So, the statement that the U2 flew "just above it's stall speed of 75mph" should be clarified to point out that it is 75mph INDICATED airspeed. The true (corrected for altitude) airspeed was closer to 400mph The U2 flew it's missions in the "Coffin Corner" of aircraft performance where IAS stall and Critical Mach almost meet. The air is so thin that the amount of air hitting the airframe is very small, so measured airspeed is very low. But as that thin air is accelerated over the wings and body to produce lift, it approaches the speed of sound and can cause shockwaves to form, which is the critical mach speed. Critical mach is dependent on true airspeed, while indicated airspeed and aircraft performance is determined by air density. That's how the stall speed and maximum speed get so close together at high altitude.
@@megaprojects9649 No problem. As an aside, the Wikipedia article on "coffin corner" actually shows the airspeed performance graph for the U2. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffin_corner_(aerodynamics) (if that link isn't okay, feel free to delete comment)
The Antonov 225 is probably a much more interesting story than that of the 380. To be fair you could easily make a quality fascinating episode about both but given this isn't an aviation channel (😁) I'd vote for Blackbird (because you just have to do that) and the 225
@Mark Grudt well if your metric is simply whether it's not in production so is the U2... And the SR... The DC3. The plane changed the world forever, also dead You get my point
What's amazing was that Clarence "Kelly" Johnson helped build and design the U-2 in under a year. It did help that Lockheed was able to adapt many of the components from the F-104 _Starfighter_ into this plane, hence the reason why the project developed so quickly. But getting a special version of the Pratt & Whitney J57 engine to run at 70,000 proved to be a lot of work, to say the least.
The F-104 is an awesome aircraft, well in my 30s my inner 10-year-old grins every time I see a picture of one. The Wings Over the Rockies youtube channel has a really good episode on it.
When I was in the U.S. army and stationed in Panama in the early 1990's there was at least one U2 that came to the old Howard Air Force base. The first time I saw it was on takeoff. The noise was what got our attention. It sounded like a rocket taking off. Later we saw one landing. We were getting ready for a jump and were surprised to see a Mustang convertible with 4 crew in it heading for the runway. This was not a common occurrence for an active air base. As the U2 came into view the Mustang took off down the runway like he was trying to race it. After the U2 touched down it continued to taxi slowly in a straight line as a crew member attached the wing gear on one side and then jumped up on the wing to hold it down. Two other guys ran to the U2 with a large box. They removed one box and put the second one in it's place. Three crew members and the box all loaded into the mustang raced off the runway leaving the fourth crewman to ride the wing al the way to a hanger. The plane never stopped completely until it was in the hanger. We later talked to one of the pilots. He told us that they were doing drug interdiction work and had to be ready to take off in short notice, so the plane always had a canister of film loaded. The exposed film was replaced with the new film on the runway and raced to the lab so they could get it developed as quickly as possible. By the way, the reason for the chase car is because of the U2's long nose. The pilot can't see the runway.
@@calska140 a common occurrence in older days you often see ww2 era film of crew men riding on the wings of aircraft often to point out pot holes in battle damaged runways.
I liked Bridge of Spies, but was a little disappointed it did not focus more on the famous "hollow nickel case" that helped to uncover the identity of Reino Hyahinen and broke open that whole chain of events ultimately leading to the events in the movie. Fifteen minutes (or more) of that plot thread would have been more interesting than just a few more scenes of him interacting with his lawyer in preparation for the spy swap. I supposed it also would have been far more complex and expensive to put those events on film. But come on guys, it's a big budget Hollywood picture that was Oscar baiting from before it was even given the production greenlight. I think you can afford to have more than just people essentially hanging out talking (albeit over dramatic and interesting stuff.) It would have been a very cinematic and interesting story that could have been told in an interesting way. It's not hard to picture scenes of a kid collecting money for his paper route from a customer, then dropping one of the coins and noticing it pop open and tiny bit of microfilm fall out. Then he takes it to school the next day, and tells a friend what he found at recess. She turns out to be the daughter of a local NYPD cop, and via him it finds its way onto the FBI's radar and turns into a major counterintelligence investigation. But it's their movie. Like most nerds I have multiple unsold screenplays, etc. (They're not particularly good.)
Definitely the SR71 deserves a video. The most beautiful plane and fastest ever jet plane. Never shot down. The fact that the US had to secretly source the titanium from the russians was quite ironic . Given that is was the sucessor to the U2 it would seem to fit the channel timeline nicely also
Thing is, if the soviets hadn't sold them the ore the US likely could've bought it from the Australians. And it may have forced the development of proper 250000 tonne presses to save material and avoid Machining of titanium. Real engineering has made 2 great videos on the SR-71
@@absalomdraconis The SR-71 was never shot down. A few were destroyed by user error, malfunctions, pushing it past it's limits, or un-starts. 1 was destroyed by an M-21.
@Ruán Conán Seems you are correct. Mach 3.35 compared to mach 3.2 for the SR 71, from a quick search. I think this was down to it being a single seater and carrying less sensors and cameras , so saving added weight.
@Ruán Conán was tha A12 Cygnus that was the fastest (original CIA variant) - the YF12 was the interceptor variant. Oxcart was the name for the whole project.
I saw a U2 take off from Van Nuys airport after a weekend static airshow event back in the early 1990s. On takeoff I thought the U2 would use up much of the municipal airport runway but instead it seemed to use less than 100 yards and quickly went vertical after dropping the extra wheels. It almost instantly disappeared in the overcast skies only to return a few minutes later for a much appreciated flyby of the airport. Truly an amazing aircraft from a bygone era.
One story I heard when I was at Beal AFB . at U2 lost it's engine around the Mississippi River. The Pilot called the base asking for directions on what to do. They replied back " Call us back when you cross the Rockies."
My dad was Chief Master Sargent James Vernon Hefner. He was the one in charge of the building, repair, and maintenance of the U2 aircraft. You can see him in documentaries working on top of the aircraft in the videos. He worked under Kelly Johnson.
