Friday, February 28, 2020

U-2 with Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, Lockheed’s Skunk Works





7 comments:

  1. TR-1. The 'don't fly over the USSR' version designed for high altitude research and tactical recon. Saw them fly out of Patrick AFB back in the late 70's, early 80's.

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    1. They were still flying out of Patrick in the late 80's and early 80's. One would take off and a half hour to hour latter one would land.

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  2. I watched one land at Beale AFB, an AF El Camino with a guy standing in the back went along with it on the runway. They went under the first wing and put a wheel on the end, then they went to the other wing and put one on there.
    These wing weels just keep the wing from hitting the ground when the plane stops.
    It was neat to see...

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  3. Used to watch 'em fly out of McCoy AFB in Pine Castle, Fl., near Orlando, in the early 60's....

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  4. Watched them fly out of NASA Ames (Moffett Field CA) in the early 80's. The thing climbed like a homesick angel.

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    1. That old style J-57(?)engine was LOUD! I lived under the Moffett approach, and they would spool up that thing right over the house. Probably after deploying the flaps. About 2:pm most days. ISTR they were around 4hr flights.
      Couldn't see the field from the house, but the Blue Angels seemed to use that as an orbit point on some of their routines. Could see INTO the cockpit while standing on the roof of a single story, they were banking so hard. One year, a couple blocks away, I was seeing them having to pull up to clear the line of trees on the through road. Hell of a show those guys put on!

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  5. clarance Johnson and company built the U-2 and the SR-71 and it's previous iteration for the CIA using slide rules and many years of acquired knowledge. on top of that, they built them on budget and on time. and the did it by not allowing lawyers and management from the DOD to get involved. they did it their way.
    Now, look what Lockheed did with that legacy. the F-35. what a turd.

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