Wing Walking
With a wingspan of over 300 hundred feet, a cruising speed of 373 knots, maximum altitude of 70 thousand feet, the Lockheed U-2 looks like it belongs on the cover of a sci-fi magazine. Even with the ability to fly into outer space, the U-2 nicknamed the “Dragon Lady,” is not equipped with permanent landing gear. It is up to the ground crew to attach the gear on takeoff. They must also be there when the plane is landing so they can reattach landing gear. This maneuver takes two members of the landing crew one person on each side in order to keep the plane’s wings balanced so it won’t tip over until the landing gear is in place. This is what is known as wing walking. As soon as the crew has taken their respective position on the wing, the U-2 has slowed to about sixty miles per hour. There is a single tire tucked under the cockpit. The single tire engages during takeoff and landing but is small and insufficient to bring the plane down safely without the extra effort.
Why do I know this? One day in December 14, 1991, due to an in-flight emergency, I had to do my first and only wing walk. As a veteran of many amusement park thrills, wing walking took it to a whole new level for me.
Detachment 4 hangar was located next to the Drug Enforcement Agency hangar. Our hangar, where my office was located was declared “Top Secret” by the United States Air Force on Howard Air Base Panama. A year prior to my arrival, United States Army Rangers had taken out Panamanian resistance in a combat operation. The mission objective was to take out Manuel Noreiga and put him into custody under orders of President George H.W. Bush. The Panamanian dictator had been suspected of running drugs through the Darian Jungle into Columbia. Many of the Panamanian citizens were glad he was taken, because he was rumored to be a cruel and ruthless leader. But there were many who did not feel this way and for that reason we kept a military presence there. Operation Desert Storm was also taking place even though Kuwait had been liberated and the ruination of Hussain’s Royal Guard littered the road leading out of the liberated country.
Detachment 4 was one of four areas assigned to the U-2 plane from Beale, Air Force Base. Civilian crews from Lockheed did maintenance and ground crew duties. Air Force pilots flew the planes. Flight planners did the administration of which logistics was a part of even though my office was in the hangar with a window view of one of two aircraft parked in the hangar. Rick Ramon was the Lockheed supply tech I would work with to make sure our small warehouse had the parts needed to keep the planes flying.
Most of my job was to be at my desk, sitting there waiting for the Lockheed maintenance guys to come in and order parts needed to fix parts that were malfunctioning. On a good day, we’d have five orders, so I was kind of like a clerk at the automobile store. Rick was a good guy for a Type A personality. Every morning he’d come in to do inventory on my small, locked warehouse of components parts for the U-2. If he saw something that needed to be ordered, he tell me to call back to Beale and have the part delivered. The part would go out on the next transport and arrive on base in about ten hours. Amazon, eat your heart out.
Once while I was killing time, a maintenance guy walked in with a part number written on his hand. Since Panama was one of the most humid places I have ever been, the writing on his hand was no longer legible since the ink he used had had been washed away by his perspiration. I did my best to identify the part by using the Index of Parts Breakdown (IPB) to figure out what part he needed. The IPB is an illustrated diagram of the complete assembly breakdown of the U-2 aircraft in a binder of over two hundred pages. After spending almost an hour searching each page, he smiled and said, “It’s right there.”
He pointed his sweaty finger at the part. I copied down the part number so I could order it. He was a chunky guy named Les who always wore a flannel shirt and overalls. The beard he had went most of the way down to his protruding navel.
“Should be here by this afternoon. It’s in stock on base.” I reported.
“Thanks man.” He went to turn away, but then turned back to face me, “Have you ever heard of Frances Gary Powers?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of him. Captain Gary Powers was shot down over Sverdlovsk, Soviet Union in 1960.”
“Correct.” He smiled or I think he smiled, “I was his crew chief.”
“No shit.” I was stunned and in awe at the same time. You never know when you will intersect history or someone who was there when history happened, even if he looks like some bum off the street.
After that excitement, the day dragged on unmercifully. I walked around the cordoned area several times. It did not make the afternoon move any quicker.
Bored. Bored beyond redemption as I sat turning over a deck of cards while sitting at my desk. I had been here all day and did not have a single thing to do other than ordering that one part for Les.
Fran Rogers was due in another hour, but at the current pace, I might send her home. Fran was my subordinate who was always on task. I had known her and her husband for a couple of years and was friends with them both. She had come to Howard two weeks ago to replace the other guy who Rick could not stand. When I arrived in September, Rick read off an impressive list of complaints he had against Owen Duwell.
