A day with the ER-2 (picture heavy) (jet, training, Russian)

[volosong]

Had the last check flight on the 809 yesterday before its deployment to Namibia for six weeks. Here's a few snaps from yesterday.

1.) Final pre-flight in the hanger. In the background on the left is NASA's other ER-2, the 806.



2.) Pulling her out of the hanger. That's a HUGE building. Before NASA took it over, it was used to build the B-2 bombers and film part of the Pirates of the Caribbean. For safety of the aircraft, one of the ground crew walks next to each wing skid to make sure they don't bump into anything. The ER-2 has something like a 103 foot wingspan, (a third of the length of a football field!).



3.) Sitting on the ready ramp outside the hanger, start of final pre-flight routine. This was just after the roll-out. Within a few minutes, people will be crawling all over the thing with about six trucks, vans, utility carts, etc. parked all around it.



4.) Crew pre-flight pretty much done, time for the pilot pre-flight. Yes, he wears a "space suit". He's on pure oxygen for at least an hour before take-off, (that little yellow canister the life support fellow is lugging behind. The cabin is pressurized to about 28,000-30,000 feet and she flies at around 65,000-70,000 feet.



5.) Sitting at the end of the runway just before take-off. Last check between the pilot and the mobile, (backup pilot in the chase car, I'm in the back seat). That little black cylindrical 'thingy' hanging out the bottom of the nose is part of our instrument. It's a Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager. Basically acquires polarized imagery in several different wavelengths at multiple angles, (different paths through the atmosphere).



5a.) Different flight. Just shows how steep an angle these things climb. They seem to "leap" off the runway after about a 100 yard roll-out and after a moment's hesitation appear to go "straight up". Impressive! Such a beautiful machine.



6.) Just after landing. Plane is going about 120 miles per hour right about now and the chase car is matching its speed. It is frequent practice for the mobile to 'talk down' the pilot because he really can't see the ground very well. Just a little periscope sticking out the bottom of the cockpit is all he has. Not optimal for landing. The mobile is sitting on a side ramp at the end of the runway. When the plane comes over the end of the runway, about fifty feet up, the mobile screeches out onto the runway and falls in behind the plane, following it down the runway. Much, much better than any E-ticket.



7.) She rolls to a stop right next to the pickup truck on the side of the runway so that the ground crew can put the pogo sticks back under the wings. The wings are so long and unsupported that they'd drag on the ground unless they were propped up.



8.) Taxi under own power back to the hanger ramp. You can see the pogos holding up the wings. Upon takeoff, they fall off as soon as he has lift. Each pilot is hoping for another 'kill' to paint on the wheel well. The other year, one of the pogos took out a runway light.



9.) Back at the ready ramp. Pilot is giving a quick debrief to the ground crew. The science debrief is about a half hour later in the pilot meeting room after the pilot showers and changes.



10.) Pushing 809 back into the hanger, rolling past SOFIA in the background, (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy). SOFIA barely fits into the hanger. Must be less than six feet of clearance. She only flies at night, so I've never seen her in action.



11.) The nose disconnected from the fuselage and my work associate, Brian, pulling the data disc pack from our instrument so that we can download the data for processing. Brian is the main instrument technician. I was just helping out yesterday. My normal job is instrument operations of a couple of space borne instruments, one on TERRA, the other on Aura. I can't believe we get paid for having so much fun.

[SluggoF16]

An always-impressive aircraft, I used to see them (U-2) when I was going through FAC training at Patrick as it headed south in the morning and returned 8 hours later, and later from Prince Sultan Air Base as it headed north over Iraq. There are some missions that RPAs just plain can't do. That takeoff roll and climb-out was awesome, as was the landing. They used a Mustang GT or El Camino for the mobile control. That it was built the way it was before CAD is equally impressive.

[burdell]

Kelly Johnson and crew would be proud!

[OpanaPointer]

That's the kind of job where you call in healthy a lot.

[emcee squared]

Very cool! Thanks a lot for sharing!

[Claudia Dare]

Thanks for sharing these photos!

[DMenscha]

My father was one of 2 guys responsible for the money at the Skunk Works. I never knew exactly what he did for a living. I was talking to my mother on the phone one day while I was watching something on TV about the U-2.

"Oh your dad worked on that".

Next time on the phone with the old man, I asked him to tell me about it.

"Not over the phone".

"Dad, the Russians know about it now"

"Not over the phone".

Anyway, apparently the "petty cash" fund in Burbank was $2,000,000 in 1953. They would grab a suitcase full of cash and go over to other contractors at 0300 and pick up a jet engine! He wrote Tony LaVier a check for $5,000 for the first test flight.

He ended his career doing the same thing for the Keyhole satellites in Sunnyvale.

I think Lockheed also tried a propeller variant called the "Quiet Star" which I saw take off at San Jose Muni once. Same incredible climb, but a fairly flat angle of climb.

Ahhh Memory lane!

[BurbsGuy82]

What did you guys use for the chase car? I knew Pontiac G8's and Camaro SS's were being used in places for planes like these.

[Scratch33]

Great pics. Thanks!

[volosong]

Thanks for the kudos, everyone. I'm glad I had the opportunity to share with you.

Originally Posted by BurbsGuy82

What did you guys use for the chase car? I knew Pontiac G8's and Camaro SS's were being used in places for planes like these.

Some type of Dodge. Haven't a clue which model. It's pretty quick, to be able to fall in behind the ER-2 just as it's touching down.