U-2 Spy Plane Crashes in California, One of Two Pilots Killed

[onebyone]

https://gma.yahoo.com/u-2-spy-plane...wo-pilots-191449638--abc-news-topstories.html

A U-2 Air Force reconnaissance aircraft crashed today in Sutter County, California, killing one of the two pilots aboard.

Both pilots aboard ejected, but one was killed and another sustained injuries, the Air Force said in a statement.

The aircraft crashed near the Sutter Buttes at 9:05 a.m. PDT, about 15 minutes after takeoff from the base, according to a statement from Beale Air Force Base.

"The aircraft was assigned to 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, Beale Air Force Base, California, and was on a training mission," the statement said.



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Beale Air Force Base is located 40 miles north of Sacramento. Sutter County is located west of the Air Force base.

Operational U-2 planes are single-seater aircraft, but there are five two-seater versions used to train new pilots.

First used in the late 1950's, the high-altitude U-2 aircraft are still being used to gain intelligence on the battlefield.

They are deployed to the Middle East to help in gathering visual intelligence on ISIS, according to military officials.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

 

[Norge Stronk]

Trainer. A trainer crashed. A TU-2S to be more precise. There's a difference, not that I'd expect you to know.

If there's two pilots, it's a trainer model people. They fly "clean" as well.

The recon variant's are single seaters, such as this model carrying a full suite of "Senior Glass"

Or this version with SYERS and twin "Super Pods":

This version is equipped with ASARS.

And how about a variant with ASARS-2, Senior Glass and SYERS?

Notice the lack of a second seat on the variants armed with recon equipment?

To help you differentiate between a trainer and an actual, operational spy variant, here's a guide.

...

Also, you put the thread in the wrong section. I'm guessing you've been banned from the "Americas" section, yes?

 

[Hack-Hook]

I wonder if its why the plane crashed

To maintain their operational ceiling of 70,000 feet (21,000 m), the early U-2A and U-2C models had to fly very near their never-exceed speed (VNE). The margin between that maximum speed and the stall speed at that altitude was only 10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h). This narrow window is called the "coffin corner",[30][31] because breaching either limit would likely cause airflow separation at the wings or tail.[32] For most of the time on a typical mission the U-2 was flying less than five knots above stall speed. A stall would cause a loss of altitude, possibly leading to detection and overstress of the airframe.[17]

The U-2's flight controls are designed for high-altitude flight; the controls require light control inputs at operational altitude. However, at lower altitudes, the higher air density and lack of a power assisted control system makes the aircraft very difficult to fly. Control inputs must be extreme to achieve the desired response, and a great deal of physical strength is needed to operate the controls in this manner. The U-2 is very sensitive to crosswinds, which, together with its tendency to float over the runway, makes the aircraft notoriously difficult to land. As it approaches the runway, the cushion of air provided by the high-lift wings in ground effect is so pronounced that the U-2 will not land unless the wing is fully stalled