“Hey.” She said when she walked in a few minutes later.
“You’re early.” I shrugged.
“Yeah, I got bored sitting around at the dorms.” She shook her head.
“Well, this place isn’t even that exciting.” I leaned back against my chair.
“This has been one boring day for sure.” She put her lunch in the refrigerator before sitting at her desk. “Maybe I’ll sweep out the warehouse floor.”
“Rick and I have done it at least four times.” I sighed and yawned, “I was gonna sendya home.”
“I won’t go.” She shook her head. “Up on the hill it is just a bunch of girls gossiping. I just don’t get into that stuff, ya know.”
“Suit yourself.” I shrugged.
“I am glad you’re both here.” Rick burst in the door.
“What’s up?” I asked with only one eye open.
“We got an in-flight emergency.” He leaned on the file cabinet next to the locked door of the warehouse.
“What happened?” Fran tilted her head.
“That knucklehead Captain Rainer dropped his Walkman and when he went to get it, he blew out his egress.” Rick rolled his eyes.
Egress is the system pilots use when they need to leave the aircraft quickly like Captain Powers had in 1960. Strapped in with a heavy-duty seatbelt, if a pilot needs to make a quick exit from his aircraft, the egress system blows off the pilot’s restraints with an explosive charge. Next, the pilot will depress the button on the control panel to blow off the canopy so the pilot will not be cut to ribbons by the shattering of the plexiglass.
“Problem, all my guys are out on the flight line launching the other aircraft and I have no one to wing walk the disabled aircraft.” I could tell Rick was irritated with what Captain Rainer had done. “The saving grace is Captain Rainer did not blow the canopy off. It’s still attached, so he has a decent chance of landing it okay. But he is without a harness, so he will need to come in and carefully land that puppy. Both of you will have to go with me since I am short-handed.”
So, much for being bored. Things just got very exciting.
“I know neither of you have ever wing walked, so please pay attention to everything I tell you to do.” He sighed.
“Sure.” We both nodded.
“C’mon, let’s roll.” He pointed to the maintenance vehicle idling just outside the hangar. Fran and I hopped on. The vehicle had a ladder and two landing gear, one for each wing. Rick would stand and steer the vehicle as we stood next to him.
“When we get up to the aircraft, I will raise the ladder.” Rick said over the sound of the small engine, “You both will climb the ladder. One of you will go to the right and the other will go to the left to balance it.”
“Alright.” I acknowledged.
“What happens when we get on the wing?” Fran asked.
“You hold on like hell.” He smirked, “The plane will be going over sixty miles per hour.”
Fran’s eyes were wide.
“We’re almost there.” He pointed.
I could see the U-2 about ten feet above the runway. Rick pressed a button, and the ladder rose into the air. I felt the shadow of the aircraft pass over us.
“Alright, start climbing.” He pointed to the ladder.
Fran was first since it was ladies before gentlemen with the manners I was raised with. As soon as she got to the top, she went to the let side, leaving me to occupy the right. I started climbing and I did not look down.
“Get a move on.” Rick barked as I climbed to the top and then moved to the right wing. It was quite exhilarating, but not in such a good way. One mistake would sent me earthward onto the hard pavement. I crawled up to the front of the wing as Rick secured the landing gear under the wings. As soon as I made it to the front, I sank my fingernails into the edge of the wing. If this was fifty miles per hour, I was a monkey’s uncle since it felt with the wind pressed into my face, we were going at least a hundred miles per hour.
Once Rick had the landing gear secure under the aircraft, he let up on the vehicle pedal and it showed down letting the U-2 continue on until it came to a complete stop with both of us hanging on for dear life. I glanced over at Fran. Her face was frozen a squint along and her hair was a tangled mess after losing her hair clip to the wind. When we stopped, I saw that she was smiling.
“That was great.” She said trying to find her voice.
“That’s not what I’d call it.” I shook my head.
“Just think of it. We got to wind walk.” She let go of her hold on the wing, “How many of our guys can say that, huh?”
“You’re right.” I nodded.
“You guys alright?” Rick asked.
“We’re super.” Fran shouted as he walked up the ladder.
“You guys did just fine.” He laughed, “How do you feel?”
He looked at me, but I felt my face was white as a sheet.
“I’m alright, I suppose.” I shivered.