@@megaprojects9649 Make sure to mention the anime spinoff Battleship Yamato/Starblazers and renaming the ship the Argo cause Yamato and WW2 didn't sit too well with the US in the 70s.
Make a Kelly Johnson video on Biographics channel. By talking about him, you'd also pretty much cover Skunk Works as well. He is quite a remarkable guy.
If you Google map satellite view Beale AFB in CA, you can see some U2s on the tarmac along with some RQ-9s and KC-135s. I believe it even captured a U2 taking off on the runway. Pretty cool to see!
If it went into operation in 1955, that would mean 65 years and not 75 years of operation as of 2020. Still quite remarkable. Thanks for the wonderful presentation!
i was at Beale AFB with the glamorous SR-71 and its more utilitarian little sister the U-2 and im very glad to see the Dragon Lady getting some love! i was a graphic artist and still photographer so i worked with pre and post mission products for the U-2 but i also got to ride chase-pace a couple of times shooting still photos. we had the Ford LX Mustangs with a 5.0L for that, having just transistioned out of the Chevy El Camino... Kelly Johnson was a genius with this plane, the F104, P-38 and SR-71 and to pass his knowledge on to Ben Rich who did Have Blue...
I feel lucky that I'm close to the home base of the U-2, so I get to see them in the air occasionally, and air shows in the area will include U-2 demos. This video kinda makes it seem like a slower aircraft, but you should really see in person just how fast that thing climbs when it takes off, especially when not carrying any extra heavy sensors. It's amazing just how fast it leaves the ground and is completely out of sight.
Turn left in 100 metres Simon: there’s no left turn! Turn left Simon:But there’s no left turn!!! Recalculating: make a U-turn Simon: it’s a one way street!!
Ah, the early 2000s, when google maps kept mistaking staircases for roads resulting in it giving dirrections to people telling them to _literally drive off cliffs._ To my knowledge, no-one actually listened to said dirrections, but that's a thing that happened.
@@dynamicworlds1 A few nights ago in St Louis County, someone around 1:30 AM someone drove North and around the first barrier for the closed road and then drove thru the second barrier into the sinkhole (the reason the road was closed.) He said Google directions told him to continue taking this road North. (No word yet on if he'd been drinking or was merely sleep deprived)
@@jonnunn4196 or someone decided they were too entitled to listen to signs put up to save lives. Far from the first time that's happened, unfortunately.
Simon, I am well aware of your proclivity for unusual units of measure so I was very pleased with your use of one of the greatest aircraft of all time, the F-14 Tomcat, for comparison. Salute!
A couple of more facts. The U2's design originated with the F-104 Starfighter. They took the fuselage and lengthened it. The wings were scaled up and the horizontal tail was lowered. Everything that went into its design was to conserve weight, maximize fuel economy, maximize range and make fly as high as was possible. The weight of the U2 is the same as that of the F-104 Starfighter even though its considerably larger. The unique landing gear was adopted to minimize weight and maximize fuel capacity in its wings. It exceeded the altitude specification that the CIA was asking for and was delivered early and under budget which is something that you never see in military weapons programs.
I'll never forget the Rhodes Family treehouses - yes, plural. Behind the house were several huge trees (old as the ages). Dad and uncles built four tree houses and a kind of platform that was connected by various rope bridges and a rigid walkway. I was lucky to be a friend of one of the Rhodes-boys, which is another tale.
My grandfather, who worked on aircraft carrier flight decks (refuling and resupplying jets with ammo) in the Navy during the Vietnam War, said one landed on his ship. Super covert. Only a select few were allowed on deck. Everyone else had to stay in their barracks. The U2 landed at night. My grandpa was able to sneak a peak as the pilot was escorted to a private room in a blacked out flight suit with the helmet never coming off. After the U2 took off, everyone was allowed to return to duty. Believe it or not, that's his story.
As of the 1190's and maybe even now, under a different letter-number designation, that plane was being used after the retirement of the more flashy SR-71 "Blackbird" which designation was to be for a family of Mach 3 planes, including a fighter, which was actually the first of the "Blackbird"s to be flown at the 1964 Paris Air Show The reason why Powers was shot down is that his engine "flameed out" and he lost altitude and fell within Surface-to-Air missiles
I totally dig the story of the U-2 recce aircraft. It's an amazing aircraft in several ways. I went down a U-2 rabbit hole last weekend, and it was entertaining. Simon's video however, contained a few amazing facts I didn't discover on my rabbit hole trip. Firstly, the airspeed window in which a U-2 can operate safely at 70K feet is an eyebrow raising notion. I'm guessing the pilot's eyes should be glued to the airspeed indicator at altitude, but that's impossible as they have to do so many other things at once. The other things which amazed me is that the imagery gear in a U-2 still uses film technology. That was totally unexpected in 2020-21. Also, the area that the imagery tech can cover at 70K feet. 250km in all directions is an incredibly vast area. Knowing that fact makes me realise why the U-2 is still such a valuable reconnaissance asset in 2021. A beautiful bird. May they fly for many more years.
Tours of Beale AFB are open to the public. There's a background check for all visitors, but foreign nationals used to be permitted. You need a group of about 20 to schedule a tour. Call the public affairs office.
Great story. If you really want to know more, there is a book called "Operation Overflight" written by Francis Gary Powers... the first half of the book is a lot of stuff about the U2 program, how it was to fly, all that kind of stuff..... The second half deals more with his capture, and all that stuff.... Very very interesting....
If you're ever in Palmdale, California, the Blackbird Airpark has the last remaining U-2D. It's right up the road from Plant 42, where Skunkworks is located. I was lucky enough to visit while they were doing a special event celebrating the Cold War, and was able to see inside the cockpit. It's also the plane involved in the "Miracle at Cortez" where a pilot landed it after the engine went out at 70,000 ft.
