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U2 Pilot
Inside the cockpit of a U2. Imagine yourself here in a spacesuit on a 12 hour mission...
Watching from above Bremont certainly brings to the watch world. Furthermore our community has strong ties to the UK and the RAF. We have flown U-2s in and out of RAF bases for many years and hope to continue BY Dan Tye flying for several more. Therefore being associated HEY fly twelve hour missions in pressurised flight suits. Some call with an aviation focused British company that exemplifies excellence was them pilots but it’s more appropriate to call them astronauts as they an easy choice for us.” fly, literally, at edge of space. For a U-2 pilot, long loiter times over Alberto was very clear about what they wanted from the watch. A areas of interest is vital for intelligence gathering. Every U-2 pilot is well Bremont with just a logo wasn’t going to cut it. In fact, Nick said they aware that the mission scenarios they fly are unique (Alone, Unarmed and had to reign in some of their ideas. Nick sums up the look, “It’s black and Unafraid). As such this creates a true sense of pride and collectiveness. sinister. Much like a U-2.” Individual squadrons have long celebrated their Alberto says many of the pilots were surprised at uniqueness with badges, silk scarves or even aircraft how Bremont was able to incorporate so many nose paint but the idea of having a watch specific to a small details, some only known by U-2 pilots, into squadron is the newest trend. the design. “For example, the black case matches As a result, the Bremont brothers, Nick and Giles, the colour of the aircraft,” he explains. “There’s the were contacted directly by Alberto Cruz, a U-2 pilot cross-hair design from our viewsight (used for based at Beale Air Force base in California. “An email navigation), the U-2 silhouette below the Bremont came out of the blue,” explains Nick. “Alberto had logo, the ejection ring on the second hand and the seen the MBII watch we’d created with Martin-Baker ‘U-’ next to the number two creating ‘U-2’” The and they wanted us to create one that all the pilots in four red crosses and inscription is one such detail the squadron could wear.” that only the U-2 pilots will understand. Watches are a talking point amongst aircrew but Alberto’s favourite feature though is the Superwith so many wearing the same popular makes, LumiNova ‘U’ next to the number two. Alberto wanted something special. Nick says, “They “It glows blue in the dark,” he says. wanted a quality watch that screamed out the loudest. But it’s not just the looks that are important. This For us it was a huge privilege to make it for them.” watch will be worn on the outside of the spacesuit The finished watch, called the ‘Squadron U-2’, is (using Bremont’s NATO-style, nylon strap) and must very special to the U-2 community. “We are a very be capable of working in a low pressure small, tight-knit group and this watch is unlike any environment at altitude. There is already a digital The Bremont Squadron U-2 watch. Can other,” says Alberto. “It represents everything we are clock in the U2 cockpit but this would blank out you spot the unique detailing? about: quality and excellence. This is something I think with an electrical failure. “Also, if we eject we have
The U-2 pilots of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing now all wear a limited edition watch made by Bremont - tested to survive conditions at 100,000ft
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PilotPlus July 2010 | 97
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U2 pilot
Interview
ALBERTO CRUZ Q A
nothing to tell time unless we carry a watch,” says Alberto. Nick describes how the watch behaves at high altitude. “The opposite effect happens to diving,” he says. “So our Supermarine model, when we took under water to 1500 metres the pressure caused the back case to buckle inwards slightly. At altitude it works the other way round, so the case bends out, but we tested the Squadron U-2 in an altitude chamber up to 100,000ft and to minus 40 degrees Celsius. The watch came out all frosted up yet was still working. Other companies can’t even buy that level of testing.” Bremont knows that most people who buy luxury timepieces may never push it to that limit but it’s the ‘knowing’ that it has that ability which is the attraction. “Some other watch companies say their models can withstand certain extremes and will replace any that doesn’t. They accept that some may break,” says Nick. “But our philosophy is that we don’t want any returns at all.” The watches’ ability to perform is critical for Alberto and his pilots though. “We operate above 70,000ft but our cockpit can only pressurised to about 29,000ft. Even though we breathe 100% oxygen our bodies are essentially at the pressure equivalent of Mt. Everest (actually higher) for 10 hours straight while constricted in a space suit. The physiological effect on the body, which sometimes involves decompression sickness, makes us very tired at the end of a long mission.” With the final design passed by Alberto and his men, the A U2 pilot’s view down the wingtip during a turn at squadron is due to take delivery 70,000ft over the Sierra Nevada. of the first 25 watches this month. They’ll be handed over in a formal presentation before they start wearing them on operations. With such long mission times I asked Alberto if he ever ends up clockwatching and wishing the time would pass faster. “It depends!” he says. “If we are transiting across oceans to get from point A to point B then yes. However, if we are supporting soldiers and marines on the ground then the answer is no. Time goes by quickly when you are involved in combat operations.” The Squadron U2 watch will be limited to just U2 pilots but a standard ‘Bremont U2’ watch can be bought by anyone for £3,100. See more at www.bremont.com ■
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Tell us some of your best memories from flying U-2s?
“My top memory was the sortie I flew directly over Baghdad days before Operation Iraqi Freedom kicked off. This flight was in support of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. We had two previous flights that safely manoeuvred around Saddam Hussein’s surface-to-air missiles. On my mission we elected to fly directly over Baghdad which was at the time regarded as one of the most heavily defended cities in the world. A further stipulation by the Iraqi government was that no fighter escort would be allowed. This mission was reminiscent of the original days of the U-2: Alone, Unarmed and Unafraid. The second one was my first combat mission. This was a memorable mission for good and bad reasons. The good reason was the sense of honour and pride I had participating in something that was potentially saving ground troops’ lives. The bad reason was flying through a thunderstorm on my return to back to base.”
Q
Can you describe some of the unique sights of the earth that you have seen as a U-2 pilot?
A
“The first time I saw what astronauts call a ‘terminator’ is one of my best memories. This is the line around our planet where day turns into night or night turns into day. I was truly unprepared by what I saw. I had heard about it during my U-2 training but I did not pay much attention to the discussion because frankly it has nothing to do with flying the aircraft. The first terminator I saw was strange because, unlike astronauts, the line is not as clearly defined at 70,000ft as it is in outer space. Nevertheless, there was a big, hazy line slowly moving across the sky that eventually flew past me turning day into night. I was once given the opportunity to see an even more rare occurrence in the U-2. That is two see two terminators by taking off just before sunrise and landing just after sunset. As you have guessed it, that sortie was scheduled to be 12 hours. Unfortunately a small maintenance issue delayed my takeoff by 30 minutes which was enough time to miss the first terminator.”