IP
Instructor Pilot(s)
IPIR
Initial Photographic Interpretation Report
JCS
Joint Chiefs of Staff
JEBU
Jet Engine Build-up
LOP
Line of Position
LSO
Landing Safety Officer
MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MRBM
Medium Range Ballistic Missile(s)
NCOIC
Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge
NEPHO
Aerial Photographic and Electronic Sensor Maintenance
NORAD
North American Defense Command
NPIC
National Photographic Interpretation Center
NSA
National Security Agency NVM/NVN North Vietnam
OIC
Officer in Charge
OJT
On-the-Job Training
OL
Operating Location
OMS
Operational Maintenance Squadron
PE
Personal Equipment
PI
Photo Interpretation
PIF
Pilot's Information File
PLA
People's Liberation Army (Communist China)
PMEL
Precision Measurment Equipment Laboratory
PPC
Photographic Processing Center
PSD
Physiological Support Division
QD
Oxygen Quick Disconnect
R&R
Rest and Relaxation
RAF
Royal Air Force
RAW
Radar Warning
RIF
Reduction in Force
ROCAF
Republic of China Air Force(Taiwan)
RPV
Remotely Piloted Vehicles
RS
Reconnaissance Squadron
RTG
Reconnaissance Technical Group
RTS
Reconnaissance Technical Squadron
SAC
Strategic Air Command
SAM
Surface to Air Missile
SARPF
Strategic Air Relocateable Processing Facility
SEA
Southeast Asia
SES
Strategic Evaluation Squadron
SFERICS
Cover name for electronic countermeasure equipment carried in the U2
SFS
Strategic Fighter Squadron
SFW
Strategic Fighter Wing
SIGINT
Signals Intelligence
SPO
Special Projects Office
SRS
Strategic Reconnaissance Squadrons
SUPIR
Supplemental Photographic Interpretation Report
SVN
South Vietnam
TACAN
Tactical Air Navigation System
TDY
Temporary Duty
TFW
Tactical Fighter Wing
TO
Technical Orders
TTI
Tactical Targeting Information
USAFE
United States Air Force Europe
USN
US Navy
VC
Vietcong, North Vietnamese
VHF
Very High Frequency
VNAF
Vietnamese Air Force(South Vietnam)
VOR
VHF Omnidirectional Radio Range(a radio navigation system)
Preface
J
ust a word or two about what this book is and what it isn't. It is a compilation of contributed memories by some of those who lived through and participated in the Dragon Lady U-2 Program. Some of the memories here are recorded for posterity by those who have taken their “last flight.” Many times there are conflicts between the memories in this book and the various histories written by the historians of the CIA, Air Force, Strategic Air Command and others.
We all remember the disparity demonstrated in the kindergarten game when something is whispered into the ear of a person and they whisper the same to the next person and so on until the last person who speaks the phrase aloud. The first person tells everyone the original phrase and we all laughed at how different the phrases were.
As with that kindergarten game, you will find some of these memories in conflict with one another. The idea that caused this book to be compiled was to record for our children and grandchildren the memories of our participation in this historic program initiated by President Eisenhower during the height of the Cold War. Whenever we who lived it get together, we and our spouses regale each other with our memories of those early days of the U-2 Program and frequently the phrase is heard, “I can't believe we did that!”
The Dragon Lady Program was super secret in its early years. Once when my dad asked me what I was flying at the time, I only replied, “The U-2.” He gave me a look only a dad can give and stated emphatically, “You are not going to tell me, are you?” So, you will find humor, comradeship, love, anguish and apprehension all seasoned with a little bit of fear.
Happy reading to you because this program was and is all American, for America, and as such, you were part of it even if you didn't know about it.
Jerry
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Gerald E. (Jerry) McIlmoyle
Acknowledgements
T
hroughout this project, we have had the cooperation and support of all the men who told their stories. The stories have been funny, serious and some, downright scary. We wish to thank Glenn Chapman, Bob Ingram, Tony Bevacqua, and Buddy Brown for contributing significantly their time and knowledge of the Dragon Lady's complexities and features. Thanks, guys, for your encouragement and your memories of the old days.
We would also like to thank Nancy Ryan Keeling for her continuing support and editing assistance, Gordon Rottman, and Stan Marshall for their valuable critiques.
We are grateful to all those who felt as we did, that it was time to tell the story from the perspective of those who lived it.
And thanks to Patty McIlmoyle and Bill Bromley for supporting us each day.