I saw a US at Duxford Air Museum. The fuselage was being wheeled on a cart, supported by a pair of chinsey sofa cushions. It was the oddest site I'd seen. I ran over to double check and the chaps moving it stopped and let me take a few pics and soak it all in. A truly great day. I also licked a SR 71 Black Bird.
0:14 - "The Lockheed U2 is another one of these that kind of blows my mind when you consider like we're talking about something that was made in the past but is still in service today." EVERYTHING in service today was made in the past. That's how causality works. 😛
I know what you mean. But on a different note. The Browning Heavy Machine gun still in use today dates back to WWI and some of the racing cars in the 1920s & 30s were already driving like 250+ kmh. Just because it's old, doesn't mean it's "bad". A machine gun design from ww1 is today just as efficient at killing people as it is in the year 2020.
Used to be stationed at a base with a U2 that took daily flights to monitor Cuba. Was awesome to watch it land. 2 S.P. cars would drive out on flight line and get under its wings as it rolled down the runway so they would tip into the ground.
Germany had a Helicopter before WW2 the FW-61, which would qualify it as the first. The first fixed wing aircraft to do the feat of hovering was the Convair XFY Pogo I believe.
If we're discounting helicopters, then the first VTOL is technically Nasa's LLRV or Lunar Lander Research Vehicle, which flew 3 years before the maiden flight of the Harrier. If we are counting helicopters, then the first traditional helicopter flight was in 1932 in the USSR.
@@RidinDirtyRollinBurnouts First Manned VTOL was Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes on November 21, 1783 technically, but discounting lighter than air means, the XFY Pogo predates the Lunar program.
@@twotone3471 the pogo was a prop so it technically isn't a jet-propelled VTOL. But then again I'm not really here to discuss semantics or what have you, I just personally find great interest in jet VTOLs I think they're very sci-fi and futuristic. On a side note, an honorable mention is the rocket-powered VTO, the Ba 349 Natter
My son and I, just before the shelter in place orders came, were able to watch a dual cabin U2 (two captains for 24 hour flight) doing touch and go landings at our local airport, which is an emergency landing and practice field for Beale Air Force Base in CA. We watched the plane circle and do three landings and takeoffs before my son had to report to work. They are beautiful aircraft in their flat black USAF livery. I used to live in Silicon Valley and routinely saw NASA U2s going in and out of Moffett Airfield. Those were bright and shiny.
And in mid 2020 in Northern California one flew over my head today. Ironically after talking about it with people around me.. Moments later TH-cam suggests this video 🤔
The reason Lockheed was able to be both under budget and ahead of schedule came down to the fact they are modified f-104 starfighters. The original wings were replaced with much larger ones and the fuselage modified. This fact also allowed for the extended production and very long service life as so many of the common parts have remained available.
What still amazes me is that no one actually know that both u2 shoot downs weren't done at 70k feet both suffered engine troubles forcing them to a lower altitude below 60k which was well within the operating envelope of the missiles at the time. Something I learned back from my fifth grade teacher who as it turned was in highschool or just out of highschool at the time.
Watched them fly out of Davis Monthan in the late 60s and early 70s. Watched one fly out of Nellis a couple of months ago. Cool aircraft. Of course a lot of U2 testing occurred out at A51.
I'd be interested in videos about both the A380 and the 747 theoretically. I've had the opportunity to see the first 747 in person at a museum, and I'm still fascinated by it. (Saw a Concorde at that museum as well!)
How about a video covering the defensive fortifications around Malta's Grand Harbour? I don't know whether this is technically a Megaproject, but on Goolge Earth these defensive works certainly look impressive...
I worked on Osan Airbase in the 80s. The U2s took off often from there. The unit that controlled them had a sign at their gate. "In God we trust. All others we monitor."
Thanks good sir Simon (& team) for the insightful video - I didn't realize just how long she'd been flying! Here's to the concept of doing one thing really really well. One note that takes nothing away from such a successful 'MegaProject' would be acknowledging that the U-2 is the key piece of an intelligence platform that sprawls across the globe. Lots of good folk doing great work to support the talented Dragon Lady. ::s::
In 1962 the English Electric Lightning was able to intercept the U2 in military tests and in similar tests in the mid 1980's a lightning not only intercepted the latest U2 but also flew 8000ft above it, so the British at least had an interceptor that could deal with the U2
Please do the AC130 gunship. It is a flying artillery cannon plus other armaments. You could also tie it into all the other roles that the C130 fills from cargo to troop transport and even firefighting. It's truly a mega use platform.
It has probably been done to death already by other documentary shows but I seriously enjoy Simon's wit and monologues and would love to see a video on the Hoover Dam
The movie Simon couldn't remember its name is "Bridge of Spies," which covers a Brooklyn lawyer's defense of Soviet spy Rudolf Abel and the negotiations for his eventual exchange on the Gleinecke Bridge for American U-2 pilot Francis G. Powers and American student Frederick Pryor. Excellent film! Only Steven Spielberg could make you feel pity for a Soviet spy!
In 1984, Flt Lt Mike Hale intercepted an American U-2 spy plane at a height which they had previously considered safe from interception. Records show that Hale climbed to 88,000 ft in his Lightning F.3 XR749. Hale also participated in time-to-height and acceleration trials against F-104 Starfighters from Aalborg. He reports that the Lightnings won all races easily with the exception of the low level supersonic acceleration, which was a "dead heat".
The Space Transportation System (space shuttle) and the Harrier family (including both the British-built GR line and the US-built AV-8 line) are unique aviation projects, and might make for good subjects for future Megaprojects videos, yes?
I live in Folsom, California and U2's will fly over my house every once in a while. They have a very distinct sound to them. Even vintage WWll aircraft will fly into town for air shows and will circle my house. One of the two B-29's flew over while i was cutting the grass in my back yard xD Also one time, I was on Folsom lake around 6:30am and a P-51 buzzed our boat as he carved through the canyons of the north fork of the lake. He was flying maybe 300ft off the water... highly illegal but it was epic...
