Chasing the Dragon Lady

[Kmorpheus]

In the recent issue, September 2012, of Popular Mechanics there's an article about the U-2 Spy Plane and it's chase cars called "Chasing the Dragon Lady". Sorry, don't have any pictures.

Throughout the U-2's history, muscle cars have played an important role in assisting pilots in landing this plane.

There were El Camino's, Mustangs, Z28's, new GTO's, and now the 2011 Camaro SS has been added to the line-up and will probably replace the GTO's.

[OrangeU]

Yes this is true! I flew 100 mission in a u2 during the 70's and my chase car was a mustang. I will see if i have any pictures i can scan in to show how this worked.

[tonyko1]

I know this is the Camaro forum, but a new El Camino SS would be nice. Given how the truck and SUV market exploded, it seemed that this type of vehicle would have made it.

What was the retro one that Chevy brought out for a very short life?

[boltmark]

What is the exact purpose of the chase car?

[OrangeU]

They tell you where the ground is so you do not set it down too hard. You can hear him count down in the video just as the main tire touches the ground. Very hard to judge the ground from the ****pit.

[Macky]

How cool would that be: Job title-U2 spy plane chase car (Camaro) driver!

[Drew10]

Originally Posted by Macky

How cool would that be: Job title-U2 spy plane chase car (Camaro) driver!

+1

[snaphappy]

I don't get it, why do you need the car to know where the ground is? Is it for perspective, so you can understand how close the ground is based on how big the car looks as you approach it?

[Kmorpheus]

Originally Posted by snaphappy

I don't get it, why do you need the car to know where the ground is? Is it for perspective, so you can understand how close the ground is based on how big the car looks as you approach it?

If the chase car wasn't there to "spot" the pilot and talk him down, they could easily snap off a wing or worse if they came down too harshly

The U2 has what they classify as "bicycle" landing gear. The plane actually drags one of it's titanium wing tips as it slows down.

The ground crews would then insert the wing wheels under each wing for taxiing to the hangar.

These wheels were later jettisoned as the plane took off.

[fbodfather]

The U-2 is the only plane in the world where the 'co-pilot' is in a chase car. In fact, there are two chase cars - the co-pilot in one of them in direct contact with the pilot. (the pilot wears a space-like suit because the plane flies at 70,000 feet as I recalll.....)

Camaros (4th gen) were used for years as the Chase cars -- and because of this, I approached the Government about providing them with a fleet of 4 Camaros this would have been around 2000....- if, in return, they would allow us to use running footage and still pics in our literature and marketing materials. I actually had 4 cars sitting at a dealership awaiting assignment ....

........waiting............and waiting...................and waiting..........


It took a year for the Government to tell us that they could not accept them - but that they were ready to buy new ones and as I recall they purchased about a dozen - most of them B4Cs.

There used to be a show called "Behind Closed Doors with Joan Lunden" -- and in one episode, she went up in the plane - as fate would have it, the landing gear jambed while she was in-flight -- and there was amazing footage of a 4th gen Camaro doing 160mph under 'the Dragon Lady' - so that the 'co-pilot' could determine that the landing gear was, indeed, down. The U-2 did a 'go-around' and then came in for a safe landing - two Camaros escorting it (...dang it made me proud to watch those Camaro perform heroics!)

We're delighted that the Camaro is once again part of the U-2 program.

(They also had a few G8 sedans as of a year ago............)

[OPP]

Originally Posted by boltmark

What is the exact purpose of the chase car?

Ask a dog why he chases trucks. He'll tell you: "because it's cool". I would bark at that plane too if they let me chase it. Or maybe I have to put this beer down.