Jerry and Linda
From Idea to Reality
“Man's mind once stretched by a new idea, regains its original dimensions.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes
A Temporary Unit was Born
4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing
The 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was organized May 1, 1956 at Turner AFB, Georgia, and assigned to the 40th Air Division of the Strategic Air Command. Operational squadrons assigned to the Wing when it was organized were the 4025th, 4028th and 4029th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadrons (SRS). On April 1, 1957, the Wing was reassigned directly to Second Air Force and relocated to Laughlin AFB, Texas. The 4029th SRS and the 4025th SRS were discontinued on January 1, 1960 and June 15, 1960, respectively. The 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing relocated to Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona on July 1, 1963, and was reassigned to the 12th Strategic Aerospace Division. The 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was retired on June 25, 1966, ten years and one month after it was organized. Aircraft and personnel were reassigned to the 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, a unit with a rich history dating to World War II, which was already established at Davis Monthan AFB.
A New Dimension: Development of the U-2 Program
The U-2 project was initiated in the early l950s with President Eisenhower's request for more accurate espionage information on the Soviet Union. In l951 modified bombers began overflights of the Soviet Union, but existing aircraft were vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire and a number of border flights were shot down. At that time the planners imagined a high altitude aircraft hard to detect and impossible to shoot down.
The Lockheed Corporation was awarded the contract with an unlimited
budget and a short deadline. The CL-282 AQUATONE was designed as the development name, but the official title took a bit more consideration. The new plane could not be identified with a “B” for bomber nor an “F” for fighter; its purpose did not fit either of those categories. The Air Force decided to call it a utility plane, and the distinctive name was the U-2.
Lockheed received approval for their design on December 9, 1954. The company's Skunk Works, headed by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, began a grueling pace to meet the deadline. Under a heavy veil of secrecy, Kelly and only 81 people, including 25 engineers, began work on the approved design. The project was so secret that the government's first check was made out to Kelly personally and mailed to his home address.
Pratt and Whitney produced an engine that would perform at an altitude of 70,000 feet and higher. The cockpit was somewhat pressurized to enable pilots to fly for up to ten hours without full pressure suits. Pilots were custom fitted with partial pressure suits to protect them in the event of aircraft pressure loss.
One of the most radical parts of the aircraft's design was the bicycle gear system. The reason for the bicycle landing gear concept was simple: weight reduction. Approximately 2,000 feet of maximum altitude was gained over the more conventional landing gear.
Kelly Johnson, head of Lockheed's Skunk Works, stands beside U-2 N803X. Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin Co.
However, using one main gear plus a tail wheel for ground handling, Kelly Johnson accepted the fact that landings would be challenging. At that time he only expected to build a few U-2s that would have a short program life.
Outriggers, nicknamed pogos, held the wings level for takeoff and landing. When the U-2 was on takeoff roll, the pogos fell onto the runway from their sockets in the wing. The pogos would be reinstalled after the aircraft landed. The final design was a masterful blend of innovative technology—the successful matching of airframe, sensors adapted for high altitudes, pilot physiological support equipment and a finely turned engine.
Test Pilot Tony LeVier flew the first flight on August 1, 1955 after eight months of production. It was a record-breaking result from contract award to rollout of a new project. Another remarkable aspect of the project was that Lockheed refunded $2 million to the US government making the total cost of each aircraft only $1 million.
An amazing group of dedicated and innovative contractors came together to support the project, such as the David Clark Company of Worcester, Massachusetts, designers and manufacturers of the partial pressure suits worn by the U-2 pilots and future astronauts. The Hycon Company developed the camera for the U-2 making it legendary for the quality of photography produced.
Flying the aircraft was not for the faint of heart; in fact, it was considered one of the most challenging aircraft in the inventory to fly and required a high degree of skill and ability from its pilots. The difficulty experienced by seasoned pilots who flew the U-2 resulted in it being nicknamed “Dragon Lady” meaning the aircraft was extremely unforgiving.
In addition to its uses for military purposes, the U-2 has provided earth resource monitoring, drug trafficking surveillance and national disaster monitoring. NASA routinely performs atmospheric moisture mapping to aid in weather systems modeling. Missions have been flown to both poles from Sweden and New Zealand to measure ozone depletion.