I was in the US Air Force between 1968 and 1972 with 100 SRW at Davis Monthan AFB assigned to landing group and some of the landing were hair raising. We used Chev El Camino which got to hold wing so it would fall over. This was done wait the U2 was still moving (not fast). I moved to a new group did move with U2 when the U2 moved to Beale AFB
Those things are fun to watch land, and it is possible to purchase retired chase cars through auction. A Saline Mustang was used one year, just ignore the body damage.
I would love to see an episode about the "Berlin Brandenburg Airport" (BER). Title could be something like "How not to build an airport". Great channel by the way, I really like it.
Avro Vulcan participating at sky shield in 1960's although Mark Felton has already done a very good video of that, maybe you will find something interesting going on in Dreamland A51 you know that secret place up ET highway :)
Central Valley Project would be a good Megaproject. At the time it was the worlds largest water and power project and allowed for the San Joaquin Valley to become the most productive agricultural region of the world.
In the event that nobody else has mentioned it - The A10 Warthog would be an interesting airplane to cover. OR.. The MiG-21, another Cold War legend that has served 40+ years and is still going in some parts of the world! OR- the many variants of the BF109 and its uses during WW2?
haven't looked at the 1,561 comments to see if this was mentioned but, the U-2 is closely related to the F-104 Starfighter which also saw extended service: 46 years!
Simon, love everything you try your hand at. You should do the Antonov An-225 Mriya. A grand Soviet design that failed at its designed purpose but flourished in the long run.
In 1987, working in forestry research, a U2 plane equipped with an IR camera destined for the ISS, flew over our test site. It's mission was to calibrate it's sensors to our data.
So, the statement that the U2 flew "just above it's stall speed of 75mph" should be clarified to point out that it is 75mph INDICATED airspeed. The true (corrected for altitude) airspeed was closer to 400mph
The U2 flew it's missions in the "Coffin Corner" of aircraft performance where IAS stall and Critical Mach almost meet. The air is so thin that the amount of air hitting the airframe is very small, so measured airspeed is very low. But as that thin air is accelerated over the wings and body to produce lift, it approaches the speed of sound and can cause shockwaves to form, which is the critical mach speed. Critical mach is dependent on true airspeed, while indicated airspeed and aircraft performance is determined by air density. That's how the stall speed and maximum speed get so close together at high altitude.
@Ken Hudson When you invest decades in a subject, it can be hard to be proven wrong xD I''ve been a victim to such a folly before.
Thanks for the clarification, I was wondering how the maximum rated speed was less than a Pacer.
Yeah, I was wondering about that...
Great comment. Thank you. That clarification should have been in the video.
@@megaprojects9649 No problem.
As an aside, the Wikipedia article on "coffin corner" actually shows the airspeed performance graph for the U2.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffin_corner_(aerodynamics)
(if that link isn't okay, feel free to delete comment)
AirBus A380; Antonov AN-225 "Mriya" and dissapearance of her sister body definitely deserve an episode each ... ^^
@Mark Grudt doesnt mean it wasnt a mega project
@Mark Grudt I would call it without foreseeable future, but still far from dead.
The Antonov 225 is probably a much more interesting story than that of the 380. To be fair you could easily make a quality fascinating episode about both but given this isn't an aviation channel (😁) I'd vote for Blackbird (because you just have to do that) and the 225
@Mark Grudt Gut the thing, turn her into a cargo hauler.
@Mark Grudt well if your metric is simply whether it's not in production so is the U2... And the SR... The DC3. The plane changed the world forever, also dead
You get my point
"Should we cover this?"
Simon. If you cover it I'm gunna watch it.
What's amazing was that Clarence "Kelly" Johnson helped build and design the U-2 in under a year. It did help that Lockheed was able to adapt many of the components from the F-104 _Starfighter_ into this plane, hence the reason why the project developed so quickly. But getting a special version of the Pratt & Whitney J57 engine to run at 70,000 proved to be a lot of work, to say the least.
I'm learning more about the Starfighter recently, seems to be a hugely underappreciated aircraft it its time even though it saw loads of export sales.
And yet the U2 and the SR71 were designed without computer modeling. The glorious days of wind tunnels and slide rules.
The F-104 is an awesome aircraft, well in my 30s my inner 10-year-old grins every time I see a picture of one. The Wings Over the Rockies youtube channel has a really good episode on it.
@@markschippel7974 and testing wing shapes with misles. That hiw they developed the wings on the starfighter.
When I was in the U.S. army and stationed in Panama in the early 1990's there was at least one U2 that came to the old Howard Air Force base. The first time I saw it was on takeoff. The noise was what got our attention. It sounded like a rocket taking off. Later we saw one landing. We were getting ready for a jump and were surprised to see a Mustang convertible with 4 crew in it heading for the runway. This was not a common occurrence for an active air base. As the U2 came into view the Mustang took off down the runway like he was trying to race it. After the U2 touched down it continued to taxi slowly in a straight line as a crew member attached the wing gear on one side and then jumped up on the wing to hold it down. Two other guys ran to the U2 with a large box. They removed one box and put the second one in it's place. Three crew members and the box all loaded into the mustang raced off the runway leaving the fourth crewman to ride the wing al the way to a hanger. The plane never stopped completely until it was in the hanger. We later talked to one of the pilots. He told us that they were doing drug interdiction work and had to be ready to take off in short notice, so the plane always had a canister of film loaded. The exposed film was replaced with the new film on the runway and raced to the lab so they could get it developed as quickly as possible.
By the way, the reason for the chase car is because of the U2's long nose. The pilot can't see the runway.
Wow, that's an awesome story. Thanks for sharing it with us! 😀
That is crazy. Changing the film on the literal run and the crewman riding on the wing into the hangar. Bizarre but I don't doubt it
@@calska140 a common occurrence in older days you often see ww2 era film of crew men riding on the wings of aircraft often to point out pot holes in battle damaged runways.
