Landing the U2

[Bladders1960]

Hey, excellent footage of an Australian muscle car - Pontiac GTO is not just rebadged Monaro, Holden put more rake on the windscreen and reduced the roof height - changed the exhaust, different grill, left hand drive for the Southpaws, etc..... then put them on a ship for Good'Ol USA

[bradkrit]

What could be more "american road movie" than chasing a U2 in a muscle car?

[oogiemaster]

Wouldn't it be easier to jus put a small camera on the back?

[leekimlanuza]

lol this aint the worlds highest flying plane ...its the SR-71 blackbird

[nkp7071]

@leekimlanuza The SR-71 USED to be the highest flying plane, but it has been retired from service for years. Thus, the U2 is the current highest flying airplane.

[leekimlanuza]

@nkp7071 don't say " USED to be " the because the nothing has broken its record yet it maybe retired but its high speed and altitude record still lives on to this day

[streetracer208]

what episode of top gear was this?

[danielitro1]

@streetracer208 is not from Top Gear. It's called May on the Moon (or something like that).

[HellzNord]

why would you design a plan with such ridiculous landing gear setup?

[TheZackb07]

@HellzNord Weight.

[hgrgic]

@HellzNord Too little space left after the other primary goals of the design were met, I guess...

[adguerra9]

What film is this from?

[thewelderguy2008]

that has got be an awesome job being the chase car driver, i was expecting to see tyre drift marks on the runway

[thewelderguy2008]

shows the us air forces trust in american cars if there using an australian built pontiac

[Flyboy207]

@thewelderguy2008 There was that black Camaro too.

[Flyboy207]

Best video ever. Planes, Cars, James May, and Led Zeppelin.

[nelaHnaVeiddE]

@Flyboy207 Agreed, all make each thing that much better.

[czolgerlone]

anybody knows the music from 1:03 ?

[Zzimon93]

@czolgerlone Yeah, Led Zeppelin - Kashmir :)

[czolgerlone]

@Zzimon93 thaaanks :D

[DoxtrZel90]

а что за песня играет с 3:10 , никто незнает ? Name of song ? )

[Yoderdjon]

@DoxtrZel90 Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks

[gagarinsson]

Ахуеть=)

[huskyjerk]

The U2 still in use today? What kinds of missions?

[Matthew2420]

I Like It When The Douglas Dc Got In It

[Orangebike666]

I can always tell a top gear film crew by the way they film some things... its just distinct.

[TeamBlackster]

I don't get why they'd keep the U-2 and ditch the SR-71. I guess we're not in as much of a hurry these days

[GunBroker100]

@TeamBlackster There were a few reasons. Satellites do most of the reconnaissance the SR-71 did. Camera advances make it possible for the U-2 to also do the work formally done by the Blackbird. And the U-2 operates at much less expense per mission than the Blackbirds. The SR-71 will retain it's records for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, time marches on and the SR-71 has had it's run. Pity, they are something to behold taking off.

[TeamBlackster]

@GunBroker100 yeah those are some good points

[DARKlilution]

0:58 It should be here any second... now.(Epic music and aircraft comes)

[dusteboy]

I would pay to do this. Fucking Awesome!!!!

[IndigoHerts]

Anybody noticed how all the videos of U2's landing at RAF bases, presumably with British pilots, are down much faster than the USAF ones? ;)

[crookhunter]

@IndigoHerts , British pilots didn't fly them . The USAF has TR1's at Royal Air Force Station Alconbury, England . This is at Beale AFB in California..

[IndigoHerts]

@crookhunter Yeah i noticed that just after i commented :/ I feel stupid now haha, well all the USAFE pilots flying abroad just seemed to touch down faster x

[hogsandhercs]

@crookhunter Correction. In the 1950s and 60s a select few RAF pilots were trained to fly the U-2. They flew along with of the CIA U-2 pilot. ROCAF pilots also flew the U-2 up until the early 70s. Once the CIA program shut down in 1974 it was just the Air Force U-2 pilots. Another note is CIA pilots never used a "mobile" pilot to talk the U-2 down. It was only an Air Force thing. Because the Air Force pilots can change airframes more frequently.

[WickedSickBawstin]

@IndigoHerts they are actually American pilots stationed at RAF bases, my boyfriends home base is Beale AFB(in this video) but hes overseas at the moment on a RAF base, theres an entire crew of Americans that fly and maintain the U2s overseas.. :p its actually pilots that drive the chase cars as well

[IndigoHerts]

@WickedSickBawstin Yeah the United States Air Force in Europe right? And that's pretty cool and yeah i knew that. It's an amazing job. Much respect to your boyfriend :) x

[WickedSickBawstin]

@IndigoHerts thank you :)

[Stover36]

When the Levee breaks made this video even more awesome :)

[oisiaa]

I love how they hand launch it at 2:44.

[legomaster335]

whats the song when they are chasing it?

[DaAceThree4]

anybody know the second song?

[snakesocks]

@DaAceThree4

If you mean the song that starts at 2:44 then it's "When the Levee breaks" by Led Zeppelin.

[allaboutconor]

what is the music to this?

[markpetersonii]

Vauxhall Monaro

Holden Monaro

Pontiac GTO

All the same; except I own the American one.

Love the vid though, Top Gear is awesome! 

[SWMoneyMaker]

1:05 is just perfect man.just perfect

[legomaster335]

1:00 is just perfect man.just perfect

[YuppieGearhead]

BADASS.

Funny thing is the GTO is just a badge engineered Monaro, and May, Hammond, and Clarkson all loved the Monaro on Top Gear.

[AquaLoki]

@YuppieGearhead And a monaro is just a rebadged Holden V8 cars from Australia.

[YuppieGearhead]

@AquaLoki

Yeah, the Holden Monaro. GM didn't even bother changing the name.

[bulletburposmiley]

@YuppieGearhead True, I wished they would have just called it a Pontiac Monaro, and saved the GTO badge for something else.