a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment by goobster
goobster  ·  1353 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Project Whale Tale: U-2 Flights Off Aircraft Carriers

"The first landing without damage took place on 2 March 1964."

There is so much in that once sentence alone ...





kleinbl00  ·  1353 days ago  ·  link  ·  

The 4 1/2 minute video linked is an easy 4 minutes of "Whose dumb idea was this anyway?"

1:40, as ground effect keeps the plane 30' off the deck, an observer turns to the camera grinning.

goobster  ·  1353 days ago  ·  link  ·  

The launches are really something... that thing had a LOT of power... just point it 30-degrees UP, and ZOOOOM!

kleinbl00  ·  1353 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Well, and a stall speed of five knots. They probably could have gotten the deck crew to haul on a rope attached to the thing's nose to get it into the air. Its maiden flight had five landing attempts because again, get it in ground effect and it turns into a hovercraft.

Frankly I'll bet they had problems with the damn thing kiting if they turned the flight deck into the wind before they were ready.