A video on Skunk Works would be awesome. U2, SR-71, F117 Stealth Fighter, etc...lots of interesting history there
Exactly! What C "Kelly" Johnson created and Ben Rich continued is an amazing story of creating new technology.
@@gapratt4955 More than my share of it all by Kelly Johnson and Skunkworks by Ben Rich, are 2 worthwhile reads.
A380. Yes. Seen all the different documentaries out there but the delivery style you bring and bonus facts are worth the revisit.
if the U2 is still flying after 75 years, i guess that means it still hasnt found what its looking for
BA DA BUM BUM TSHSHSHSHHHHHH
@@megaprojects9649 haha, a reply from simon, made my day
There’s no way of knowing what current use the CIA has for it. They move in mysterious ways. Allegedly.
@@augsdoggs
NASA has or used to have one for high altitude research.
Unless my math is wrong,from 1955 to 2020 is 65 years,no?
"Bridge Of Spies"...directed by Steven Spielberg....Excellent movie.
That's the one. Yes, great film.
Great movie. Mark Rylance's performance is quite brilliant
The U2 scene was a bit over the top but I loved the rest of the film.
I liked Bridge of Spies, but was a little disappointed it did not focus more on the famous "hollow nickel case" that helped to uncover the identity of Reino Hyahinen and broke open that whole chain of events ultimately leading to the events in the movie. Fifteen minutes (or more) of that plot thread would have been more interesting than just a few more scenes of him interacting with his lawyer in preparation for the spy swap.
I supposed it also would have been far more complex and expensive to put those events on film. But come on guys, it's a big budget Hollywood picture that was Oscar baiting from before it was even given the production greenlight. I think you can afford to have more than just people essentially hanging out talking (albeit over dramatic and interesting stuff.) It would have been a very cinematic and interesting story that could have been told in an interesting way. It's not hard to picture scenes of a kid collecting money for his paper route from a customer, then dropping one of the coins and noticing it pop open and tiny bit of microfilm fall out. Then he takes it to school the next day, and tells a friend what he found at recess. She turns out to be the daughter of a local NYPD cop, and via him it finds its way onto the FBI's radar and turns into a major counterintelligence investigation. But it's their movie. Like most nerds I have multiple unsold screenplays, etc. (They're not particularly good.)
That Tom Hanks movie is really good
“Bridge of Spies”
Definitely the SR71 deserves a video. The most beautiful plane and fastest ever jet plane. Never shot down. The fact that the US had to secretly source the titanium from the russians was quite ironic . Given that is was the sucessor to the U2 it would seem to fit the channel timeline nicely also
Thing is, if the soviets hadn't sold them the ore the US likely could've bought it from the Australians. And it may have forced the development of proper 250000 tonne presses to save material and avoid Machining of titanium. Real engineering has made 2 great videos on the SR-71
Also, I believe that the SR-71 was actually shot down once or twice, during a planned launch or landing outside the US.
@@absalomdraconis The SR-71 was never shot down. A few were destroyed by user error, malfunctions, pushing it past it's limits, or un-starts. 1 was destroyed by an M-21.
@Ruán Conán Seems you are correct. Mach 3.35 compared to mach 3.2 for the SR 71, from a quick search. I think this was down to it being a single seater and carrying less sensors and cameras , so saving added weight.
@Ruán Conán was tha A12 Cygnus that was the fastest (original CIA variant) - the YF12 was the interceptor variant. Oxcart was the name for the whole project.
I saw a U2 take off from Van Nuys airport after a weekend static airshow event back in the early 1990s. On takeoff I thought the U2 would use up much of the municipal airport runway but instead it seemed to use less than 100 yards and quickly went vertical after dropping the extra wheels. It almost instantly disappeared in the overcast skies only to return a few minutes later for a much appreciated flyby of the airport. Truly an amazing aircraft from a bygone era.
One story I heard when I was at Beal AFB . at U2 lost it's engine around the Mississippi River. The Pilot called the base asking for directions on what to do. They replied back " Call us back when you cross the Rockies."
An exaggeration of its considerable engine-out glide range.
My dad was Chief Master Sargent James Vernon Hefner. He was the one in charge of the building, repair, and maintenance of the U2 aircraft. You can see him in documentaries working on top of the aircraft in the videos. He worked under Kelly Johnson.
Cover battleship Yamato, the largest Naval decoration ever
Got that in the works :)
Megaprojects I’m hyped
@@megaprojects9649 Make sure to mention the anime spinoff Battleship Yamato/Starblazers and renaming the ship the Argo cause Yamato and WW2 didn't sit too well with the US in the 70s.
Make a Kelly Johnson video on Biographics channel. By talking about him, you'd also pretty much cover Skunk Works as well. He is quite a remarkable guy.
Yes yes yes... What, Simon has a biography channel?..... 😁👍
Ah yes, Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, the father of the legendary F-104 Starfighter! 😀
If you Google map satellite view Beale AFB in CA, you can see some U2s on the tarmac along with some RQ-9s and KC-135s. I believe it even captured a U2 taking off on the runway. Pretty cool to see!
I would love to see an episode on THE CASPIAN SEA MONSTER / EKRANOPLAN
I've already suggested it. I don't think people like the vids on infrastructures. Or Simon is just being hurtful and ignoring us.
The mighty CASPIAN SEA MONSTER would be a great idea for megaprojects
googled it. it is a beast
@@horrorclose9462 It's already been made. Will prob be coming out next week :). Maybe later this week!
@@megaprojects9649 what about Michael Peterson??? We want more crazy/inspirational people biographies!! FREE CHARLIE!!
>made in the past, and still in service today
Given my understanding of linear time, I'd love to hear the alternative.
