U-2

[psysicx]

Are there any U-2 pilots on this board.I am just wondering your thoughts on how like flying it.It seems like you either love it or hate it.Also how high is the TDY rate,I heard 2 months on then 2 months off for the first six months to a year then it gets better.And how hard is it to get promoted I heard it used to be difficult to make it past major.

Thanks

 

[Huggyu2]

Deuce info

It's a great flying job for many; others would find it not appealing at all. That is the beauty of the fact that it is an all-volunteer assignment. Plus, the interview is a 2 way street: The interviewee gets to "interview" the U-2 program to make sure they have all the facts and really want to go for it.
2 months on/2 months off is "the standard" line, but I'd guess line pilots are pulling about 140 days/year right now.
Promotions in the 90's were bad. Now, if guys are willing to fill the ACSC and Masters squares, they have a great shot at O-5. There are better school slots and staff jobs now than there were back in the 90's too. Too bad that the TDY locations have lost that "quality TDY edge" to them. At least PSAB is gone.
You can go to the U-2 application website at beale.af.mil, and check out all the info they have there, including names/numbers of folks you can call to get the latest, up to date info.
What's your background?

 

[psysicx]

Thank you for the information.What locations do they usually deploy to?Also what kind of school can they attend and whay staff jobs are there?And how long does a staff job last?How hard is it to get an the interview?I heard that you have to odviously(sp) have to be able to land the plane but they also want a certain kind of personallity,is this true?Thanks again

 

[Ten at the T]

I LOVED IT! But....

At my age, my bones started creaking at around the 4-hour point. After 1500+ hrs in it, I flew last in April and retired. It just hurt too much to exit the cockpit (it didn't help that I'm 6'5" I suppose). But nowhere else did I have the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment of having done something that was truly challenging (and maybe made a difference?) every time I flew the beast, real-world mission or not. And that's the other beauty of it... when you're on the road, you're doing the real thing, and even though there's a team of great support folks and a dozen links in the mission-intel chain, it pretty much all falls on you, baby. The airplane doesn't forgive inattention (no matter how mind-numbed you are in that Korean orbit) and when the situation is at it's worst, i.e., wrestling it to the ground at night after 11+ hours, down to mins in the driving rain with some crosswind (and it doesn't like much), you have to be at your best. All wearing a 4-layer suit with gardening gloves and a helmet you have to use your hand to help turn, in a cockpit the size of a phone booth. It definitely deserves the "Dragonlady" nickname!

But I NEVER got tired of the view. Or the thrill of the climbout. And the camaraderie, though at times ebbs and flows, is the best! It is probably the closest thing to a flying "club" left in the AF. Plus you get to fly the T-38 whether you want to or not. It's definitely an aviator's program.

Current locations are Osan Korea, RAF Akrotiri Cyprus, and the UAE. Once in a while there are short trips to Fairford UK or Hickam HI when aircraft swaps are involved or occasionally operations from some different place, such as Kadena Okinawa. Schools are wide and varied, with folks having gone to just about any intermediate or senior service school that's out there. Staff jobs, usually lasting 3 to 4 years, concentrate in the DC or Langley AFB area but also exist at Hickam (HQ PACAF or PACOM), USAFE or EUCOM in Germany, 8AF in Barksdale, 7AF at Osan to name a few. As far as personality goes, we just want to hire folks that we know we can live with for 2 months at a time! The website should help with the interview question.

I certainly didn't regret it and I have a LOT of excellent experiences. Go for it!!

 

[psysicx]

Awesome information.I know after the first 10 years you will go to a staff job.My question is how many times will you have to do a staff job,I know it probably depends.Also can you stay in the aircraft for 10 to 15 years or is there a time limit?And do you have a chance to become an IP and teach people to fly?And why do they use the Talon?


Thanks

 

[Ten at the T]

Your personal career goals will, in the end, determine how many and what staff jobs you do. I did 2, the one at PACAF (Hickam) and another at 7AF at Osan, that one being a mission-ready U-2 flying position. On the other hand, there are guys that have been at Beale for over 9 or 10 years and never moved. I was in the program nearly 12 with the 2 staff tours thrown in. It was my desire to stay with the U-2 and since manning levels are almost always never at capacity, there was never a problem getting back to Beale from a staff job.

