It's a long Drag
Beale AFB based USAF 9th RW Lockheed U-2R 80-01071/-- 'Dragon 31' on short finals to RAF Fairford - 19th March 2014.
In that cramped cockpit you could clearly see the pilot in his 'astronaut' helmet.
Along with the helmet they are dressed in their 'space' type suit also.
With the centre-line undercarriage layout and the detachable outriggers used only for take-off and the difficulty in landing one of these highly unusual birds, the chase car is used not only at departure but more importantly to talk the pilot down the last few feet before it settles on the runway on arrival. When it stops the groundcrew reattach the outriggers for taxiing back to park.
Four were there in all - making their regular swap over. One departed earlier before I arrived. Of the other three, 083 departed mid-morning as 'Dragon 21', 076 was parked outside the B-2 Hangars plus 071 'Dragon 31' seen here arriving after lunch.
I was on my way to hopefully see some of the last RAF Tristars depart Brize Norton for Bruntingthorpe and drove past Fairford purely by chance!
What a bit o'luck!
A couple more to come with some landing run video footage too!
It's a long Drag
Beale AFB based USAF 9th RW Lockheed U-2R 80-01071/-- 'Dragon 31' on short finals to RAF Fairford - 19th March 2014.
In that cramped cockpit you could clearly see the pilot in his 'astronaut' helmet.
Along with the helmet they are dressed in their 'space' type suit also.
With the centre-line undercarriage layout and the detachable outriggers used only for take-off and the difficulty in landing one of these highly unusual birds, the chase car is used not only at departure but more importantly to talk the pilot down the last few feet before it settles on the runway on arrival. When it stops the groundcrew reattach the outriggers for taxiing back to park.
Four were there in all - making their regular swap over. One departed earlier before I arrived. Of the other three, 083 departed mid-morning as 'Dragon 21', 076 was parked outside the B-2 Hangars plus 071 'Dragon 31' seen here arriving after lunch.
I was on my way to hopefully see some of the last RAF Tristars depart Brize Norton for Bruntingthorpe and drove past Fairford purely by chance!
What a bit o'luck!
A couple more to come with some landing run video footage too!