Eye in the sky: dedicated IMAs help keep Dragon Lady flying high

Over the past several months, the U-2 Dragon Lady, the Air Force's only high-altitude surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, has been in the news for flying sorties over Iraq, collecting important intelligence information first for U.N. weapons inspectors and then for the war.

The active duty owns, operates and maintains on a daily basis the 34 U-2s in the inventory, but that doesn't mean Air Force Reserve Command is in the "black" for this once top-secret program. In fact, two individual mobilization augmentees are involved in providing direct support to the program during depot level repair and testing of new equipment at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, Calif.

Col. Rob Rowe, IMA to Col. David Walker, 412th Operations Group commander, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., is one of two Lockheed Martin test pilots at the plant. Lockheed Martin built the aircraft. The other reservist involved in the program is Maj. Bruce Ellis, IMA to Lt. Col. Nils Larson, Plant 42 commander.

Rowe is the first pilot to fly a U-2 after it goes through depot-level repair. He has worked at Lockheed for the last nine years after serving 13 years as a, active duty pilot, accumulating more than 6,000 hours as a test pilot on various airframes including 3,000 hours in the U-2.

Ellis, an American Airlines pilot, served on active duty for 14 years, accumulating more than 1,110 hours in the U-2. Because he no longer maintains his proficiency as a pilot, his job is to drive the chase car during take-offs and landings to assist the pilot, who has limiited visibility from the cockpit.

Their active-duty flying experience and corporate knowledge combine to make Rowe and Ellis invaluable resources for helping Plant 42 accomplish its mission, Larson said.

"Rob is a very talented test pilot," Larson said. "It is no surprise Lockheed hired him for this job. He is an incredible value to the operations side of the house due to missions as both a test pilot and operational flyer. Being a colonel in the Reserve, he also sees where (the Air Force) comes from ,Js the customer and can explain certain things to both Lockheed and the Air Force to accomplish our goals.

"With the U-2 being a low density, high-demand asset, there is always a problem with manning. Bruce is able to commit a decent amount of time toward the mission and is flexible to help when needed. During our busy times, when half the people are out of the office, he comes in to be the supervisor of flying and picks up additional duties for other members of the unit."

Ellis is acutely aware of his unique position and is trying to pave the way for future Reserve involvement in the program.

"This is a great job opportunity, and hopefully my involvement will blaze the way to get Reserve pilots into the cockpit of the Dragon Lady," he said.

Ellis arrived at Plant 42 in the spring of 1998 while on active duty and has been an IMA since 2000. He admits to going through an adjustment period after leaving the U-2 cockpit but knows the decision was the best for not only him but also his family. His civilian job requires him to be away from home an average of 14 days a month. To maintain his proficiency as a U-2 pilot, he would have to spend more than his usual four days a month at the plant.

Even with the U-2 being in for depot repair or testing new equipment, the typical mission lasts from six to eight hours. For Ellis, that means a normal day consists of a launch or recovery either in the early morning or late night depending on when the flight originates. He spends the time in between reading flying operations files, airfield restrictions and safety instructions. As the mobile, it is also Ellis' responsibility to sit in on mission briefings and to perform the pre- and post-flight inspection on the Dragon Lady.

Ellis said pilots put a lot of trust into the hands of the mobile.

"With only live pilots assigned here and being a former pilot myself, there is a great deal of trust and respect that we have for each other," he said. "We are all trained to the same standards. I provide input from a pilot's perspective, but it is still up to the pilot to make the decision to go or not go."

The decision to take off after the U-2 has just undergone depot-level repairs falls upon Rowe and another former Air Force pilot, Eric Hansen. Rowe said he and Hansen do not have any safety concerns about the first flight because they have a lot of confidence in the Lockheed and Air Force maintenance technicians to make sure the aircraft is within technical specifications before the flight.

In addition to flying aircraft after undergoing maintenance, Rowe performs missions to test and monitor new multi-sensor photo, electro-optic, infrared and radar imagery collecting equipment as well as intelligence data equipment that Lockheed and other manufacturers have developed for the Air Force.

"The U-2 has been in the fight for a long time," said Rowe of the aircraft that was first produced in August 1955. "There is a real good feeling when you're part of something new and improved for the end user (the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale AFB, Calif.)."

Rowe said the Lockheed engineers and Air Force program managers enjoy an excellent working relationship. He is able to use his active duty experience and Reserve position to help maintain that strong bond. However, he is quick to point out that when something comes up involving Lockheed while he is on military duty at Edwards, he stays out of it so there is no potential conflict of interest.

The U-2 program has been in existence since the 1950s because of a high-quality product, a good relationship between Lockheed and the Air Force, and well-trained and experienced people. With the dedicated service of people like Rowe and Ellis, the program will flourish for years to come.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Air Force Reserves
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group