Even better, share a meal and some time talking to a PLS who actually flew the plane over Cuba during the missile crisis. If you ever get the chance, buy Jerry* a nice meal and prepare to learn.
Jerry Davis, NCPLS and a heck of a nice guy.
Larry P
:good:
and talk VW Rabbits also.
I recently finished reading"THE BLACK WATCH" the men who fly America's secret spy planes, written by Ernest K. Gann ISBN 0-394-57507-5. I would like to meet Jerry also!
Grant
Need to correct a little part of the Post Larry P. made. I didn't fly over Cuba during the Cuban stand off in 1962. I was standing nuke alert in the B-47 at Moron Air Base, Spain during that time.
My Cuban overflights were made in the summer of 1965. We operated out of Barksdale AFB, La. When I did my overflights they were just making sure nothing new would sprout up.
Most of my U-2 flights were in Vietnam, flew those missions out of a base about 15 miles northeast of of Siagon. I had 34 missions from that base in three different temporary duty tours in Vietnam, during the fall of 1965 and early 1966, summer of 1966 and fall of 1966 to early 1967. It was a good bird and still is. The version I flew was the same that Powers flew. The one operating today is a lot more plane.
All the older versions are gone or in museums. The one in the downtown museum at Washington, DC had a tail number of 680, I have flown that bird. One in the museum between Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska was the bird that I made my last U-2 flight. That museum also has a RF-4C bird, I flew that machine while a member of the Air National Guard at Lincoln, Nebraska. Must be getting old to see airplanes in museums that I have flown. Mid June I attended a RF-4C driver re-union of the Air Guard at Lincoln, we had the re-union at the Museum, they took the RF-4C and placed it where we had our meal, opened it up and allowed us to sit in it and play memory. Also got to see the U-2 they have hanging from the ceiling in one of their display areas. While there met and chatted and had lunch with Jerry Penry again. There is one very interesting person.
Jerry M.
PS: Yes I still have the VW Rabbit Diesel. I now have a Jetta Diesel that I drive on long trips. The Rabbit still putters along rather nicely, it's a 1981.
Here's lnk to an article...
that was in FLYING MAGAZINE a couple years ago:
http://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-reports/jets/dragon-hearts
The U2 is one of the more difficult planes to fly that ever has been and the flight enevelope at altitude is very small and sensative.
We had an Architect at my former job who was a B-47 pilot, a beautiful airplane.
Cool video Jim.
The Brit passenger in the U2 is none other than James May from the BBC show "Top Gear".