*causality intensifies*
I was going to say ohh that sounds like me lol
The U2 has sound systems that are amazing and just as important as the photographs systems
If it went into operation in 1955, that would mean 65 years and not 75 years of operation as of 2020. Still quite remarkable. Thanks for the wonderful presentation!
i was at Beale AFB with the glamorous SR-71 and its more utilitarian little sister the U-2 and im very glad to see the Dragon Lady getting some love!
i was a graphic artist and still photographer so i worked with pre and post mission products for the U-2 but i also got to ride chase-pace a couple of times shooting still photos. we had the Ford LX Mustangs with a 5.0L for that, having just transistioned out of the Chevy El Camino...
Kelly Johnson was a genius with this plane, the F104, P-38 and SR-71 and to pass his knowledge on to Ben Rich who did Have Blue...
I have yet to come across a Megaprojects video that I didn't thoroughly enjoy. Thanks for your hard work and dedication, Simon and crew.
I would love a deep dive into skunworks or any plane kelly had his genius fingers on ^^
Maybe a Geographics?
Kelly Johnson would be a good subject for a Biographics video, yes? ;)
I'm working on a way to do this. It's not really a megaproject, so just trying to think about the best way to put it out.
@@megaprojects9649 , there is a book called "SKUNK Works" written by the the director after Kelly Johnson.
Read Kelly's autobiography or Ben Rich's (Kelly's successor) autobiography.
Such a great series. Enjoyed this one for sure! And yes, please do the A380 episode.
I feel lucky that I'm close to the home base of the U-2, so I get to see them in the air occasionally, and air shows in the area will include U-2 demos. This video kinda makes it seem like a slower aircraft, but you should really see in person just how fast that thing climbs when it takes off, especially when not carrying any extra heavy sensors. It's amazing just how fast it leaves the ground and is completely out of sight.
Turn left in 100 metres
Simon: there’s no left turn!
Turn left
Simon:But there’s no left turn!!!
Recalculating: make a U-turn
Simon: it’s a one way street!!
* hits steering wheel *
Ah, the early 2000s, when google maps kept mistaking staircases for roads resulting in it giving dirrections to people telling them to _literally drive off cliffs._
To my knowledge, no-one actually listened to said dirrections, but that's a thing that happened.
@@dynamicworlds1 A few nights ago in St Louis County, someone around 1:30 AM someone drove North and around the first barrier for the closed road and then drove thru the second barrier into the sinkhole (the reason the road was closed.) He said Google directions told him to continue taking this road North. (No word yet on if he'd been drinking or was merely sleep deprived)
@@jonnunn4196 or someone decided they were too entitled to listen to signs put up to save lives. Far from the first time that's happened, unfortunately.
Simon, I am well aware of your proclivity for unusual units of measure so I was very pleased with your use of one of the greatest aircraft of all time, the F-14 Tomcat, for comparison. Salute!
A couple of more facts. The U2's design originated with the F-104 Starfighter. They took the fuselage and lengthened it. The wings were scaled up and the horizontal tail was lowered. Everything that went into its design was to conserve weight, maximize fuel economy, maximize range and make fly as high as was possible. The weight of the U2 is the same as that of the F-104 Starfighter even though its considerably larger. The unique landing gear was adopted to minimize weight and maximize fuel capacity in its wings. It exceeded the altitude specification that the CIA was asking for and was delivered early and under budget which is something that you never see in military weapons programs.
Seriously mate, at this point you could do a 30 minute video on a kids tree-house and I'd watch the heck out of it.
Paul Maddison Actually, I’d love to se a video about a tree house. Or how bout an LotR elven tree CITY!
Yeah! What he said!
Hey dont be dissin kids tree houses 🤣🤣
:)
I'll never forget the Rhodes Family treehouses - yes, plural. Behind the house were several huge trees (old as the ages). Dad and uncles built four tree houses and a kind of platform that was connected by various rope bridges and a rigid walkway. I was lucky to be a friend of one of the Rhodes-boys, which is another tale.
My grandfather, who worked on aircraft carrier flight decks (refuling and resupplying jets with ammo) in the Navy during the Vietnam War, said one landed on his ship. Super covert. Only a select few were allowed on deck. Everyone else had to stay in their barracks. The U2 landed at night. My grandpa was able to sneak a peak as the pilot was escorted to a private room in a blacked out flight suit with the helmet never coming off. After the U2 took off, everyone was allowed to return to duty.
Believe it or not, that's his story.
Hello Simon, DC- 3 would be awesome to cover.
Got to see a U-2 do a low pass then a fast high climb at the reno air races a couple years ago. Very strange looking and absolutely awesome
Is my math off or is 1955-2020 only 65 years, not 75 like Simon says 😏
it sure is 😂
Your math is right
British maths
I think development started in 1945
As of the 1190's and maybe even now, under a different letter-number designation, that plane was being used after the retirement of the more flashy SR-71 "Blackbird" which designation was to be for a family of Mach 3 planes, including a fighter, which was actually the first of the "Blackbird"s to be flown at the 1964 Paris Air Show
The reason why Powers was shot down is that his engine "flameed out" and he lost altitude and fell within Surface-to-Air missiles
I totally dig the story of the U-2 recce aircraft. It's an amazing aircraft in several ways. I went down a U-2 rabbit hole last weekend, and it was entertaining. Simon's video however, contained a few amazing facts I didn't discover on my rabbit hole trip. Firstly, the airspeed window in which a U-2 can operate safely at 70K feet is an eyebrow raising notion. I'm guessing the pilot's eyes should be glued to the airspeed indicator at altitude, but that's impossible as they have to do so many other things at once. The other things which amazed me is that the imagery gear in a U-2 still uses film technology. That was totally unexpected in 2020-21. Also, the area that the imagery tech can cover at 70K feet. 250km in all directions is an incredibly vast area. Knowing that fact makes me realise why the U-2 is still such a valuable reconnaissance asset in 2021. A beautiful bird. May they fly for many more years.
Oh, and no one called him Clarence. He was, and always remembered at Lockheed, as Kelly Johnson. And he led the team that designed the Blackbird.
And he designed the P-38 and he designed the Constellation and he designed...
