 and exponential decay within the body.

Open and shut will not introduce a significant amount of N2 into the body because of a low absorption rate due to the significantly lower number of available molecules in the atmosphere at 29kft+.

The same holds true at 0kft.

[HU&W]

Well that just debunks the myth that U2 pilots would get sucked out of their suit through the mask's face hole if they open it in flight.

[HiFlyer]

Also, the "spray bars" that provide the breathing oxygen continue to spray oxygen into the helmet and across your face when you open the faceplate a few inches (due to the lower pressure outside the helmet), so a very quick open/shut while you are holding your breath isn't likely to introduce much nitrogen into the breathing cavity of the helmet or into your lungs when you close up and resume breathing. Of course, all this assumes normal ops with the cabin pressurized to the normal schedule. You wouldn't want to do this at ambient pressue at 70K!!

[ThreeHoler]

The same holds true at 0kft.

You caught me in my lies. Well done, good sir.

[MichaelBuckle]

Learn something new every day, thanks guys.

Edited February 20, 2013 by MichaelBuckle

[Spoo]

You caught me in my lies. Well done, good sir.

Sounded good though.

[nsplayr]

Fake it till you make it right? Great thread BTW.

[pcola]

Does that mean you can scratch your face, too?

[Spoo]

It will all be a moot point soon.

2/15/2013 - BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- While mechanics from Lockheed Martin upgrade the cockpit structure of the U-2 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, it looks like a pile of parts at the local junk yard. However, the modifications allow the aircraft to fly just as true as before while improving pilot safety and comfort.

In the mean time, the thin black aluminum panels, which give the high-flying Dragon Lady its signature sinister look, sit on the ground while miles of wires and cables, along with unpainted metal are exposed for mechanics to "beef up" during a Cockpit Altitude Reduction Effort modification.

"What we're doing is beefing up the structure and pressure equipment including the rings that produce the unique shape and contour," said James Barnes, Lockheed Martin field representative in charge of CARE. "The bulkhead is the main location for this. These aircraft are very thin skinned for weight saving, so specific areas can only be changed."

The upgrades will almost double the cabin pressure from 3.88 to 7.65 pounds per square inch. For Airmen who fly the U-2, the highest flying aviators in America at 70,000 feet, this will reduce the strain on their bodies as well as reduce the chance for decompression sickness.

U-2 pilots have to wear a full pressure suit to protect them in the event of ejection at high altitudes. However, the suit also helps regulate their body from cabin pressure which can be equivalent to being at 29,000 feet.

"That is like being on the top of Mt. Everest for hours on end," said Capt. Joseph, 1st Reconnaissance Squadron instructor pilot, who has more than 1,150 hours in the U-2. "I have been in aircraft with the new cockpit and it brings the pressure down to about 15,000 feet."

From beginning to end, the retrofit takes less than 23 days. The structural maintenance technicians from the 9th Maintenance Squadron here take care of the initial tear down in three days of phase maintenance, and then Lockheed takes over.

"Engineering and precision is key to the function and success here," Barnes said. "Every hole has to be the right size, gaps in metal are meticulously measured; everything has to be precise."

The mechanics say precise may be an understatement. When fitting the aluminum skin plates together, placing rivets and ensuring the structural integrity, cuts have to be made and holes have to be drilled within a 30,000th of an inch.

With a tight schedule to keep, Barnes' crews work 20 hours a day, six days a week. He said challenges arise but won't stand in the way of completing this important work.

"Our biggest challenge is finding unexpected parts that need to be fixed," he said. "The most common part this happens to is the metal skins right under the pilot's feet."

Barnes said liquid from the urine collection device used during long high flights can leak and corrode the plane from the inside out. These parts have to be retrofitted from scratch to match the original specifications.

"To me, these challenges don't matter when it comes to pilot safety,' he said. "You have to adapt, make sure you have the right supplies and overcome each obstacle."

U-2 squadron commanders are also confident the change will mitigate a longstanding problem called decompression sickness.

"This modification promises to mitigate our past problems with DCS and prevents us from losing qualified U-2 aviators who have in the past been restricted from high altitude flight due to DCS hits," said Lt. Col. Stephen Rodriguez, 1st RS commander.

https://www.beale.af....sp?id=123336640

So, if you've been holding off on applying because of your fear of DCS, you can finally man up.

Edited February 21, 2013 by Spoo

[HiFlyer]

Does that mean you can scratch your face, too?

Heck yes, except my head would itch on top or in back, or my ear would itch, and those spots aren't accessible from the faceplate!

[Spoo]

Not to mention every other place that tends to itch. Some have more problems than others...

[TreeA10]

So if you have a DCS incident, that means you are more susceptible to future incidents therefore you are a higher DCS risk and thus out of the high altitude business?

[HU&W]

So, if you've been holding off on applying because of your fear of DCS, you can finally man up.

Nope, just switched to RPA's 20 hours too early. Otherwise

also, piss rust?

Barnes said liquid from the urine collection device used during long high flights can leak and corrode the plane from the inside out.

[HuggyU2]

So if you have a DCS incident, that means you are more susceptible to future incidents therefore you are a higher DCS risk and thus out of the high altitude business?

No. It was mainly for those that had a severe hit, or repeated hits. Too much to discuss on this forum, and too much of it is my opinion. Bottom line: like Spoo said, this "problem" is no more.

also, piss rust?

Um... yes? What about that surprises you?

...and those spots aren't accessible from the faceplate!

Try harder.

Edited February 21, 2013 by Huggyu2

[HiFlyer]

So if you have a DCS incident, that means you are more susceptible to future incidents therefore you are a higher DCS risk and thus out of the high altitude business?

It depends on what you mean by a "DCS incident". I had lots of small bends incidents, and two major bends incidents where my skin turned blue from all the burst capillaries, but none were classed as severe because the incidents involved physical signs, but didn't involve nerve system symptoms, passing out, mental confusion, etc. They monitored me for a few days, spent the night in the hospital after my worst case (for observation), but in each case was returned to flying within a week. I don't think there's a hard line...unless its changed recently it depends on exactly what happened and how the flight docs interpret it. Over the course of the jets history, I don't think there have been many flat-out groundings except in the most severe cases. Lately (past decade) there has been an increase (which I personally attribute to stress and fatigue factors within the crew force) that the cockpit mod should address, but it isn't like dozens of pilots have been affected.

Edited February 21, 2013 by HiFlyer

[HU&W]

Um... yes? What about that surprises you?

Just never thought of any type of liquid leaking and sloshing around/causing corrosion.