Written by independent automotive journalist Roger C. Johnson
U.S. Air Force Maj. Jack, U-2 Dragon Lady instructor pilot assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, as he hits nearly 100 mph in a chase car behind a U-2 Dragon Lady aircraft. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kenny Holston)
Imagine driving your hottest car flat-out down a runway and trying to stay close to a jet airplane as it lands or takes off right in front of you at over 100 miles an hour. It’s all in a day’s work for airmen who drive chase cars that help provide an external view of the action for pilots of one of the most successful reconnaissance planes ever devised. To accomplish this, the Air Force recruited some American muscle cars for the express purpose of supporting the spy plane commonly referred to as the U-2.
This is a purpose-built jet designed to fly beyond the range of contemporary ground-based weapons (including missiles), seek out its intellectual prey, take high-resolution photos and then return home safely.
Nicknamed the Dragon Lady, the U-2 is one of the most significant, elegant and notorious jet planes ever conceived, and is still flying after a more than 50-year service life. Imagine a glider with a jet engine flaunting a wingspan of over 100 feet, intended to positively sail at an altitude of over 70,000 feet.
A mobile chase car pursues a U-2 Dragon Lady as the aircraft prepares to land. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Ramon A. Adelan)
Even though all that wing area made climbing and flying easy ‒ almost effortless, in fact ‒ that same wing design was still trying to generate lift during the touchdown, making this procedure the most delicate of all. The U-2 also lands on two inline wheels emanating from the fuselage, like a bicycle with aerodynamic panels all around it.
To make matters even more challenging, the pilot is so confined by his pressurized suit and full helmet, so his peripheral vision is dramatically restricted. Yet he must pay extreme attention to the landing routine and keep those long wings precisely parallel to the runway. And, by the way, the controls were not hydraulically operated; they required human muscle power. Although getting this plane off the ground and flying it to the edge of space is a pilot’s dream, landing the U-2 is more like a nightmare.
The obvious solution was the advent of an earthbound wingman, officially called the Mobile Officer, to drive a powerful American production car near the plane, and be the extra eyes to help guide the pilot down to the tarmac and back up again. This Mobile Officer and the pilot are connected by radio. The grounded wingman starts announcing touchdown distances when the wheels are about 10 feet above the runway, and keeps reminding the pilot how level his wings are ‒ or are not. Don’t bother applying for this job, because only actual U-2 pilots get this honor – and they say it is the thrill we all imagine it to be. These guys and gals get special training in high-performance driving techniques in order to dance safely with the Dragon Lady.
The designated chase car must quickly accelerate up to 100 mph ‒ around a curve, no less ‒ so it can fall in behind, or next to, the U-2 as it begins the final phase of its descent. This requires two of our favorite automotive characteristics – handling and acceleration. And since the cars most capable of such acts are those with high-horsepower credentials, launching and landing U-2s has become the equivalent of a modern-day American muscle car show and drag race.
Maintenance personnel work around the clock to keep the U-2s ready to launch for any mission around the globe. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kenny Holston)
The first U-2 chase cars in the ’50s were Ford station wagons with the largest engine available from the factory, which would have been the 312 Y-block in 1957 under normal circumstances. Yet we wonder if the Air Force somehow acquired bigger engines from the Lincoln or Mercury division back then and had them stuffed into those Ford wagons. The station wagons were chosen because they could carry the removable outrigger landing gear for the U-2’s outer wing sections. These units were jettisoned on take-off, but reinstalled once the plane came to a complete standstill back on earth.
By the 1960s, the Air Force was using Chevrolet El Caminos as the chase car, and these units were deployed at bases around the world, from wherever the U-2 operated. The El Caminos held the job halfway through the ’80s and were reported to have modified big blocks. The El Camino was also a perfect vehicle to haul that reusable landing gear.
When the Air Force heard about the new 5.0 Mustang coupes used by the California Highway Patrol, they thought these models would be perfect for their special missions. So Ford got another call from the Air Force and perhaps 20 or so of those 5.0 coupes were then airfreighted in pairs to the appropriate bases. Separate service trucks now carried that landing gear ‒ the chase car and its driver already had enough to do.
By the 1990s, the Mustangs were ready for replacement. This time the GM brand would reappear and has since become the go-to company for chase cars, beginning with Camaros, then Holden-sourced Pontiac GTOs and Pontiac G8 4-door sedans, and now new SS Camaros.
These unsung hero cars have saved lives, prevented wars and even helped restore world order. But many of us have known for decades that muscle cars were the answer to practically everything ‒ from our own peace of mind to peace on earth.
For a look at what muscle cars and other great vehicles are on the upcoming Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Auction docket, click HERE.