Being passed by an actual U2 IN FLIGHT! (Video)

[hiss srq]

This is a really cool video. I can't make out what type they are in but it looks to be a recip twin engine. (Cessna 310 maybe?) but these guys take a left to right pass from a U2 barely 500 feet higher in altitude. _9E86wV59qk

[Hussman75]

MOST COOL!

Used to love watching our U-2's work the pattern back during my year at Osan... The
"Dragon Lady" is definitely a unique and head- turning aircraft!

[threeholerglory]

that's awesome! i was recently flying in a 441 when we saw two flights of two F-15's pass below us, crossing left to right but coming toward us as well...maybe about 1000' below...THAT was really cool

[USAF Pilot 07]

Nice! The coolest air-to-air things I've seen so far (other than actually refueling other aircraft or getting gas behind a tanker) were probably either seeing a C5 getting gas from a 135 or passing 1000' below a B52.

When I flew T-1s, on the way back from simulating AR over West Texas with another T-1 we were headed back as a formation to Midland and passed a C-5 being re-fueled by a 135. At first - from far - it looked like a fighter had a boom and was refueling a C17, but as we got closer it was a 4-engined jet refueling another one. The 135 looked like a toy compared to the C5 - even the KC10 looks like a regional jet next to a C5.

The other time we were leaving Shreveport headed back to TX and passed 1000' below a BUFF headed into Barksdale. That was pretty sweet too...

[Mateo]

Used to see A-10s (out of Griffiss? Drum??) all the time while flying V203 between ALB and SLK back in the late 80s.

Same time period, T-37s were often seen making quick stops at MMU. Don't know where those came from.

[moose135]

Used to see A-10s (out of Griffiss? Drum??) all the time while flying V203 between ALB and SLK back in the late 80s.

Same time period, T-37s were often seen making quick stops at MMU. Don't know where those came from.
A-10s may have been CT ANG - they were flying them back in the late 70s - early 80s when I was flying out of FRG, and saw them on rides to CT. They could have been doing some low level route work or heading to a range.

The T-37s may have been out of Griffiss - back in the day, SAC bases had T-37s stationed for the Accelerated Copilot Enrichment (ACE) program. ACE allowed tanker and bomber copilots to get extra flying time to make up for the relative low amount of flying we did, between Alert and such. Once you were checked out in the T-37, two tanker/bomber copilots could check out a jet for a day (or weekend) and try not to kill themselves or get into too much trouble. The T-37s and the instructor pilots that accompanied them were assigned to one of the pilot training wings - at Grissom, we had folks from Vance AFB. At some of the Northern Tier bases (Minot, for instance) they had T-38s for ACE.

[USAF Pilot 07]

The T-37s may have been out of Griffiss - back in the day, SAC bases had T-37s stationed for the Accelerated Copilot Enrichment (ACE) program. ACE allowed tanker and bomber copilots to get extra flying time to make up for the relative low amount of flying we did, between Alert and such. Once you were checked out in the T-37, two tanker/bomber copilots could check out a jet for a day (or weekend) and try not to kill themselves or get into too much trouble. The T-37s and the instructor pilots that accompanied them were assigned to one of the pilot training wings - at Grissom, we had folks from Vance AFB. At some of the Northern Tier bases (Minot, for instance) they had T-38s for ACE.

I think Niagara Falls also had 37s around when they had 135s up there. I wish they still had that program around! It would be pretty sick to let george fly the tanker around on the weekdays and then jump in a T-37 (these days a T-6) on the weekends, actually fly the airplane and then hit up somewhere good but close by for the night. A lot of our civilian sim guys (retired guys) were in 135s when this program was around and said it was probably on the best deals they had back in the day - although I don't think the AF picked up lodging or per diem on the weekend trips. You still can't beat free gas and a free fully aerobatic aircraft though for a weekend though.

The U-2 program still has a similar deal. The U-2 guys - last I heard - were getting only about one sortie in a month, so to keep current and proficient, they have a few black -38s out at Beale that the guys get to take on the weekends x-country (all paid for)...

[cancidas]

You still can't beat free gas and a free fully aerobatic aircraft though for a weekend though.
no there isn't. and if this program ever starts up again, you know where you can find a flying buddy.... :D