Last May our Memorial Day speaker was R. Scott Beat, who talked about his career as a Navy pilot. Toward the end of his talk he mentioned he had flown the U-2. We just had to invite him back to talk about the U-2, so he returned for our Veteran’s Day program.

Only a few pilots were selected to fly this jet. About 1/10th of 1% of all pilots would qualify, but then he discussed some of the “details.” First, the pilot wore a space suit costing $255,000 back in 1961 dollars. The flight altitude was so high there was very little atmosphere. Above 54,500’ elevation water boils at 98.6ºF which means, if a pressure leak occurred, the pilot’s blood would begin to boil which would kill the pilot. At 60,000’ elevation, the outside temperature is approximately -90ºF, so a pilot could freeze very quickly. If a pilot bailed and survived the temperature there’s another problem. A descent from that altitude would take much longer than the 15 minutes of emergency oxygen in their suit. Parachutes were therefore useless at that altitude.

Although this is a sub-sonic aircraft, 28 are still flying, while some of the supersonic jet fighters are now gathering dust in museums. The U-2 would take off in just 60 yards, climbing 50,000’ in one minute at a 45º incline. The jet takes off with four landing gear, two of which support the heavy jet fuel pods on the wings. But after take-off, the wing landing gear then drop off. Therefore, the landing is like a bicycle, with only two landing gear. The pilot is guided down by another pilot on the ground in a very fast Chevy, talking the pilot down the last few feet. Once on the ground, the pilot finally tips one wing to touch the tarmac, but there is no damage because of the titanium skid on the wing. To get back on the ground, the U-2 might need to use the full 2-mile long landing strip.

The plane is very touchy. It must be flown within a narrow range of four knots. Too slow and it stalls; too fast and it begins to disintegrate. It also had to descend very slowly because of the speed limitation.

Where did our time go? You could have heard a pin drop, which is highly unusual for this club!! Thanks, Scott, for another fascinating talk, and Thank You for your service to our Country.   - Rocky