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Video: CIA U-2 Carrier Trials on USS Ranger (1964)
Declassified video of a CIA U-2G taking off and landing from the USS Ranger (CV-61). The U-2G was a specially modified version of the spyplane, with strengthened landing gear and a tailhook added to accommodate carrier operations. (youtu.be) Altro...
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After a U-2 trap. what does one do for excitement?
That was mind boggling. Of all the possible airframes out there that I can think of which would be able to stand the stress of trapping, the U2 wouldn't even have made the list as a joke, and yet, he it is.
Interesting to see crew members actually holding on to the wingtips immediately prior to launch. My guess is they were the most junior sailors. ;)
Actually, the U2 had drop down landing gear in the wings so it could balance on the centerline wheels. When it wasn't working, or being used for whatever reason, you could actually hold the wing up for the few moments until it generated some lift. Notice there is what looks like an orange traffic cone that falls over moments after the launch. That was likely there to hold up the wings. This video and article explains it well. http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/this-is-how-you-hand-launch-a-u-2-spy-plane-that-lost-o-1691226703
The U-2 does not have landing gear in the wings.
In normal taxi and takeoff operations the U-2 has auxiliary wheels attached to the wings to prevent the wingtips from dragging. These wheels fall from the underside of the wing once the jet is airborne. During landing a ground crewman needs to hold the wing off the runway until the aux wheels can be installed, otherwise a tip will drag.
In normal taxi and takeoff operations the U-2 has auxiliary wheels attached to the wings to prevent the wingtips from dragging. These wheels fall from the underside of the wing once the jet is airborne. During landing a ground crewman needs to hold the wing off the runway until the aux wheels can be installed, otherwise a tip will drag.
Usually, two sets of wheels called "pogos" are installed under each wing by ground crew. The pogos fall out of sockets in the wing onto the runway surface when the aircraft takes off. The ground crew collects the pogos and re-installs them after the aircraft has come to a full stop and a wing tip has settled onto the landing surface. Skids made of titanium are located on the bottom of each wing tip to protect the wing. Once the pogos are installed, the aircraft may taxi under its own power back to its parking location.
