Just for the record (I sort of feel bad for partaking in thread jacking previously)...the U-2S that @JFingers flies is apparently very difficult to control. I fly with quite a few former USAF pilots at Delta Air Lines...most of them flew either fighters (F-4's, F-15's, F-16's) or heavy transports (C-130's, C-141's, C-5's, C-17's)...I have mentioned that there's a dude at the watch club (OF) that flies the U-2S...AND has a Speedy Gonzales. The overwhelming reaction from these fellow Delta pilots is that @JFingers must be one heck of a stick & rudder dude since the U-2S is difficult to control...so hats off to @JFingers.

LATE ENTRY EDIT: Also, I learned from fellow Delta pilots (that are former USAF pilots) that you don't go to the U-2 right out of USAF UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training)...you fly either fighters or transports first and then are selected to fly the U-2. What that means is that it's no cake walk to get to the U-2...a very selective community. So...hats off to @JFingers again.

 

How do we get you to the ISS?!

You could start by getting an x-33 and see if they give you a rocket to go with it?

 

Super cool. Thanks for sharing!!

 

Thanks for the kind words, @Mad Dog. You are correct in that you have to fly something else before the U-2. I flew C-5B/Cs and MC-12Ws first. There's a certain hour minimum you must meet before you can even apply to the U-2 program. Then, after your application has been vetted and people ask around and gather intel on you, whether you're a good dude, hard worker, good pilot, etc (not a ladder-climbing shoe-clerk penguin (who has wings but can't fly)), you get invited out for a two week interview. The first week is all the formal stuff, meeting the commanders, letting the squadrons meet you and see for themselves if they want you in the program. If you pass the first week, then you get 3 TU-2S flights with an instructor, to see if you are teachable. It's an incredibly difficult airplane to fly, and I've seen better pilots than me just not get it and not get the job. If you pass your 3 flights and get selected, you can look forward to about a year of training, first in the T-38A, then a basic qualification in the Deuce, then a mission qualification. So yep, not an easy program to get into, and once you're in, it's still no sure thing you are going to make it through training.

One of the many cool things about the program is the inter-service transfer to the U-2. I've flown with former Navy Tom Cat and Harrier pilots, Marine C-130 pilots and Coastie Helo pilots that are all now in the AF, flying at the edge of the bozosphere.

Blue skies, y'all!
-only jake

 

NASA doesn't need a poli-sci major in space, so if you can find me an engineering or physics doctorate, that might get me hired

 

To say you are on the front line is inadequate; you guys are drawing the front line. You have my enduring respect and appreciation for your commitment, dedication and service.

The offer for a coffee if you ever find yourself on layover in Bangor, ME still stands.

 

Awesome job you have !

 

Just wanted to add this information to the topic for searches such as SR-71 Blackbird and A-12 Oxcart
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/b...cia-for-pilots-of-the-fastest-plane-ever-made
and: Accutron microsonic GMT pilotwatch worn by CIA pilots
.

 

Holy thread resurrection! Sorry I haven't been on here lately (since support for tapatalk stopped)...
I'm not in the Air Force anymore, but found a job at a small trucking company driving a 'Bus. It's working out alright so far. I don't miss the space suit at all, but I do miss the view!
This watch is the A-13A, built by Paolo Fanton in Milan. When I saw his story on Worn & Wound's instagram account, jokingly I commented something to the effect of "if you need any high altitude testing, let me know". A little while later, Paolo reached out to ask if I was serious. Indeed I was. The watch I'm wearing in these photos are a "high altitude" edition, read more here. This is one of three he built with the extra pressure relief valve. It's a freaking cool watch!
The photo not in a space suit is from my other former ride, the T-38A, which shows the 8 day windup clock that the A-13A is based off.
I hope you all are doing well in these uncertain times.
Blue skies, y'all!
-only jake

 

A couple more from my last flight in the Deuce... Sunrise over Iceland during a 12.6 hour solo flight...

 

Absolutely unreal! I’d imagine its such a crazy sensation to have a view like that. And great shots!

 

Great to see you Jake!

 

Good to see you again, @JFingers!

“...small trucking company driving a 'Bus.”...cool beans, dude!

 

How has the transition to the 'Bus been, I'm curious about the perspective as they're highly automated versus the knife-edge involvement required to keep a U-2 in flight at crazy altitudes.

 

Did JFingers graduate from Truck Masters driving school?

 

Wow!!!

 

So...we can post Air Force jokes now, right?

 

Bus is great! Wish it had a sidestick, though... I can stand up, walk around, make a cup of coffee, and use a real bathroom! Either way, I'm just staring out the window, trying to stay awake, whether at 700+ or 310 and at 3 am.