U-2 Application/Interview?

[thebluto]

I'm putting in an application for the U-2 program. Does anyone have any words of advice (other than "Don't do it") for the application process and, specifically, how to successfully get through the interview? (i.e. questions they ask - answers they're looking for, etc. - I heard of some pitfalls, like a Marine who refused to salute the Squadron Commander in the building without his cover on.)

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

U2

All I can tell you is its a long tough road, maybe a bit easier than the SR-71 process though.

 

[T1bubba]

One of the guys in my office went out for the interview about two years ago. When he left he was pretty pumped up for it, but when he came back he had decided that he didn't want to do it. He said the interview wasn't anything too tough, but flying the thing was... well, let's just say he had lots of colorful adjectives to describe it's handling qualities. After the second flight he decided that flying the thing scared him a little too much and called it quits.

Of course, other folks I've met have done it and enjoy flying it. It will be one heII of an experience, that's for sure. I wouldn't sweat the interview too much, just make sure you're ready for the flights.

Good luck.

T1bubba

 

[LJDRVR]

Can't help you much with the interview process specifics. But I did spend the last few years of my active duty hitch at Beale. (albiet as a non-rated enlisted dude) If you are interested in some of the general base "stuff",f my thoughts and heresay, in no particular opinion are:

If your family loves city life and culture you're not going to like it. Marysville/Yuba City are not the nicest places around.

If your an "outdoorsy" person you'll like it. When not deployed there's plenty of hiking, fishing, camping and the like. Reno Lake Tahoe is a two hour drive in the summer, Four in the winter. San Francisco is a nice weekend attraction. I don't know if they still have the aero club, but the bay area was a pretty quick flight.

I thought the place was beautifull. I used to literally walk out my back door in base housing, and go hiking in the foothills of the Sierras. I really miss that down here in Houston.

I once asked a U-2 guy what it was like to fly, his response was; "Imagine being wrapped up tight in saran wrap up to your neck. now sit on your toilet for nine hours, PAY ATTENTION! now make the best landing of your life." That said, he did enjoy his job. To save weight there are no actuators or fly-by-wire. Good ole' cables, bellcranks and pulleys make for less than stelar handling in the traffic pattern. Also a taildragger.

It was a lot of fun to watch the U-2 in the pattern. If I remember correctly, they are flown at a Vref something like 3 knots above stall. Every knot above target AS puts them 1000' further down the runway. To loose altitude if high on approach, I'm told they pitch up slowly until they begin to get the first nibble of airframe buffet, holding the slower speed until back on glideslope, then accelerating a few knots back to target. (The sink rate increased dramatically at the lower speed)

I enjoyed my time at Beale. hopefully one of the guys who used to fly them will respond with some interview specific advice.
I seem to remember the PSD troops conducting a suit chamber ride as part of the interview process. My understanding of things were that a lot of folks were eliminated during that. (claustraphobia)

My experience with Beale was that you either loved it or hated it. Of course a lot of that had to do with which season it was

Good Luck!

PS- I can't help much with the pilot info, but if you have any Beale specific or DET specific questions, feel free to PM me.

 

[FastCargo]

Interview...

First, I will tell you I was NOT a U-2 pilot at Beale, just a T-38 Instructor Pilot who flew with the U-2 guys a lot (I was responsible to check out all new hires into the U-2 in the T-38 first). I left a little over a year ago from Beale. Now that is out of the way...

My partner for 737 type school was the vice wing commander for Beale, and so he sat on the interview board ("murder" board...don't ask me why it's nicknamed that).

He told me some of the things guys tend to do wrong in the interview board. The main thing he noticed were guys who didn't seem to have a direction...kind of "coasting" through their career. What they looked for was a sincere desire to fly the U-2...because that desire needs to get you through some of the low spots (180 days deployed in a year, 8+ hour flights, Korea, sandbox, etc)...

Obviously, formal military bearing is critical during the interview as well (proper salutes, good uniform, etc). Finally, just being a 'good' dude does wonders (ie willing to learn, confident without being arrogant, etc)...cause the U-2 takes no prisoners when it comes time for the interview rides...EVERYBODY starts back at zero. I've seen some of the interview rides from the ramp...and it's like "Mr. Toads wild ride!" with a plane...

There are a few former Deuce pilots who hang out on this board, hopefully they can give you better info...I was just a T-38 slacker after all... Btw, what I've said shouldn't discourage you...I'd say go for it!

Fly safe and good luck!

FastCargo

 

[Mogus]

The Air Force still flies the U-2? I though the SR-71 made it obsolete. How many are still in use? What is the U-2's service cieling? And what makes it so difficult to handle?

 

[T1bubba]

As if flying the thing normally isn't challenging enough...


