Iconic Aircraft Overflies 48 States In 14 Hour Mission

A Lockheed TU-2S two-seat version of the Dragon Lady from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing out of Beale Air Force Base in Yuba County, California, celebrated the 70th anniversary of the first U-2 flight by flying a maximum range mission on the exact day of the Dragon Lady’s accidental maiden flight on July 31, 1955.

The mission covered 6,000 miles and overflew all 48 contiguous U.S. states during its 14-hour mission. The flight, almost all of which was in the neighborhood of 70,000 feet MSL, broke all endurance records for the aircraft of its class.

Lt. Col. John “JESTER” Mattson, Commander of the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron (RS) said, “This flight is historic, and it is fitting that it was planned and flown by aircrew from the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, America’s longest-serving flying unit.

“The character of war is changing, but our extreme ownership of our mission to build aircrew ready to exploit and dominate the electromagnetic spectrum and win, will never change. We continue to hone our combat competencies showcasing Beale’s capacity as a power projection platform to rapidly respond to adversary actions anywhere in the world.”

The pilots selected for the flight, who hold the most number of U-2 flight hours, were Cory “ULTRALORD” Bartholemew, 1st RS assigned flight safety officer and U-2 instructor pilot, and Lt. Col. “JETHRO” 1st RS instructor pilot and U-2 chief pilot. This flight thus had the most U-2 flight experience ever combined in a single U-2 cockpit.

A release from the Wing stated, “The flight itself maxed out the operational range of the U-2 and placed the pilots at the edge of their physiological limit.”

“ULTRALORD” commented, “11 years ago, I realized just how far we could hypothetically fly the U-2 if we really wanted to push its limits to see just what it could do. Now that were on the 70th anniversary of the U-2, 70 years at 70,000 feet, it seemed right to demonstrate the true capability of this aircraft.”

The Air Force plans to start retiring the U-2 fleet in FY 2026, which begins in October 2025.

FMI:  www.beale.af.mil/