“Just think, my crew does this every launch.” He explained as he put the ladder up against the wing so we could climb down, “I’ll bet this made your day a little less boring.”
“You can say that again.” I said as I watched Fran climb down the ladder.
“Can’t wait to tell my family of this excitement.” She was still smiling.
“When we get back, why don’t you call it a day and go make a phone call.” I suggested.
“Great idea.” She was truly excited. I was just glad to have my feet back on the ground. She couldn’t wait to tell her husband back at Beale with their kids the adventure she got to go on. She would brag to her husband and then go over the exciting details with her daughter.
How do you tell someone about an experience like this? There were so many things that went through my mind including who was my primary beneficiary. But as I glanced at the jungle at the end of the runway, I got this feeling in my heart that I had done something I would probably never do again. I guess that was the excitement Fran was feeling as Rick drove us back to the hangar following the Captain Rainer’s plane. Life Support Unit would have to come and reinstall the egress system.
“I sure hope that bozo leaves his Walkman home next flight.” Rick muttered under his breath. He looked at both of us and smiled, “Thanks.”
When we got back to the office, I heard our resident coatimundi rustling in the rafters. I got some stale crackers Owen left behind. Taking one, I reached up to where the coatimundi was hiding. His little claw came out and grabbed the cracker. I heard the famous marsupial resident of Panama crunching contently on the offering I had given him.
“You are going to wind up taking him home as a pet.” Fran chuckled.
“Why don’t you call it a day? I can handle it. I’m sure there won’t be any more action today. I think we passed our quota. Besides you can be first in the chow hall line.” I nodded casually.
“Thanks. I will see you tomorrow.” She turned and left.
I waited a few minutes in the silence, before wandering out the back door facing the flightline. The spectacular sunset was now fading behind the palm trees as three fighters took to the sky, their bright afterburners flickering faithfully. The air was cooling a bit and there was a slight refreshing breeze that blew gently over me. Slowly I was changing here becoming more and more self-reliant, more and more confident in my abilities to get the job done.
I heard my resident coatimundi rattle in the rafters. I got another stale cracker and held it up for him. Carefully he reached out and grabbed as he had the first.
I would close up shop in another hour and head on to the chow hall for dinner still holding my head up high that I had successfully completed my first and only wing walk.
With a wingspan of over 300 hundred feet, a cruising speed of 373 knots, maximum altitude of 70 thousand feet, the Lockheed U-2 looks like it belongs on the cover of a sci-fi magazine. Even with the ability to fly into outer space, the U-2 nicknamed the “Dragon Lady,” is not equipped with permanent landing gear. It is up to the ground crew to attach the gear on takeoff. They must also be there when the plane is landing so they can reattach landing gear. This maneuver takes two members of the landing crew one person on each side in order to keep the plane’s wings balanced so it won’t tip over until the landing gear is in place. This is what is known as wing walking. As soon as the crew has taken their respective position on the wing, the U-2 has slowed to about sixty miles per hour. There is a single tire tucked under the cockpit. The single tire engages during takeoff and landing but is small and insufficient to bring the plane down safely without the extra effort.
Why do I know this? One day in December 14, 1991, due to an in-flight emergency, I had to do my first and only wing walk. As a veteran of many amusement park thrills, wing walking took it to a whole new level for me.
Detachment 4 hangar was located next to the Drug Enforcement Agency hangar. Our hangar, where my office was located was declared “Top Secret” by the United States Air Force on Howard Air Base Panama. A year prior to my arrival, United States Army Rangers had taken out Panamanian resistance in a combat operation. The mission objective was to take out Manuel Noreiga and put him into custody under orders of President George H.W. Bush. The Panamanian dictator had been suspected of running drugs through the Darian Jungle into Columbia. Many of the Panamanian citizens were glad he was taken, because he was rumored to be a cruel and ruthless leader. But there were many who did not feel this way and for that reason we kept a military presence there. Operation Desert Storm was also taking place even though Kuwait had been liberated and the ruination of Hussain’s Royal Guard littered the road leading out of the liberated country.
Detachment 4 was one of four areas assigned to the U-2 plane from Beale, Air Force Base. Civilian crews from Lockheed did maintenance and ground crew duties. Air Force pilots flew the planes. Flight planners did the administration of which logistics was a part of even though my office was in the hangar with a window view of one of two aircraft parked in the hangar. Rick Ramon was the Lockheed supply tech I would work with to make sure our small warehouse had the parts needed to keep the planes flying.
