U-2S remains active in Haiti missions Published March 5, 2010 By Wayne Crenshaw 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Maj. Rich Mehl sat in a sports car at the south end of the Robins runway and pointed at a black speck just over the horizon. The speck was a U-2S reconnaissance plane returning from an 8-hour flight over Haiti. After making sure his emergency brake was off and the car was in drive, Mehl was prepared to engage in a unique landing operation to safely bring home the iconic aircraft known as "Dragon Lady." As the plane piloted by Maj. David Tifford approached the runway, Mehl gunned the car to begin the well-orchestrated maneuver. As he zoomed down the runway at about 100 miles an hour, the aircraft flew by and positioned itself in front of the vehicle. Mehl then closed to about 50 feet behind the plane and began calling out numbers. "Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one," he said as the black aircraft touched down. Mehl was telling Tifford the distance between the plane and the runway. That's because the aircraft's unique design makes it difficult for the pilot to gauge that distance. The maneuver involves an incredible amount of trust between the two U-2S pilots. The U-2S team - which includes a third pilot, a doctor, intelligence personnel and about 50 maintainers - are from Beale Air Force Base in Sacramento, Calif. They have relocated to a new site to perform another mission. The images they collected were used by those in charge of the relief effort to determine where to direct aid. The team performed this mission about once every other day. Most of the trips lasted about nine hours. They were at Robins temporarily to fly missions over the Caribbean nation. "The support here at Robins has been absolutely fantastic," Mehl said. "The 116th (Air Control Wing) absolutely catered to our every need. They made us feel at home."