Hey all!I just had one quick question: why does the U-2 Dragon Lady have a yoke? From what I've read, to keep the plane level at FL700 you only need small, light control inputs. The SR-71 flew higher and faster, and it had a stick! is there a particular reason they chose a yoke? Aesthetics? Ease of maintenance? Is it because yokes provide a large control surface travel for fine control inputs?

The two planes were designed at different times, maybe just a change in customs?You see more non-fighter planes with a stick in later times. (C-17, B-1)

I read that the U-2 needs very heavy control inputs in the lower atmosphere, so I think that would be part of the reason for putting a yoke there (easier to muscle the controls into position with two hands). On that tangent, why wasn't the U-2 built with hydraulically boosted controls? Was that measure to save weight? If the U-2 was indeed built with boosted controls, the pilots could have just turned on the control boosters during takeoff and landing, and shut off the control surface hydraulics once at altitude. Is there any reason that the U-2 was built so light and flies so high? Because, I'm no tactician, but I would guess that in today's battlefield, flying at 70,000 feet seems a bit overkill in terms of restrictions on the airframe and demands on the pilot.

I read that the U-2 needs very heavy control inputs in the lower atmosphere, so I think that would be part of the reason for putting a yoke there (easier to muscle the controls into position with two hands). On that tangent, why wasn't the U-2 built with hydraulically boosted controls? Was that measure to save weight? If the U-2 was indeed built with boosted controls, the pilots could have just turned on the control boosters during takeoff and landing, and shut off the control surface hydraulics once at altitude. Is there any reason that the U-2 was built so light and flies so high? Because, I'm no tactician, but I would guess that in today's battlefield, flying at 70,000 feet seems a bit overkill in terms of restrictions on the airframe and demands on the pilot.

I have the impression the high altitude was intended to avoid antiaircraft defenses and fighter intercepts while conducting photo reconnaissance flights over soviet teritory. Eventualy soviet missile technology advanced enough to meet that challenge, thus the Gary Powers incident.

So was the hydraulic system deleted to save weight?

I have the impression the high altitude was intended to avoid antiaircraft defenses and fighter intercepts while conducting photo reconnaissance flights over soviet teritory. Eventualy soviet missile technology advanced enough to meet that challenge, thus the Gary Powers incident.