LIKE A CATAPULT IMPRESSIVE U-2 CLIMB RATE ON TAKE OFF • 99TH EXPEDITIONARY RECONNAISSANCE SQUADRON

[@ellesee7079]

Takes off like a glider, howls like a bomber! What a treat to see this aircraft in action! Thanks Ted and Nikos

[@TedConingsby]

Oii oiii Ellesee 🤙🏼 great sound and impressive climb

[@VodkaRob]

Goes up like a paper plane. It's always impressed me how fast it climbs. Great clip, thank you. ✌️😎

[@TedConingsby]

Oii Oii Rob really impressive climb

[@AnnCox-kp3pc]

Just fantastic to see this aircraft. Just takes off no runway needed. Outstanding.

[@TedConingsby]

Oii Oii Ann. Yeah, not a lot of runway needed for this

[@margobaxter8344]

Fantastic footage of this incredible, aircraft. It's very special to witness it & hear those engines whine. Thank you Ted Coningsby, tremendous capture.

[@TedConingsby]

Oii oiii Margo it sure is incredible. We couldn’t believe the climb

[@Dex_The_Paladin]

We definitely love the Dragonlady. You know she has lift but it isn't until you see her light for circuits that you realise just how much! Ad astra ❤️ Always amazes me it was essentially just a slightly shortened F-104 Starfighter fuselage with new wings 😳 Great to see & fantastic capture Nikos!

[@TedConingsby]

Oii Oii Matt thanks man. Incredible rate of climb from take off

[@dehaney4021]

Thank you Clarence Kelly Johnson.

[@roypowell3450]

Blimey I didn't fire nothing like that from my catapult I had when I was a kid😲. Amazing stuff!👍

[@TedConingsby]

Oii Oii Roy 🤙🏼amazing indeed

[@peterhardester1483]

Back in the day when these were stationed at Moffett Field, we were treated to regular takeoffs and landings. The unmistakable roar would get our attention and then we watched it rocket to the heavens like no other plane! A great sight!!!

[@soaringvulture]

Yeah. They went up so steeply that I could see the upper surface of the wing until the plane disappeared from sight.

[@DanielWalkersteros67]

Love it! Quality

[@TedConingsby]

Thanks Dan 🤙🏼

[@bonnieplasha4684]

Wowser!! This Lady may not be STOVL but by gum, she doesn't need much runway for take-off. Thanks so much for the awesome video!! 🎉🎉🧸

[@xeno5720]

That never gets boring.

[@GingerBailey-is1jx]

Amazingly short take off……first time I’ve seen one of these leave the ground 😳fantastic shot thanks Nikos….🤟

[@TedConingsby]

Oii Oii Julian, this was worthy of a quick climb Friday candidate. Never knew it could take off like this 🤙🏼

[@DanielWalkersteros67]

Trully awesome take off from an eerie looking aircraft. Lift extrodinare to Dissappear like a rat up a drainpipe.. Yet to catch one of these myself but wont be long. Great footage Nikos and Ted thank you ❤

[@TedConingsby]

Oii Oii Dan 🤙🏼 it was an impressive climb out. Couldn’t believe it

[@sie50]

An impressive rate of climb and a great sight and sound. This was also a hand launch on the port wing, presumably due to an issue with the pogo wheel. You can see the airman run and hit the deck as the take off run commences. Nicely captured Nikos and Ted.

[@TedConingsby]

Oii oiii Si, we had no idea it could take off like this. Absolutely incredible

[@skippymon]

That man holding the left wingtip!

[@TheBlackToedOne]

For all the folks referring to STOL: you're right on the STO, but she takes a long time to land because her glide ratio is so high. So it would be more accurate to say STOLL. 😊 But yes, it's an incredible sight to see. The AoA on take off varied from pilot to pilot but on almost all deployments and at airshows who ever was flying stood her on her tail and went almost straight up.

[@DougBrighTan_o7]

Fantastic and awesome takeoff of the U-2S high rate of climb !!!

[@chrisrowl]

I worked with her for many years. She was my favorite.

[@nicksimpson8114]

A real blink and you miss it moment, so little runway used to get airborne, amazing piece of tech especially considering it's age! I am convinced it coudl use the roof of a Volvo estate to take off. The other thing from that stream, I would love to drive that AMG chase car, I bet thats great fun too! Thanks for the footage Ted & Nikos, the snippets evoke smiles everytime you post a highlight. Keep up the wonderful work and I really hope you've all thawed out from being up in t'north with us this week

[@TedConingsby]

Oii Oii Nick glad you enjoyed this one. We had no idea that the U-2 could even take off like this. Yeah we’ve manage to thaw out and although it was a little on the ice cold side, was so worth it.

[@johnreilly8672]

I live under the flight path east of Beale AFB in California and see these planes quite often. Love it 👍

[@leannelenz6651]

Holy cow the way it just lept off the runway!

[@mrkeogh]

What was it? 8 or 9 seconds of takeoff roll and WHOOSH up she goes! 😮

[@TedConingsby]

Amazing wasn’t it

[@timmiller7589]

Awesome work Ted🇺🇸! Nikos your support and videography is incredible! That short take off is amazing. Lady in Black and DarkOps, nothing else to say.

[@TedConingsby]

Oii oiii Tim thank you very much

[@jonpaul1437]

A great alarm clock most days of the week too!! I am on top of the hill in Highworth and can see the U2 take-off. On these dark mornings now, watching her red beacon light climb at such a rate is impressive!

[@williamconklin9882]

U2 hanger was right across street from my Interior Electric shop of 803rd CES at DMAFB, Tucson Az in mid 70's...watched them come and go daily...STEEP climb was very cool!

