All USAF pilots are required to take an annual instrument check either in the airplane or the simulator. The U-2 had no simulator. Since it was cheaper and easier to schedule, the squadron was given special permission to give U-2 pilots their annual instrument check in the T-38. Flying the T-38 at Beale was an exciting job. We acted as chase ship for the SR-71. Quite frequently the Blackbird would return from its mission with something wrong. A chase ship would be sent up to meet the airplane and fly formation with it. This allowed the pilot of the T-38 to look for leaks, hanging panels, popped fasteners, or anything else that might have broken on the airplane. It was quite the rush to fly formation with an airplane three times your size. The SR-71 engines had big spikes that would move in and out during flight regulating the air intake. Whenever I flew alongside this behemoth I felt like one of those remoras that feed off of a great white shark — small, insignificant, but staying close.
Now that I was officially in the squadron, I began the training to become a fully qualified U-2 pilot. The latest, operational version of the U-2 I would eventually fly was the “R” model. The “R” is a huge airplane. It has a wingspan of 103 feet, a length of 63 feet, all powered by 18,500 pounds of thrust from its Pratt and Whitney J-75 engine. The empty weight of the airplane is still classified but on traffic pattern-only training missions, the airplane had more thrust than weight. In 1977 all the Rs were single seat airplanes so I would initially train on the two-seat “C” model. The C-model was the earlier, smaller version of the R with only an 80-foot wingspan.
The training syllabus included five flights. The first two in the two-seat model, followed by a solo ride in the single seat U-2C. The training ended with two more solo rides in the C.
I was excited about the first ride. It would be my first high flight and was something I had wanted for a long time. My two evaluation flights had been low altitude, only up to 20,000 feet. This flight was meant to introduce me to the real purpose of the airplane, high altitude flying. For all non-high flights, the pilot wears a normal flight suit and helmet.
High altitude flying required a pressure suit. Pressure suits were needed to keep the pilot at a safe cabin altitude. The U-2 flew above 70,000 feet so the pilot needed to be protected in case of cabin pressure loss. The U-2 cabin was normally maintained at 28,000 feet but if the engine failed or the canopy cracked, the cabin would rapidly rise to the actual altitude of the airplane. Without the protection of the pressure suit, the pilot would quickly die.
One of the most important support organizations in the wing was the Physiological Support Division (PSD). The PSD maintained all the pressure suits and dressed us prior to a high flight. Putting on a pressure suit isn’t as easy as slipping on a flight suit.
The average U-2 high flight lasted about 10 hours and everyone started at the PSD building. The pilot would show up about two hours prior to flight. Pilots were fed a high protein, low fat meal. Then the dressing process began.
The technicians pre-tested the pressure suit for leaks, tears or malfunctions before they helped the pilot climb into it. All U-2 and SR-71 pilots had two custom fitted suits. In 1977 these pressure suits were valued at $100,000 each.
The dressing process began with the pilot donning a long-john pant and shirt combination. To enable the pilot to urinate in flight, he wore a condom-like device with a long plastic tube attached to the end. The plastic tube would extend from the pressure suit and eventually was connected to the airplane. The pilot connected the condom and tube to the pants with Velcro. Once this was complete, the pilot presented himself to the PSD technicians.
The technicians did the real work in dressing the pilot. The pilot merely followed their instructions to sit, stand, or turn while the technicians maneuvered the suit and secured him inside. Once the pressure suit was on, the helmet was attached.
Now that the pilot was properly dressed in the pressure suit he was placed in a recliner and hooked up to air conditioning and 100 % oxygen. This was the start of his one-hour of pre-breathing.
One hour of pre-breathing was required to rid the body of any excess nitrogen, which could cause the “bends.” The bends is also known as decompression sickness and describes a condition occurring when dissolved gases come out of the blood and form bubbles inside the body. These bubbles can migrate to any part of the body causing a variety of results from pain and rashes to paralysis and even death. Pre-breathing 100 % oxygen would eliminate virtually all of the gases from the pilot’s body. Since the U-2 pilot flew at a cabin altitude of 28,000 feet, pre-breathing was imperative to prevent the bends. Modern airliners are pressurized at a cabin altitude of between six and eight thousand feet so “bends” is not an issue for the travelling public.
The PSD building had several recliners to choose from. I remember sitting in one of the recliners for my pre-breathe prior to my first high flight. I was both anxious and excited. Anxious because I was about to experience something that few men before me ever had and I wanted a successful mission with no problems. Excited because of the prospect of seeing the world from a new vantage point.
With pre-breathing complete, the pilot was escorted to a waiting PSD van for transport to the aircraft. Portable oxygen and air conditioning units were attached to the suit for the ride to the airplane.
Once the pilot was seated in the cockpit, the technicians connected him to the aircraft’s oxygen and air conditioning systems. They also connected the urine drain line from the suit. This line would be secured into a well that sat underneath the control column and had a two-quart capacity. The technicians completed the process by attaching the seat belt and shoulder harness.
The U-2C required a different pressure suit than the R model. The C-suit was a “squeeze” suit. This meant that if the airplane lost cabin pressure, the suit would squeeze or constrict the pilot. The R-suit, used only in the U-2R, would inflate with a cabin pressure loss. The R-suit is the same suit worn by the space shuttle astronauts. Both suits had the same purpose of keeping the pilot at a 28,000 feet cabin pressure.
Personally, I disliked the C-suit. It was skintight, restrictive and uncomfortable. The R-suit was a vast improvement over the older C-suit. The R-suit was loose fitting and inflatable. In flight, with a push of a button, you could inflate the suit and move around inside it. Since I would be flying the U-2C in my upcoming high flights it meant I had to wear the uncomfortable C-suit.
Chapter 8
The itinerary for the first mission would take us north out of Beale up to the Crater Lake area of Oregon, then southeast to Elko, Nevada, and southwest back to Beale. This mission’s emphasis was in navigation. The weather was beautiful in all directions and we blasted off into the cloudless California sky. The climb rate of the airplane was amazing. The instructor pointed out that we didn’t have a full fuel load and we had no payload (normally cameras) on board. These two factors had a significant effect on the aircraft’s climb rate. The altimeter spun around quickly as the ground fell away below us; 40,000 feet, 50,000, 60,000, then 65,000 feet. As we climbed, the view from my seat changed dramatically. From this altitude, I could clearly see the curvature of the earth. The sky was no longer its normal blue, but was now a rich, dark purple color. I could see 500 miles in every direction and I felt like I was on top of the world. As I gazed out at the distant horizon, the beauty of the panorama overwhelmed me. I felt truly humbled and grateful to be able to see this magnificence. I had never experienced such a scene in my entire life and I still recall it exactly as it happened, 38 years ago.