You will eventually upgrade to IP in the U-2, first as a mobile (the chase car), then possibly into one of the 2-seaters for initial, requal, and eventually interview training. It is possible to upgrade to IP in the T-38. The T-38 is used because there aren't enough U-2s in the fleet to support the pilot continuation training load. It's challenging in its own (but different than the U-2) way, and is relatively inexpensive to operate among to name a few reasons.

Cheers and good luck!

 

[psysicx]

Is it possible never to do a staff tour?Also how did you like Osan and where you able to bring your family?And has it gotten better on promotions I know it used to be hard to make it past major?

 

[Frisko]

Ten at the T-
How often do they hire from a non-fighter/bomber background (those that did not track select T-38's)? How many of those folks do you get applying and what's competitive? How about from the guard/reserve?

 

[Ten at the T]

Is it possible never to do a staff tour?Also how did you like Osan and where you able to bring your family?And has it gotten better on promotions I know it used to be hard to make it past major?

Yes, it's possible to never do a staff tour, a lot of people go that route. Unfortunately, it's greatly lessens the chances at O-5 (nor does a staff tour guarantee it by any stretch either). I know guys that have shown up at Beale and never left after nearly a decade!

Osan was excellent and yes, my family was there also. After the initial adjustment period (say a few months), my family really enjoyed it there, saw a lot, traveled some... everyone misses it now. As stated by Huggyu2 before, promotions are better than they were as long as the squares are filled.

How often do they hire from a non-fighter/bomber background (those that did not track select T-38's)? How many of those folks do you get applying and what's competitive? How about from the guard/reserve?

I know a fair number of those guys get interviews and get hired but I can't quote numbers. There are guard and reserve folks also and almost a dozen or so furloughed airline folks on reserve commissions, but again I don't know the numbers. Huggyu2 could probably do a better job on that with a lot more accuracy... I've been retired since June!

Cheers

 

[psysicx]

I know flight can be long so is there anyway that you can eat or drink inflight or does that wait untill the flight is over?And is it hard to sit there for 10 hours or longer looking out the window?

 

[Huggyu2]

U-2 info

Yes, you can eat and drink. As long as it fits through a straw! There is more to say than I can type. If you want to discuss a U-2 assignment, call me at 530 634 4447, and I'll tell you all that I can.
If it ever gets boring looking out of the window, I'll quit.
Ten-at-the-T (great name for a U-2 pilot, by the way) is correct in all he says. If you want to fly, and are a team player that can roll with the punches and think on your own, then you should look at the U-2 for your next assignment. There are downsides too; you've got to take the good with the bad. I've been doing the U-2 for 10 of the last 15 years, and I keep coming back.
About 20% of the pilots are former airline types. About 75% never flew the T-38. Yes!: don't sell yourself short! We've got excellent pilots from the entire spectrum: B-52, C-130, F-16, C-21, P-3, F-18, E-2, KC-135, T-37, B-1, C-141, C-5, EA-6B, T-1, etc... Call me with your questions. WE ARE HIRING!!!

 

[LJDRVR]

Just a quick note on the lifesyle issues at Beale. My wife and I used to complain about how much the Marysville/Yuba City area sucked in regards to culture, but truth be told, it was a great place to live.

I had the foothills of the Sierras literally out my back door at base housing, and would spend many happy hours hiking all over the place. Where I live now is flat and ugly by comparision. (Houston) On weekends I would rent a J-3 Cub from a place down in Sacremento and fly all over the valley at 500' feet with the door open. Or take an Aero Club 172 down to San Francisco or Napa Valley for lunch. On the way back I'd always get in a practice PAR returning to Beale. (I've only shot one since, going into St. Johns late one winter night.) Skiing or gambling? 2.5 hours to Reno/Lake Tahoe. If you like to hunt or fish, Beale's nice for that too.

I once asked a U-2 guy what it was like to fly, his response was "Imagine somebody wraps up your whole body tight in saran wrap. Now, sit on you toilet (lid down) for 10 hours. Pay attention! Now make the best landing of your career in a big, unstable taildragger, and you can't see sh1t."

As a former enlisted-puke, Im the last guy that should be giving any advice to an active duty, rated officer, but as a fellow Aviator, I've gotta say go for it. How often do we get to fly something totally out of the ordinary? With over 50 types in my logbook, nothing really stands out. Besides, what other AF job has a companion trainer with 2 afterburning J-85's? (There is one, but who want's to fly 36 hour simulator missions?)

