u2 not retiring (Read 957 times)

My thoughts exactly..............................perhaps maint cost??

From 1997 to 2003, we lived in Northern California. We were about 110 miles NW of Beale. We would make periodic trips to Beale for prescriptions and a BX and Commissary run.

When you enter Beale from Marysville, you drive around the end of the runway to get to the main base.

If you got there at the right time you might see a Blackbird take off.

Once they were move to wherever they went, there was still the U2 squadron.

It was always fun to watch the U2 launch.

It would begin moving down the runway and a blue pickup truck following along, on the edge of the runway.

Once the U2 got up enough airspeed to lift off, the outrigger wheels would fall to the ground. That's where the pickup came in. It would stop and pick up both of the outriggers and put them in the back of the truck and take them back to the squadron.

When the U2 landed, there was another crew out to put the outriggers back on when the bird stopped, then it was back to the parking area.

The U2 is a joy to watch land. It is very graceful, with the long wings letting it glide to a near stop before the skid plate on one of the wig-tips touches the runway.

Takeoff is very pretty. The J57 puts out lots of black smoke and the bird begins to move. As speed picks up, the wing tips begin to move up and the outriggers are off, and the plane begins it's surprisingly fast climb.

I always enjoyed watching them do landing practice. They would just about set the gear on to the concrete and then push the throttle forward and swoop off for another go around.

Fun to watch them.

Jim Too

:god_bless_usa