More recently the U-2 has been tasked to perform in peacetime. On September 1, 2005 the Dragon Lady departed Beale AFB, California, to collect imagery of Hurricane Katrina's destruction of the US Gulf Coast for the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief efforts. The optical bar camera, or film based imagery equipment that performed so well during the Cuban Missile Crisis, was considered ideal for photographing large areas with very high resolution. The six-hour flight collected imagery over a 90,000 square mile area.
A Tribute to Our Leader
“You do not lead by hitting people over the head – that's assault, not leadership.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
In Memory of Our Leader
Brigadier General John A. Desportes (deceased January 14, 2001) Widow – Peggy
Throughout this book, many of the stories have made references to the memorable commander of the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Brigadier General John A. DesPortes. When first assigned to the 4080th SRW, he was a Colonel, but before his tour was up, he was promoted to Brigadier General.
No matter the rank, he was a great leader and respected by officers and enlisted men alike for his professionalism. General DesPortes knew many of the 4080th SRW support staff by name and never failed to acknowledge them when he visited the flight line. Personal visits by General DesPortes to the homes of 4080th SRW pilots signaled a critical situation about to unfold. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, DesPortes maintained a vigilant watch as his pilots were sent over hostile territory and all but one returned. General DesPortes took a personal interest in his troops’ welfare and they returned the kindness with their respect and dedication.
Brigadier General John A. DesPortes. Photo courtesy of Laughlin Heritage Foundation.
The Chosen Few
“We live in freedom because every generation has produced patriots willing to serve a cause greater than themselves.”
George W. Bush
The Chosen Few Dragon Lady Pilots
The 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and subsequently the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing “Dragon Lady” pilots played a major role in the overall security of this nation and the free world. They accumulated an enviable record unequalled by any earlier organizations. Dragon Lady pilots were the first to fly and cruise above 70,000 feet; they were the first to fly with a pressure suit; and they were the first to gather intelligence information in many of the world's hot spots. President John F. Kennedy's appraisal of the 4080th SRW's participation in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis recognized the Wing “contributed as much to the security of the United States as any unit in our history and any group of men in our country.” President Kennedy's remarks were directed to all the men and women of the 4080th.
I Want to be a Pilot
When I grow up, I want to be a pilot because it's a fun job and easy to do. That's why there are so many pilots flying around these days. Pilots don't need much school, they just have to learn to read numbers so that they can read instruments. I guess they should be able to read road maps too, so they can find their way home if they get lost.
Pilots should be brave so they won't get scared if it's foggy and they can't see, or if a wing or motor falls off, they should stay calm so they'll know what to do. Pilots have to have good eyes to see through clouds and they can't be afraid of lightning or thunder because they are much closer to them than we are.
The salary pilots make is another thing I like. They make more money than they know what to do with. This is because most people think that plane flying is dangerous except pilots don't because they know how easy it is. I hope I don't get airsick because I get carsick and if I get airsick, I couldn't be a pilot and then I would have to go to work.
Authored by an 11-year old
The Chosen Few Dragon Lady Pilots
These are listed in chronological order, by date of certification.
1955
Tony Levier
Bob Matey
Bob Sieker
J. Ray Goudey
Bob Schumacher
Pete Everst
Lewis Garvin
Hank Meirdierck
Robert Mullin
Lewis Setter
Bill Yancey
1956
Howard Carey
Glendon Dunnaway
Martin Knutson
Jacob Kratt
Carl Overstreet
Wilber Rose
Hervie Stockman
Jim Allison
Tom Birkhead
Jim Cherbonneaux
Buster Edens
Bill Hall
Dan McMurry
Frank Powers
Sam Snyder
Frank Strickland
Barry Baker
Jim Barnes
Tom Crull
Bob Ericson
Frank Grace
Russ Kemp
Albert Rand
Lyle Rudd
Al Smiley
Carmine Vito
E. K. Jones
John Shinn
Jim Abramson
Jack D. Nole
Joe M. Jackson
Floyd Herbert
Richard K. Nevett
Howard E. Cody
1957
Richard A. Atkins Jr.
Warren J. Boyd
Raymond L. Haupt
Joe R. King
Richard S. Heyser
Michael E. Styer
Lloyd R. Leavitt Jr.
Benedict A. Lacombe
William L. Alison
Anthony P. Bevacqua
Jack M. Graves
Edwin G. Emerling
Richard E. McGraw
John A. Campbell
Kenneth W. Alderman
Leo E. Smith
Ford E. Lowcock
Remembering the Dragon Lady: The U-2 Spy Plane: Memoirs of the Men Who Made the Legend Page 3