Electrical failure challenges U-2 pilots' skills
by Tech. Sgt. James Brabenec
9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
11/29/02 - BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- Flying above 70,000 feet in a two-seat U-2 Dragon Lady, the crew had less than 10 minutes to respond to an impending electrical systems failure, an emergency never before encountered in the aircraft.

Responding to emergencies is nothing new to U-2 pilots, who regularly prepare for the unexpected.

"We brief emergency procedures before every flight. The emergencies that we brief prior to each flight are situations that have occurred in the past," said Means, a U-2 instructor pilot with the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron. "Generally, there are standardized procedures to handle each one of these situations."

This time, however, no checklist existed to guide the crew to safety.

About four hours into their high-altitude training mission, Means and Rodriguez, an upgrade pilot, encountered an electrical malfunction that caused systems to fail one by one. Digital airspeed and altitude read-outs disappeared, followed by the loss of fuel quantity and gear position indicators, radios and navigation equipment. Even emergency backup systems were not immune.

Sensing an imminent electrical failure, the crew shut down all electrical equipment in an attempt to preserve emergency battery power. While the intercom still functioned, they quickly briefed air traffic controllers, and then turned off the battery.

With only a magnetic compass, Means successfully navigated back to Beale. The failed electrical system began to take its toll on the pilots as the lack of speed brakes and lift spoilers to increase drag demanded a 90-minute descent. Means had to fly the aircraft without the benefit of trim.

"The trim is used to lighten the stick forces that are placed on the flight controls (and) ... basically ease the pilot's workload," Means said. "When our problem occurred, we had a nose down trim situation which meant that we had a very heavy stick and the slower we got, the heavier the stick forces became."

The inability to dump fuel and reduce weight, and lower flaps to decrease speed, also compounded their difficulties.

"These factors caused us to fly a faster-than-normal landing and face a landing rollout that would exceed the length of Beale's runway," Means said.

Lining up on the runway's approach, the crew faced little or no margin of error.

As Means gathered his strength for the landing, Rodriguez, on only his second high-altitude sortie and unable to communicate with his instructor, ran all normal checklists to prepare for the emergency landing. This included manually lowering the landing gear, which relies on gravity and air pressure, to bring the wheels down. Again, the failed electrical system prevented the normal cockpit indications to confirm that the wheels were locked in position.

As the aircraft neared the runway, Rodriguez turned the battery back on. It was dead. Consequently, the aircrew had no intercom for the approach and landing, and no way to communicate with a chase car.

Means settled the aircraft onto the 12,000-foot runway and turned the engine off to help slow the aircraft and minimize the rollout distance. Finally, he dragged a wingtip on the runway to stop the aircraft.

Under normal circumstances, the U-2 is a challenging aircraft to fly and land. Through the pilot selection process, the 9th Reconnaissance Wing picks only the best pilots to fly the Dragon Lady. Pilots say landing the U-2 is like landing a truck on a tightrope. Means said this flight exponentially magnified that difficulty.

"When you find yourself in a situation that's not in the book, you have to rely on training, past experiences and your survival instincts," he said. "You do what it takes to make it happen or what I tell some of my students, 'just be a pilot.'"

In a brotherhood that gathers to swap "war stories," the term used to describe challenging sorties, U-2 pilots have another incident from which to learn.

 

[Draginass]

Don't expect promotion to Lt Col out of it.

 

[FastCargo]

You ain't just whistlin' Dixie...

Dragin,

Sounds like you heard the results of the last Lt Col board for the Deuce guys...I was there when they came out with the results for 2001. That was NOT a good day...

FastCargo

 

[Craven Morehead]

The folks at Beale are as nice as they come. I think they're quite proud of their mission, also. Watching CNN News must be different when your work directly affects about one out of three major stories.

The U-2 is a fairly straightforward jet. It's a little slow on the roll rate (rudder helps turns), and the big wing doesn't want to come down, especially when it's clean. It's a taildragger and a good landing requires a stall from one to two feet above the runway, flopping down tailwheel first with no drift or crab. Wing down/top rudder for crosswind corrections. Strangely, during the last second or two of a well-executed stall, the cockpit actually rises as the nose pitches up. On the rollout, it's all about working the yoke to keep the wingtips off the runway and the tailwheel firmly planted on the ground.

Energy management in the pattern is critical. As stated above, any excess speed gets translated into distance down the runway. The approach speed of two knots above stall sounds like you're milleseconds from losing it, but it actually takes some effort and time to get that huge wing to bleed it off.

Takeoffs are much less involved; the pogos drop off and it's airborne very quickly. Climbout is quite impressive--no obstacle clearance charts required.

Craven