@@soaringvulture Basically hes a genius that designed the entire US military.
Hopefully the U2 stays in service! Keep the sorties going!
Tours of Beale AFB are open to the public. There's a background check for all visitors, but foreign nationals used to be permitted. You need a group of about 20 to schedule a tour. Call the public affairs office.
Great story.
If you really want to know more, there is a book called "Operation Overflight" written by Francis Gary Powers... the first half of the book is a lot of stuff about the U2 program, how it was to fly, all that kind of stuff.....
The second half deals more with his capture, and all that stuff....
Very very interesting....
Thanks, I will take a look, his son has written a book called Spy Pilot, released January 2019.
ANTONOV AN-225 definitely deserves an episode!!
If you're ever in Palmdale, California, the Blackbird Airpark has the last remaining U-2D. It's right up the road from Plant 42, where Skunkworks is located. I was lucky enough to visit while they were doing a special event celebrating the Cold War, and was able to see inside the cockpit.
It's also the plane involved in the "Miracle at Cortez" where a pilot landed it after the engine went out at 70,000 ft.
I saw a US at Duxford Air Museum. The fuselage was being wheeled on a cart, supported by a pair of chinsey sofa cushions. It was the oddest site I'd seen. I ran over to double check and the chaps moving it stopped and let me take a few pics and soak it all in. A truly great day. I also licked a SR 71 Black Bird.
0:14 - "The Lockheed U2 is another one of these that kind of blows my mind when you consider like we're talking about something that was made in the past but is still in service today."
EVERYTHING in service today was made in the past. That's how causality works. 😛
I know what you mean. But on a different note. The Browning Heavy Machine gun still in use today dates back to WWI and some of the racing cars in the 1920s & 30s were already driving like 250+ kmh. Just because it's old, doesn't mean it's "bad". A machine gun design from ww1 is today just as efficient at killing people as it is in the year 2020.
@@generalripper7528: Where did I say old is bad?
@@deusexaethera You never did. That's why I said "on a different note". I was just rambling
Used to be stationed at a base with a U2 that took daily flights to monitor Cuba. Was awesome to watch it land. 2 S.P. cars would drive out on flight line and get under its wings as it rolled down the runway so they would tip into the ground.
I'd like to see a episode about the Harrier Jump Jet, possibly the first aircraft that could hover
Germany had a Helicopter before WW2 the FW-61, which would qualify it as the first. The first fixed wing aircraft to do the feat of hovering was the Convair XFY Pogo I believe.
If we're discounting helicopters, then the first VTOL is technically Nasa's LLRV or Lunar Lander Research Vehicle, which flew 3 years before the maiden flight of the Harrier. If we are counting helicopters, then the first traditional helicopter flight was in 1932 in the USSR.
@@RidinDirtyRollinBurnouts First Manned VTOL was Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes on November 21, 1783 technically, but discounting lighter than air means, the XFY Pogo predates the Lunar program.
By what method? Only propelled by a certain capacity or in general?
@@twotone3471 the pogo was a prop so it technically isn't a jet-propelled VTOL. But then again I'm not really here to discuss semantics or what have you, I just personally find great interest in jet VTOLs I think they're very sci-fi and futuristic. On a side note, an honorable mention is the rocket-powered VTO, the Ba 349 Natter
My son and I, just before the shelter in place orders came, were able to watch a dual cabin U2 (two captains for 24 hour flight) doing touch and go landings at our local airport, which is an emergency landing and practice field for Beale Air Force Base in CA. We watched the plane circle and do three landings and takeoffs before my son had to report to work. They are beautiful aircraft in their flat black USAF livery. I used to live in Silicon Valley and routinely saw NASA U2s going in and out of Moffett Airfield. Those were bright and shiny.
I'm drunk , wish i can remember this tomorrow morning.
Excellent video, as always Simon. I have watched these amazing aircraft going in and out of RAF Fairford many times, always incredible to watch.
This is my favourite video on the channel. I'd love to see an A-6 Intruder video.
And in mid 2020 in Northern California one flew over my head today. Ironically after talking about it with people around me.. Moments later TH-cam suggests this video 🤔
Coincidence? I think not! 😀
The reason Lockheed was able to be both under budget and ahead of schedule came down to the fact they are modified f-104 starfighters. The original wings were replaced with much larger ones and the fuselage modified. This fact also allowed for the extended production and very long service life as so many of the common parts have remained available.
My vote is for anything aviation or military! Love the new channel!
Greetings from Chechnya and Ingushetia!!
What still amazes me is that no one actually know that both u2 shoot downs weren't done at 70k feet both suffered engine troubles forcing them to a lower altitude below 60k which was well within the operating envelope of the missiles at the time. Something I learned back from my fifth grade teacher who as it turned was in highschool or just out of highschool at the time.
Watched them fly out of Davis Monthan in the late 60s and early 70s. Watched one fly out of Nellis a couple of months ago. Cool aircraft. Of course a lot of U2 testing occurred out at A51.
It's Canada Day, so how about something from Canada. The CN Tower.
Or the Canada Arm used on the ISS.
@@andrewlavey6992 Canada Arm was shuttle based... Canada Arm 2 is on the ISS (and it's even more impressive)
NOT pound-feet of thrust, but pounds-force (to distinguish from pounds-mass). Pound-feet are a metric of torque or "twist".
Special Megaprojects on Simon's studio.. Lets get it done!
I'd be interested in videos about both the A380 and the 747 theoretically. I've had the opportunity to see the first 747 in person at a museum, and I'm still fascinated by it. (Saw a Concorde at that museum as well!)
How about a video covering the defensive fortifications around Malta's Grand Harbour? I don't know whether this is technically a Megaproject, but on Goolge Earth these defensive works certainly look impressive...
I worked on Osan Airbase in the 80s. The U2s took off often from there. The unit that controlled them had a sign at their gate. "In God we trust. All others we monitor."
