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Since the U-2 first entered operational service, only 1,000 pilots have qualified to fly the Dragon Lady, including Lt Col Eadie. In fact, #1,000 just passed his final check ride about two weeks ago. He was part of a very proud and elite group of aviators.

There are lots of challenges in flying the U-2. As many know, the aircraft’s optimum cruise speed is less than 20 kts above stall. Much of the mission is flown on autopilot, but when pilot is on the controls, there is little margin for error. “Some days,” one pilot said, “you’re just trying to hang while she tries to kill you.”

And, you’re flying in a pressure suit, breathing 100% pure oxygen. The pilots suit up well in advance and go on 100% O2 an hour before they go the jet. Then, they’re strapped into a small cockpit before launching on missions that typically last 10 hours.

After that many hours in the air, the pilots come back tired, hungry and facing one of their greatest challenges: getting the U-2 back on the ground. With their pressure suit, peripheral vision is limited and the jet’s design further limits downward visibility. So, as they come in for a landing, another U-2 pilot follows them down the runway in a chase car, calling out their altitude so the flare can be properly timed and the plane lands as gently as possible.

One more thought: the Captain with Lt Col Eadie was applying for a U-2 slot; the orientation flight was part of the screening process. While the Captain was an experienced aviator, his knowledge of the U-2 was obviously limited. So after Eadie fought to control the aircraft, he then had to put it into a position for their ejection. His actions undoubtedly saved the life of the other pilot.

It takes a special human being to fly the U-2. Lt Col Eadie was one of them.

A couple of personal anecdotes. During my tour in Korea, I got a tour of the U-2 intel support element, located (as I recall) in the Hardened Tactical Air Control Center (HTACC). On the monitors, you could see the live feed from the radar sensors, if the jet was carrying them that day. They also had an impressive collection of images from the electro-optical camera that was part of the sensor package. All the sensors were controlled from the ground; they normally checked “focus” by pointing them at the monstrous skyscraper built by the Kims in downtown Pyongyang.

As my guide led me through the facility, he explained the job of each member of the intel team. I noticed one young airman who was also on headset, but apparently looking at a paperback. “She’s the reader,” I was told. “The plane’s on autopilot and there’s not much for the pilot to do (for much of the mission). So, many of the pilots would drop off a book at the HTACC, which would be “read” to them during the mission, to help fight off boredom.

Later, as a crew dog (EC-130s), I would occasionally communicate with one of the first female U-2 pilots during missions over the Balkans. Never learned her name, but she had one of the most memorable voices I have ever heard.