How many electric aircraft manufacturers that keep going for a longer wingspan to get a useful range, have actually thought about this? I will caveat that I have not seen a reputable design in the commercial space leveraging the two-wheel setup. #electricaircraft #learnfromthepast
The U-2 is one of the more challenging aircraft to land, and that's putting it mildly. 👇 Imagine controlling a delicate, high-altitude spy plane as it returns from the edge of space. The secret sauce? Its long wings. Great for cruising at 70,000 feet, but a real handful when touching down. This bird’s unique with its two-wheel setup – think of a tightrope walker, not your usual trike jet. It's a balancing act that tests the nerve of the best pilots. As the U-2 comes in for a landing, it's so sensitive to the breeze that it feels like it's dancing on air, making it tough to pin down on the runway. Here’s where it gets even more Hollywood – a chase car, driven by another U-2 pilot, races down the runway. Wanna know what the chase car experience is like? Gotta ask Kevin Seiff - he inspired this post with a tale of his time in the chase car, helping recover U2s after a mission. They're the wingman, talking the pilot down, inch by inch. It’s teamwork cranked to the max. As the video shows - it takes a team to bring these things in safely. Because teamwork, as they say: makes the dream work. /// HOLDEN SENDS
Good point
Founder/CEO of Drone Launch Academy
10moI had a hard enough time landing a piper cherokee! 😂