How do you land the U-2 (spy plane)
 

So, the Air Force calls the U-2 the most difficult plane to land, and only its best pilots are certified to fly it, about 17 a year. After a nine or ten-hour mission, they basically land using Spider Sense and guidance from another pilot driving a v8 140 MPH: https://jalopnik.com/5537629/the-140...e-us-air-force

It is an awesome read and everyone comments the videos are even better!

V8's, huh?

http://static1.businessinsider.com/i...ay-takeoff.png

A Tesla Model S, foreground, accompanying a U2 spy plane during takeoff

ElliottL-CBGSpotterHD/YouTube

Interesting.

I always thought landing on a carrier at night in stormy seas would be a hoot.

I guess Fraud, waste and abuse isn't a big deal any more.

Very interesting, but...
Mounting a short-range radar to tell the pilot how close each of his wingtips is from the ground, would be cheaper than purchasing and fueling muscle cars for 50 years? I bet that each of those cars has a parking sensor in their bumper which could easily do the job.

Now, maybe, but 50 years ago? They've got something that obviously works, and doesn't cost all that much, so why fix it?

Just imagine the "re-enlistment" incentive that MOS must have.

One more screen in the cockpit, and a few more switches. An extra bundle of wires out to each wingtip. No big whoop. But how many other systems could be damaged on the installation?

Obviously, if you were going to design a glider based spy plane today, it'd be equipped with everything. But how many times are you going to retrofit crap into something that already works? If they were still building them, then incorporating current features into older models would make sense from a maintenance and supply perspective, but something like this? if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The guys who drive the car are pilots too.

True, but those pilots don't "work" on the planes they fly, just as they don't "work" on those cars they drive.