Lastly, the view. I've routinely flown the Lear 31 at FL 510, and anybody who says they can see the curvature of the earth at 510 is lying their pants off. Add another thirty thousand feet though, and you're in the company of a small group of people.

Go out and interview. See what you think. Besides, you've gotta get through the interview ride in the two-seater first. I've watched a couple of those from the ground. WILD!

Good Luck

 

[BeechScrub]

Is it common for FAIPs to be hired into the U-2? Also, is there a particular reason for lower promotion rates in the U-2, or just because it's a smaller community? Thanks for the great info.

 

[FastCargo]

FAIPs and the U-2...

>Is it common for FAIPs to be hired into the U-2?

Unless it's changed recently, there are quite a few FAIPs in the U-2 program. I trained (back in the day) a few FAIPs, including the first T-1 FAIP (never had seen the T-38) into the T-38 there, and he did really well. Huggy can give you more info about the present situation.

>Also, is there a particular reason for lower promotion rates in the U-2, or just because it's a smaller community? Thanks for the great info.

That part I cannot speak to, hopefully some duece guys can give you better ideas. It was disappointing being there and watching some of the promotion board carnage...cause there were some good dudes who didn't get promoted.

Fly safe!
FastCargo

 

[Huggyu2]

More U-2

Yes, FAIP's are here in abundance. See the U-2 Application link on www.beale.af.mil for details. Bottom line: you need 1300 rated hours. Single-seat trainers (T-6, T-37, T-38, T-45, etc...) only require 800 rated hours. We'll look at fighter pilots once they have 500 hours. Historically, if you've flown two types of aircraft since UPT, you tend to do better on the interview.
I was a FAIP (handpicked!.... like a booger!!), and have really enjoyed it. Promotions are back to "normal". We're getting top-notch guys into some good schools and staff jobs, and starting to see the pay back. Our OG here is a FAIP/U-2 pilot whose career took off: 5 below the zone to Colonel.
FAIPs that can fly the U-2 well, and are confident and competant are well liked by the squadron leadership.
OK, you guys are killing me with this typing. Call me at 530 634 4447 if you want to discuss it further, or are considering applying.
Also: I need to hire a full time T-38 IP in the near future. You don't need to be current. Call me for details. No Reservists: only full-up active duty types for the T-38 job. No losers either. The T-38 program is too high vis, and we need high speed, excellent pilots working in that shop.

 

[GVFlyer]

U2

I used to fly film for you guys back when Akrotiri was a classified location and Steve P. was commanding the unit and Delise D. and Troy D. were flying in it. We'd hit the Med., drop down and "Due Regard" the islands on the way to Cyprus. On the way back to Rhein Main we'd low level to Nice then pop up in France where we could use standing diplomatic clearances and request an IFR to Germany. Cool mission and you guys had a cool job.

GV

 

[psysicx]

How come your looking for a T-38 pilot?Don't have enough people to go around.And what does 5 below the zone to Colonel mean?And what are considered good schools and staff jobs?

 

[Huggyu2]

Physicx: give me call on the phone. We'll discuss everything in more detail. It appears you do not have a military background, so it would take me WAY too much typing to explain. However, I'm more than happy to discuss the U-2 program with anyone, whether they are looking for a job, or just information. Hey, that's part of what they pay me for! Checkout beale.af.mil for contact info. Little known fact: we haven't been 100% manned in the 15 years I've been in the U-2 program. We're always looking for pilots that we think will take a National Asset, employ it, and return it Code 1. Some caveats have been added to that (seniority, promotability, etc...), but, hey, it's 2004 and we're in the USAF.

 

[Huggyu2]

GV Flyer: Ah yes, 'the rock' is a good place. But not as good as it was. Seems that the USAF discovered it during the war last year. Delise D? Don't know who you mean, but Troy retired just a few months ago, after deciding that the fast track was not the way to go for quality of life. Great pilot, and smart too. She will be missed.

 

[psysicx]

You can come from any service to the U-2 program.I think that you have to convert over to Blue.There was a guy on here who was a Corbra pilot in the Marines who is now a U-2 pilot.