Most of my job was to be at my desk, sitting there waiting for the Lockheed maintenance guys to come in and order parts needed to fix parts that were malfunctioning. On a good day, we’d have five orders, so I was kind of like a clerk at the automobile store. Rick was a good guy for a Type A personality. Every morning he’d come in to do inventory on my small, locked warehouse of components parts for the U-2. If he saw something that needed to be ordered, he tell me to call back to Beale and have the part delivered. The part would go out on the next transport and arrive on base in about ten hours. Amazon, eat your heart out.
Once while I was killing time, a maintenance guy walked in with a part number written on his hand. Since Panama was one of the most humid places I have ever been, the writing on his hand was no longer legible since the ink he used had had been washed away by his perspiration. I did my best to identify the part by using the Index of Parts Breakdown (IPB) to figure out what part he needed. The IPB is an illustrated diagram of the complete assembly breakdown of the U-2 aircraft in a binder of over two hundred pages. After spending almost an hour searching each page, he smiled and said, “It’s right there.”
He pointed his sweaty finger at the part. I copied down the part number so I could order it. He was a chunky guy named Les who always wore a flannel shirt and overalls. The beard he had went most of the way down to his protruding navel.
“Should be here by this afternoon. It’s in stock on base.” I reported.
“Thanks man.” He went to turn away, but then turned back to face me, “Have you ever heard of Frances Gary Powers?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of him. Captain Gary Powers was shot down over Sverdlovsk, Soviet Union in 1960.”
“Correct.” He smiled or I think he smiled, “I was his crew chief.”
“No shit.” I was stunned and in awe at the same time. You never know when you will intersect history or someone who was there when history happened, even if he looks like some bum off the street.
After that excitement, the day dragged on unmercifully. I walked around the cordoned area several times. It did not make the afternoon move any quicker.
Bored. Bored beyond redemption as I sat turning over a deck of cards while sitting at my desk. I had been here all day and did not have a single thing to do other than ordering that one part for Les.
Fran Rogers was due in another hour, but at the current pace, I might send her home. Fran was my subordinate who was always on task. I had known her and her husband for a couple of years and was friends with them both. She had come to Howard two weeks ago to replace the other guy who Rick could not stand. When I arrived in September, Rick read off an impressive list of complaints he had against Owen Duwell.
“Hey.” She said when she walked in a few minutes later.
“You’re early.” I shrugged.
“Yeah, I got bored sitting around at the dorms.” She shook her head.
“Well, this place isn’t even that exciting.” I leaned back against my chair.
“This has been one boring day for sure.” She put her lunch in the refrigerator before sitting at her desk. “Maybe I’ll sweep out the warehouse floor.”
“Rick and I have done it at least four times.” I sighed and yawned, “I was gonna sendya home.”
“I won’t go.” She shook her head. “Up on the hill it is just a bunch of girls gossiping. I just don’t get into that stuff, ya know.”
“Suit yourself.” I shrugged.
“I am glad you’re both here.” Rick burst in the door.
“What’s up?” I asked with only one eye open.
“We got an in-flight emergency.” He leaned on the file cabinet next to the locked door of the warehouse.
“What happened?” Fran tilted her head.
“That knucklehead Captain Rainer dropped his Walkman and when he went to get it, he blew out his egress.” Rick rolled his eyes.
Egress is the system pilots use when they need to leave the aircraft quickly like Captain Powers had in 1960. Strapped in with a heavy-duty seatbelt, if a pilot needs to make a quick exit from his aircraft, the egress system blows off the pilot’s restraints with an explosive charge. Next, the pilot will depress the button on the control panel to blow off the canopy so the pilot will not be cut to ribbons by the shattering of the plexiglass.
“Problem, all my guys are out on the flight line launching the other aircraft and I have no one to wing walk the disabled aircraft.” I could tell Rick was irritated with what Captain Rainer had done. “The saving grace is Captain Rainer did not blow the canopy off. It’s still attached, so he has a decent chance of landing it okay. But he is without a harness, so he will need to come in and carefully land that puppy. Both of you will have to go with me since I am short-handed.”
So, much for being bored. Things just got very exciting.
“I know neither of you have ever wing walked, so please pay attention to everything I tell you to do.” He sighed.
“Sure.” We both nodded.
“C’mon, let’s roll.” He pointed to the maintenance vehicle idling just outside the hangar. Fran and I hopped on. The vehicle had a ladder and two landing gear, one for each wing. Rick would stand and steer the vehicle as we stood next to him.
“When we get up to the aircraft, I will raise the ladder.” Rick said over the sound of the small engine, “You both will climb the ladder. One of you will go to the right and the other will go to the left to balance it.”
“Alright.” I acknowledged.
“What happens when we get on the wing?” Fran asked.
“You hold on like hell.” He smirked, “The plane will be going over sixty miles per hour.”
Fran’s eyes were wide.
“We’re almost there.” He pointed.
I could see the U-2 about ten feet above the runway. Rick pressed a button, and the ladder rose into the air. I felt the shadow of the aircraft pass over us.
“Alright, start climbing.” He pointed to the ladder.
Fran was first since it was ladies before gentlemen with the manners I was raised with. As soon as she got to the top, she went to the let side, leaving me to occupy the right. I started climbing and I did not look down.
“Get a move on.” Rick barked as I climbed to the top and then moved to the right wing. It was quite exhilarating, but not in such a good way. One mistake would sent me earthward onto the hard pavement. I crawled up to the front of the wing as Rick secured the landing gear under the wings. As soon as I made it to the front, I sank my fingernails into the edge of the wing. If this was fifty miles per hour, I was a monkey’s uncle since it felt with the wind pressed into my face, we were going at least a hundred miles per hour.
Once Rick had the landing gear secure under the aircraft, he let up on the vehicle pedal and it showed down letting the U-2 continue on until it came to a complete stop with both of us hanging on for dear life. I glanced over at Fran. Her face was frozen a squint along and her hair was a tangled mess after losing her hair clip to the wind. When we stopped, I saw that she was smiling.
“That was great.” She said trying to find her voice.
“That’s not what I’d call it.” I shook my head.
“Just think of it. We got to wind walk.” She let go of her hold on the wing, “How many of our guys can say that, huh?”
“You’re right.” I nodded.
“You guys alright?” Rick asked.
“We’re super.” Fran shouted as he walked up the ladder.
“You guys did just fine.” He laughed, “How do you feel?”
He looked at me, but I felt my face was white as a sheet.
“I’m alright, I suppose.” I shivered.
“Just think, my crew does this every launch.” He explained as he put the ladder up against the wing so we could climb down, “I’ll bet this made your day a little less boring.”
“You can say that again.” I said as I watched Fran climb down the ladder.
“Can’t wait to tell my family of this excitement.” She was still smiling.
“When we get back, why don’t you call it a day and go make a phone call.” I suggested.
“Great idea.” She was truly excited. I was just glad to have my feet back on the ground. She couldn’t wait to tell her husband back at Beale with their kids the adventure she got to go on. She would brag to her husband and then go over the exciting details with her daughter.
How do you tell someone about an experience like this? There were so many things that went through my mind including who was my primary beneficiary. But as I glanced at the jungle at the end of the runway, I got this feeling in my heart that I had done something I would probably never do again. I guess that was the excitement Fran was feeling as Rick drove us back to the hangar following the Captain Rainer’s plane. Life Support Unit would have to come and reinstall the egress system.
“I sure hope that bozo leaves his Walkman home next flight.” Rick muttered under his breath. He looked at both of us and smiled, “Thanks.”
When we got back to the office, I heard our resident coatimundi rustling in the rafters. I got some stale crackers Owen left behind. Taking one, I reached up to where the coatimundi was hiding. His little claw came out and grabbed the cracker. I heard the famous marsupial resident of Panama crunching contently on the offering I had given him.
“You are going to wind up taking him home as a pet.” Fran chuckled.
“Why don’t you call it a day? I can handle it. I’m sure there won’t be any more action today. I think we passed our quota. Besides you can be first in the chow hall line.” I nodded casually.
“Thanks. I will see you tomorrow.” She turned and left.
I waited a few minutes in the silence, before wandering out the back door facing the flightline. The spectacular sunset was now fading behind the palm trees as three fighters took to the sky, their bright afterburners flickering faithfully. The air was cooling a bit and there was a slight refreshing breeze that blew gently over me. Slowly I was changing here becoming more and more self-reliant, more and more confident in my abilities to get the job done.
I heard my resident coatimundi rattle in the rafters. I got another stale cracker and held it up for him. Carefully he reached out and grabbed as he had the first.
I would close up shop in another hour and head on to the chow hall for dinner still holding my head up high that I had successfully completed my first and only wing walk.