Thanks good sir Simon (& team) for the insightful video - I didn't realize just how long she'd been flying! Here's to the concept of doing one thing really really well.
One note that takes nothing away from such a successful 'MegaProject' would be acknowledging that the U-2 is the key piece of an intelligence platform that sprawls across the globe. Lots of good folk doing great work to support the talented Dragon Lady.
::s::
Great video on U2 - thanks - have watched a lot of doc stuff on it over the years but this is one of the best
In 1962 the English Electric Lightning was able to intercept the U2 in military tests and in similar tests in the mid 1980's a lightning not only intercepted the latest U2 but also flew 8000ft above it, so the British at least had an interceptor that could deal with the U2
I live next to Beale AFB, see them all the time.
If we’re talking aircraft Megaprojects... the (A)C-130 will forever be mega of the mega to me. The C130 and the M60 are the emblems of my generation.
Please do the AC130 gunship. It is a flying artillery cannon plus other armaments. You could also tie it into all the other roles that the C130 fills from cargo to troop transport and even firefighting. It's truly a mega use platform.
There is one minor mistake, the Glienicker Bridge do not connect East- and Westberlin, its a bridge between Westberlin and Potsdam. Interesting video
It has probably been done to death already by other documentary shows but I seriously enjoy Simon's wit and monologues and would love to see a video on the Hoover Dam
A rare successful one. You should do the reversing of the Chicago River if there is enough content for it.
The movie Simon couldn't remember its name is "Bridge of Spies," which covers a Brooklyn lawyer's defense of Soviet spy Rudolf Abel and the negotiations for his eventual exchange on the Gleinecke Bridge for American U-2 pilot Francis G. Powers and American student Frederick Pryor.
Excellent film! Only Steven Spielberg could make you feel pity for a Soviet spy!
@simonwhistler
Saunders Roe SR.53
Avro 730
TSR2
Avro Arrow
Loving this channel... I watch business blaze when i need to be talked unconscious😂
In 1984, Flt Lt Mike Hale intercepted an American U-2 spy plane at a height which they had previously considered safe from interception. Records show that Hale climbed to 88,000 ft in his Lightning F.3 XR749. Hale also participated in time-to-height and acceleration trials against F-104 Starfighters from Aalborg. He reports that the Lightnings won all races easily with the exception of the low level supersonic acceleration, which was a "dead heat".
A episode on the Avro Arrow would be interesting as it was intended to fly at 70 000 feet and higher
The Space Transportation System (space shuttle) and the Harrier family (including both the British-built GR line and the US-built AV-8 line) are unique aviation projects, and might make for good subjects for future Megaprojects videos, yes?
I live in Folsom, California and U2's will fly over my house every once in a while. They have a very distinct sound to them. Even vintage WWll aircraft will fly into town for air shows and will circle my house. One of the two B-29's flew over while i was cutting the grass in my back yard xD Also one time, I was on Folsom lake around 6:30am and a P-51 buzzed our boat as he carved through the canyons of the north fork of the lake. He was flying maybe 300ft off the water... highly illegal but it was epic...
Love to see the story of SR-71.
Hey Simon! Another great channel 😎 can you do a video on the London underground ? I'm pretty sure there's been more than one ??
It'd be astonishingly astounding if you did a video on what we DON'T KNOW about blackholes, quasars, and of course huge stars lol. Plz thanks Simon.
I was in the US Air Force between 1968 and 1972 with 100 SRW at Davis Monthan AFB assigned to landing group and some of the landing were hair raising. We used Chev El Camino which got to hold wing so it would fall over. This was done wait the U2 was still moving (not fast). I moved to a new group did move with U2 when the U2 moved to Beale AFB
I’m sure it has already been said, but the A-10 Warthog would be a cool topic!
Those things are fun to watch land, and it is possible to purchase retired chase cars through auction. A Saline Mustang was used one year, just ignore the body damage.
I would love to see an episode about the "Berlin Brandenburg Airport" (BER). Title could be something like "How not to build an airport". Great channel by the way, I really like it.
He’s done a Business Blaze episode about BER: “Berlin’s Airport Disaster”
The Lockheed Skunk Works would be great for Biographics! The U-2, A-12 Oxcart, SR-72 Blackbird, and so much more came from them.
There are many videos on this topic, but I wanted to hear TH-cam superstar Simon Whistler's take on the subject.
Awesome video again. Any chance we’ll be getting a breakdown of the eurofighter typhoon? ;)
I suggest doing a video about the Bingham Canyon Copper Mine in Utah.
You should do one on the F14. It was an amazing project and still serves today.
It only serves in Iran now
Avro Vulcan participating at sky shield in 1960's although Mark Felton has already done a very good video of that, maybe you will find something interesting going on in Dreamland A51 you know that secret place up ET highway :)
Really liked this episode
Central Valley Project would be a good Megaproject. At the time it was the worlds largest water and power project and allowed for the San Joaquin Valley to become the most productive agricultural region of the world.
In the event that nobody else has mentioned it - The A10 Warthog would be an interesting airplane to cover.
OR.. The MiG-21, another Cold War legend that has served 40+ years and is still going in some parts of the world!
OR- the many variants of the BF109 and its uses during WW2?
Also, there need to be some canal episodes, mainly Panama, and Suez.
haven't looked at the 1,561 comments to see if this was mentioned but, the U-2 is closely related to the F-104 Starfighter which also saw extended service: 46 years!
U2's , when landing, are assisted by a fellow pilot in a high performance car(Teslas these days).
The Bridge of Spies I THINK is the Tom Hanks movie you were trying to refer to. I'll have to see if I can watch it on Roku.
Simon, love everything you try your hand at. You should do the Antonov An-225 Mriya. A grand Soviet design that failed at its designed purpose but flourished in the long run.
Awesome vid. Would love to see some more Warships too. Bismarck?
In 1987, working in forestry research, a U2 plane equipped with an IR camera destined for the ISS, flew over our test site. It's mission was to calibrate it's sensors to our data.