U-2 Dragonlady info

[ClearedHot]

On 10/24/2020 at 12:22 AM, ThreeHoler said:

Grampa, they call it a Spank Bank these days!

 

 

Damn, learn something new everyday thanks.  BTW, your mom called it "our little secret".

[HuggyU2]

Ultralord flies his 1,000th U-2 sortie. 
Old guys rule. 
 

 

[Guardian]

That’s awesome. As perspective is that the big milestone in the community? That a 10% or less than 1% kind of thing?

[HuggyU2]

I’d say more of 2/10ths of 1% thing. 

Edited January 3, 2021 by HuggyU2

[Guardian]

Wow. Insane. Thanks for the clarification. Please pass on our congrats from at least myself. I’m sure some if not all the rest of Baseops contributors would think the same. What an amazing careers you guys have Huggy.

[Guardian]

Are you flying T38’s again too Huggy?

[HuggyU2]

2 hours ago, Guardian said:

Are you flying T38’s again too Huggy?

Not yet.  More to follow, though.  

[Scooter14]

The F-102 pilots from the ‘50s called. They want their flight suit back.

[HuggyU2]

There are many great truths to be extracted from the original "Star Wars".  

One of those truths is that the orange flight suit will return in its full glory.  

[jice]

8 hours ago, HuggyU2 said:

There are many great truths to be extracted from the original "Star Wars".  

One of those truths is that the orange flight suit will return in its full glory.  

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

Past performance is no guarantee of future results; read your prospectus carefully.

[Guardian]

Bring them back. Then I don’t have to buy as much hunting gear

[spaceman]

Gents, are you still hiring?  U-2's been at the top of my aviation pipe dream list since way before I joined the AF, and I think I'm finally at a point in my career that I should give it a shot (C-130J IP, 1.5 years into my second assignment).  I've talked to my Sq/CC about it and he told me that he'd support me applying but the last he heard there was some kind of long backup so my timing is not good...  I'm deployed right now but if there's any chance then I'd like to go for it when I get back this summer!

[Majestik Møøse]

Never get advice from people who aren’t in the U-2 program about the U-2 program. Just call up and talk to the recruiting shop.

[HuggyU2]

Yes, there was a significant backlog, however that logjam is getting much better. That said, I've seen a number of solid applications floating around, so I think you better get yours in the moment the Chief of Recruiting says to do it.  It used to be you submitted the app no earlier than 12-14 months from a potential PCS, but you'll need to call and see what the latest is.

DSN 368.4447 and speak to Maj Lang.  I recommend emailing him also if your call goes to voicemail.  He has been in that seat a while and is moving on very shortly.  Not sure who will replace him, but the phone number is good.  

Moose is right:  the "advice" and "perceptions" I've heard from outsiders on the U-2 Program has often been inaccurate... to say the least.  

The U-2 is definitely not for everyone.

[spaceman]

Thank you!  I'll definitely give him a call.

[ImNotARobot]

[HuggyU2]

It's spelled "Merryl".  

 

And the photo is from the backseat of one of the four two-seaters.  Not the rearview mirror and the yaw string on the front canopy.  

Edited February 8, 2021 by HuggyU2

[HuggyU2]

The folks over at The Drive found Extreme’s web-presence and just wrote about it. 
 

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39267/crazy-montage-of-bad-landings-shows-how-hard-it-is-to-tame-the-u-2-dragon-lady-spy-plane

Extreme was the one that did the really cool Aurora Borealis pics from the U-2 that made national TV/media about mid-2018. 
Was it worth the blowback from leadership?  I’ve never asked him. 

Edited February 17, 2021 by HuggyU2

[HuggyU2]

Your Weekend U-2 History & Triva...

20 June 1956 was the date of U-2 Mission 2003... the very first U-2 operational flight. 

Nine days earlier, Det A was opened at Wiesbaden Air Base near Frankfurt.  Although the West Germans approved a Soviet overflight, Eisenhower wouldn't approve it because the USAF Chief of Staff was visiting Russia at the time. That would have been a bit rude... and pretty balsy.    

But, U-2 pilot Carl Overstreet, the 13th pilot to fly the jet, was allowed to enter East German and Czechoslovakian airspace, right where the borders of East German, West Germany, and Czechoslovakia came together, in thehops that the commie radars wouldn't pass off anything they saw.  It worked!  Overstreet then turned north and flew over every major city in Poland before backtracking via Prague. Success!

The mission used wet film and SIGINT. The film was immediately flown back to the US and developed by Eastman Kodak in Rochester NY and the results of the new A-2 camera were impressive. It used three 24" focal length lenses to get a 36 mile wide swath of earth. 

Iron men, wooden ships.  It was a different era, for sure.  

[HuggyU2]

Good opinion piece on The Article. 
https://dragonladytoday.com/2021/07/11/u-2-retirement-here-we-go-again/

 

[Bigred]

Hiring message out from AFPC. I hear they’re even taking old rotor trash these days! 

[HuggyU2]

That's crazy talk. 

[HuggyU2]

Is there any truth to the rumors that Vance leadership is strongly discouraging their IP's to apply to the U-2?  Feel free to drop me a pm, which will remain in total confidentiality.  

A few years ago, when I ran the U-2 Recruiting shop, I met with a Vance SQ/CC who did not want his IP's coming to the U-2.  Interesting conversation and perspective.  

[brabus]

Out of curiosity, what was that SQ/CC’s reasoning for not wanting guys to go to the U-2?

[HuggyU2]

He believed it was a dead-end career move. I asked him if he knew any U-2 pilots personally. Surprisingly, the answer was no. 
I also asked him if he'd ever seen a U-2 in person (not that it really mattered). Again, no. 
 

I'm guessing he believed in his strong gut feeling. 

Maybe because the last jet would be parked in the boneyard in 2011. 
 

Hold that thought...

Edited November 16, 2021 by HuggyU2