[@rustandoil]

Cotswold based I see / hear this every day 👍🏼😎

[@jbj27406]

That high aspect ratio wing. All lift, and a lot of induced drag. It would almost rather go vertically than forward. But that's what lets it loiter at 80,000 feet. What an airplane.

[@angiestone2461]

Very impressive. Thank you!

[@mrkeogh]

It always blows my mind that the Dragon Lady shares the same fuselage as the Starfighter.

[@GlennMichaelHasting]

Kelly Johnson . . .

[@derekbrown154]

The ground crew member was holding the wing up due to its missing pogo. It was removed prior to flight.

[@abbosame9368]

Is there a ground crew member moving away at the last minute on the right looking at screen

[@Selina_Nerdville]

Looks like either an issue with the pogo wheel on that wing or a practise run of a manual launch on that side where they have to hold the wing up until the second she's about to start rolling. Always fun to see and must be an epic feeling to hold on to the dragon lady until the last moment!

[@williamthethespian]

Talk about an STOL ! Wow. ( Gotta love that bear .) Subscribed

[@TedConingsby]

Oii Oii thanks William 🤙🏼

[@MrBen527]

Cool sound delay too! 👍 👍

[@WhiskyForBeginners]

I don't know how many times I watched U-2s launch when I was at Osan AB, Korea back in 1979. They'd start their roll already halfway down the runway, and only use about half of what was left. They'd spiral up and up and up, till they were out of sight - but you could still hear the engines. And then the sound would cut off...

[@bugler75]

Impressive 👍🏼🫡

[@Americal-v6r]

The short rate of take off and climb was mind boggling IMO. 🇺🇸👍

[@TedConingsby]

Sure was

[@williamogilvie6909]

In 1995-97 I worked st a NASA research center where ER-2s were based. Almost every day one would take off. As soon as I heard the engine, I would look up, out my window at a 60° angle, and see it climbing out of view. When it came back to land it was silent and low, just like a big glider.

[@juliebeard880]

A very clever design, like a glider. Awesome lady for her age ❤ Thanks @TedConingsby Nikos

[@TedConingsby]

Oii oiii Julie 🤙🏼

[@gierschdurferTilo]

Wonderfull

[@TedConingsby]

Ooohhh yeah

[@timothymattson3680]

More of a Liftoff than a take off . Blink and you miss it . Good work!

[@davidadams6570]

Even today you can still see the F-104 DNA in the fuselage....

[@badnews8842]

That bird is something else.

[@RLVIDEOS2024]

*😮 Spectacular*

[@Papershields001]

It’s an f104 with glider wings. No wonder it shoots up like that.

[@alangates5634]

Wonderful Day this was, lovely to post as having Ted withdrawal

[@TedConingsby]

[@bsmith8564]

I love that chase duds have to be 225 lbs minimum. You can get a weight waiver if your under 6'4"

[@jerrydowse5061]

Nikos,i thought all TR1's had been reworked to U2S.nice catch.👍

[@TedConingsby]

Not 100% sure about that

[@lohikarhu734]

4:30 before it's even moving... The U2 has very, very low wing loading, as it flies in such "thin" air, so it's climb rate is only limited by AoA and thrust available.

[@GlennMichaelHasting]

Human Pogo port wing, fantastic . . .

[@erinfincher7676]

Sweet!

[@alanclark6972]

Oi oi that’s one impressive takeoff with very little runway needed ,

[@TedConingsby]

Oii Oii Alan 🤙🏼 sure was impressive

[@alanclark6972]

@ loving the channel nic

[@warped-sliderule]

Highest L/D (lift/drag) of anything in the inventory for over 60 years! She wants to climb and not come down. Still amazing...

[@mikehunt5934]

Is that an TR and not a U2? Its been 30 years since I've keeper up with the U2 TR1

[@arfajob4246]

Not just any pilot. 👍

[@hillarysmith7948]

Wow unbelievable hardly any runway needed

[@TedConingsby]

Amazing wasn’t it

[@jamiam23]

Guess what Ted wants for Christmas

[@Rubin5342]

You guys got more than your share of birds. //ji

[@thehunter5055]

Did i miss some no Ted live today???

[@TedConingsby]

We had a day off today

[@ktrethewey]

If it to have lift at high altitude where the air is thin then it will have enormous lift at low altitude.

[@martynissitt2693]

Why did they just not make the outriggers retractable instead of dropping off every take off

[@GlennMichaelHasting]

Weight and complexity in the design phase deemed unnecessary. The aircraft was designed and put into service in the mid 1950's . Clarence " Kelly " Johnson , genius . . .

[@Gus0898uk]

The take off roll must have been less than 50 yards.

[@bobl78]

wow, almost no take off roll, it can take off from your backyard Can the U2 do air 2 air refuling?

[@TedConingsby]

Oii oiii good question. The U-2 is powered by a lightweight , fuel efficient General Electric F118-101 engine, which negates the need for air refueling on long duration missions. But I think they did have one experimental version that could. But as mentioned, with such efficiency (6.5 hours on just internal fuel alone), there is no requirement for this feature. In fact, adding a refuelling probe would take up valuable space for the cool stuff that it is equipped with

[@JulieAnnFelgate]

I suppose if you fly a plane that’s designed to fly above 60000 feet you’d like to get that high quickly, a slow accent with no bathroom breaks would be a bit uncomfortable. Lol

[@donxz2555]

Impressive….. but not as impressive as a BAC Lightning taking off nigh-on vertically

[@captaina8697]

It’s unbelievable how little runway this needs and the rate of climb….wow ❤🫡

[@TedConingsby]

Oii oiii Captain A 🤙🏼 absolutely impressive