US spy plane crashes in Asia www.chinaview.cn 2005-06-22 16:21:55 BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhuanet) -- A US U-2 spy plane has crashed in south-west Asia on Tuesday night, the US military said. "The cause of the crash and status of the pilot are not known at this time," said the US Central Command Air Forces, or CENTAF, in a brief statement. The U-2, a single-seat jet able to fly at high altitudes on surveillance missions, has been flown by the U.S. Air Force for over 50 years. The military has not disclosed the location of the crash or any of the circumstances. ----------------- Funny thing is not one major news show is reporting it. It doesn't seam to be big enough news for CNN to mention it. Did it crash or get shot down, then? I also wounder why they are using such an old plane when we have paid billions for stealth planes.
this on MSN The location of the crash could not be released due to host nation sensitivities, U.S. Air Force Capt. David W. Small, a Central Command spokesman, said in an e-mail when asked for more information. In Washington, Lt. Col. Barry Venable, a Pentagon spokesman, said the plane had completed a mission and crashed while returning to its base. A U.S. security team was at the site of the crash, he said. BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. Air Force U-2 spy plane involved in a mission in Afghanistan crashed while attempting to land at its base in the United Arab Emirates, killing the pilot, the military said Wednesday. The Airmen of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing mourn the loss of a true American hero in the service of his country, said Col. Darryl Burke, the units wing commander. The wing has been based at the al-Dhafra air base near Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, since early 2002. The wing flies various types of aircraft, including aerial refueling tankers. Burke appointed an interim investigation board to determine the cause of the crash. It was not clear when the results of the investigation would be completed. Air Force spy planes have used the UAE base since the start of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The U-2 operates at an altitude of more than 70,000 feet, beyond the range of most surface-to-air missiles. It has been used by American forces for decades. 3000 mile range, 90,000 ft ceiling, 12 hour endurance. Very sad to lose another... - Bill
I saw a report that suggested no external cause for the crash. There are upgraded versions but with the same fudamental design concept of the late great kelly Johnson who did such other planes as the P 38 Lightning and the Blackbird. These are single engine plane with tandem landing gears and outriggers on the wings for support. They would be a handfull on landing --especially in a crosswind.( I have seem them land at Langely). You wear a space suit and eat through what looks like toothpaste tubes. If at the altitude they fly you loose suit pressure the Grim Reaper takes you on your next and final flight. A lot can happen up there without unfriendly fire.
It just seamed funny as the news would normally be all over a story like this. Though maybe they need time to spin it against us? Anyone ever watched that movie about that plane made in Canada that made the U2 look like a weather balloon? It flew higher and faster then anything at that time. And compared to the top aircraft of today, its still one bad piece of machine. Though the records of it were destroyed as the Canadian prime minster had it scrapped to save face. And the last working aircraft was smuggled out and flew who knows where. [Area51] Course then we were able to force them into a missile agreement. As it better to shoot down missiles before they get to Canada. Rather then us shooting them down over Canada.
The Movie is called the Avro Arrow and your right it was an awesome plane even compared to today's machines Take note at the end of the movie,just about all the key players went on to careers at N.A.S.A. In my opinion the Canadian government should be shot & urinated on for scrapping the best plane in the world at that time. Now look at our equipment,Sea-king helicopters that don't fly,used subs that are way below standard,green uniforms for soldiers in Afghanistan. And now our government is forcing a bill through parliment that will make same-sex marriage legal. I don't know,I guess I'm just Old-School :laugh:
Sounds like Canada is ripe for liberation. We know you have WMD's. We put them there. That Arrow thing was the biggest screw up ever. And all to save face for one jerk. I do not know Canada history but that guy should be removed form history and the only note will be under the definition of jacka... That guy was a traitor to sell out Canada for his own selfish pride. But that is how it works. I just assume they don't want planes to run as well as the Arrow. As then everyone will have that technology. So they only release the decent stuff to public use. I am sure they refined the Arrow into some killer black ops hardware. But we will never know or see it.
This is the last place I expected to see this subject surface! Too juicy to ignore...my dad's a retired CF-100 "clunk" driver, the predecessor of the Arrow, and like all air force brats, I grew up on this. Well, back when Canada had an air force! Got to meet Jim Floyd (the chief aerodynamicist) a dozen years ago and carried on a short correspondence with Charles Grinyer (who led the Iroquois engine project) back in the 80's...it was amazing to learn how far ahead of it's time that airplane was! And depressing to know that most of the people who concieved and built it moved on to contribute their skills to other economies. Sure hit some blue-collar areas of TO hard, as well...tens of thousands of jobs lost. Dad was flying with the AD in Baden-Soelingen when the decision was to terminate the project was announced, and a lot of the base was in shock. Think he's still PO'd...funny story...I was out on the island in january and he asked me if I'd ever met my cousin Fred...nope...well, it turns out that Fred owned a company subcontracted by A.V. Roe to build the access ladders to the cockpit on the CF-100's. He didn't exactly get rich doing this 'cause they only built about 800 of them. But the market for the Arrow was going to be huge, and he had tendered a price about 4 times as high for the same piece on the 105! After the cancellation, you couldn't mention Diefenbaker's name in his presence 'till the day he died! Funny how short-sighted decisions still reverbrate 45 years later...c'est la vie OK, I'm still PO'd :af:
the avro arrow, years & years ahead of any fighter jet in the world at the time. scrapped by then prime minister john diefenbaker at the insistence & persistence of the u.s. government that canada s/b employing missiles to protect itself & not jets. i believe that most of the engineers that worked on the project went on to be employed by nasa.
Speaking of Avro I got to see the Canadian Avro Lancaster once. They called it the flying porcupine because of all the guns sticking out. It was at that time the only L left in flying condition.
That particular Lanc was a 'KB' kite (Mk X) that had been built in Malton right around the end of the war and was stuck on a pylon in my Mom's home town (Goderich ON) in 1968. I've still got some pictures of me and my sister standing under that thing when we were kids...when they decided to restore it (in the early eighties) the coolest thing about the whole process was that a lot of the people putting it back in airworthy condition were former groundcrew that had kept 'em flying with Bomber Command (in Britain) during WW 2! Dad and one of my uncles have got a lot of time in these things, but they never talk about it very much...incidentally, speaking of NC, I spent a couple of years on the road with Scott Hammack, who ran the Smoke 'n Thunder jet dragster. We did a bunch of airshows on the west coast/BC/Alberta and the A-10 demo team was from Shaw AFB. By the time we worked our way to a show in Augusta GA, (where I expected to see them again) the demo team was from (I think) Luke AFB in AZ.(!) Never could figure out military logistics...
Speaking of jet dragsters have you seen the guy with the multi jet set up on the Mack truck? He has two stacks pointing straight up along the cab he lights also during the run. He does a lot of air shows . I think it is called the "Shock Wave".
Yeah, that's Les Shockley (now) out of Galena, KS. He and Scott have been good friends for years, in fact, they built that jet dragster together back in the late 70's. Les lived out in LA somewhere (Pasadena, I think...Scott was in OC then, Corona now) and had built a Peterbilt jet truck after he got tired of diggers. Last I saw of him, he had a killer 57 Chev truck; jet powered, of course! I heard he built yet another for his son to drive, think he had a picture of it on his website a few months back. Haven't seen it run up here yet, but he always puts on a good show. Man, hope nobody wanted to talk about U-2's on this thread...talk about hijacking! :Brow:
