This is the panorama you get from the cockpit of a legendary U-2 Dragon Lady aircraft.
Ross Franquemont is a U-2 pilot and instructor at the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, based at Beale Air Force Base, California. Fortunately for the rest of the world, he is also a great photographer. In fact, the incredible images you can find in this post were taken by Ross during missions flown at high altitude (something around 70,000 feet) in the Dragon Lady aircraft.
If you want to learn more about the iconic spyplane click here to read our recent article or use the search button on the right hand side of the site (type U-2 and find all the stories we have published on the U-2). Meanwhile, enjoy this unbelievable collection of photographs taken at the edge of space that Ross has allowed us to share with our readers.
Taking off from Beale AFB (All images credit: Ross Franquemont)California as seen from the cockpit of a U-2.Front view, heading to the San Francisco Bay.With a flag inside the cockpit.To survive in the thin atmosphere where the Dragon Lady operates, pilots wear pressurized space suits.Day to night the dividing line called the terminator can be seen in the upper right.Ross shot also a composite image of the Aug. 21, 2017 eclipse.Taken from the back cockpit of a TU-2S. You can see the student pilot in the front cockpit using a red light.San Francisco and the Golden Gate bridge.Panorama selfie!Sacramento area at night.Lake Tahoe at the border between California and Nevada.San Jose and San Francisco and the Bay.Ross brings his sons toys on some sorties. Not only do they serve as mascots, they are also used to protect his camera.
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.
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