Jump to content

Francis Gary Powers' U-2 scheme?


Recommended Posts

Just as Ken the „Flankerman” has shown before Powers U-2 was blue-grey. Here is a close up that I took of the surface. It is NOT BLACK!!!

 

YZXLpa7.jpg

 

Here in Europe it is not easy to get close and intimate to a U-2 but it is funny that the actual Powers jet is there for everyone to see real close! A big pile of parts is displayed in its original, un-altered state in Moscow in the Central Museum of the Red Army. In the Monino museum one of the air brakes was also on show and there are some other bits and pieces in other places. Unfortunately the vertical tale is not on show so it is not possible to confirm markings on it. But you never know. Parts of the jet were kept and researched in detail, so it is possible that some more parts or photos will surface which can clear some points.

 

yGaEo8P.jpg

 

djQYXpZ.jpg

 

In the Moscow museum it is fairly easy to actually measure (one should not touch the exhibits, but . . .)  the intake (if someone wants to put and end to this long standing question)  as both of them are there together with a wing tank and other fuselage parts. What was most interesting for me, was the ejection seat, bruised and battered but it is the original metal!!!!!! I took the opportunity to measure that one!

 

 

 

Actually exactly same blue-grey colour was visible on the wing of a U-2 shoot down over Cuba. It was exhibited in Havana in the Cuban Air Force museum. Unfortunately it closed about a decade ago as it was situated in a wealthy part of the city and the area was needed for building new houses. All the exhibits were taken to a base outside the city but there is no longer access to them (if they still exist).

 

9wjBZEH.jpg

 

GwCQFqE.jpg

 

Best regards

Gabor

Link to post
Share on other sites

How Interesting!!!! I dso appreciate all the pictures you show us here. Lucky those who can travel to Moscow and be so near the parts of Powers' U-2. 

Yes,. it was definitively dark blue not black. And do you know about the top bulge of the fuselage? Powers' U2 had it?

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
18 minutes ago, Edubarca said:

Thanks  lot!!!! By the way, the Powers' U2 has the big long top bulge in the fuselage as the newer Testor kit has?  

According to Pocock, Power's U-2 did NOT have the dorsal hump.

Link to post
Share on other sites
18 minutes ago, Edubarca said:

How Interesting!!!! I dso appreciate all the pictures you show us here. Lucky those who can travel to Moscow and be so near the parts of Powers' U-2. 

Yes,. it was definitively dark blue not black. And do you know about the top bulge of the fuselage? Powers' U2 had it?

 

Have no idea. I can go only based on what I have seen and it is a pile of parts. See the photos shared by Ken on previous page. That is what you see there!

It is possible to identify them, well some of them but it is a fairly small room in the museum and of course not all the parts are shown. This is why I have said that it is possible that somewhere in the future more will be shown if the parts are still available. Shooting down the Powers U-2 was a very big thing for the Russians so they kept the parts as a reminder, this is why I think that there is lots more of this jet somewhere in a museum warehouse.

 

Best regards

Gabor

Edited by ya-gabor
Link to post
Share on other sites
5 minutes ago, ya-gabor said:

Have no idea. I can go only based on what I have seen and it is a pile of parts. It is possible to identify them, well some of them but it is a fairly small room in the museum and of course not all the parts are shown. This is why I have said that it is possible that somewhere in the future more will be shown if the parts are still available. Shooting down the Powers U-2 was a very big thing for the Russians so they kept the parts as a reminder, this is why I think that there is lots more of this jet somewhere in a museum warehouse.

 

Best regards

Gabor

Thanks Gabor. It seems to me that trying to make a really accurate reproduction of Powers' U-2 is almost impossible. We just have to make them as close to scale as possible. It is a similar situation if one tries to model old time galleons like the Golden Hind or the Santa María. There were DEFINITIVELY no plans made when those ships were constructed so the only available information is from any paintings made when those ships were "alive". 

Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, Edubarca said:

Unfortunately, I don't have the "Lockheed Blackbirds". Is there a way of downloading this? But finally, which would be more accurate for Powers' U-2, straight or bulged ones. Final veredict? 

 

The 'straight' ones, like Jim used on his model. The bulged 'Coke bottle' inlets came later AFAIK.

 

Here are my 1/72 U-2C and U-2A inlets under construction, with the remark that the C-inlet should be even wider (~32" in height and ~20" wide). My C-inlets are also of the 'straight' type.

 

u2-29.jpg

 

Rob

Edited by Rob de Bie
Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, mrvark said:

Here is the artwork for the decals, you'll need to scale it.u-2c-decal.jpg

 

Oohh... Is that the Q-bay hatch for the A-camera?? I have never ever seen a photo of it!

 

I recognise the four antennas from my B-camera Q-bay hatch research, it had exactly the same. From the heart, the circular ones are System VI. Here my current 3D design in 1/72 scale. With my old software it very difficult to 'scribe' the outlines for the four antenna on the hatch. Maybe I will find a way before I have it printed.

 

 

u2-60.jpg

Rob

Link to post
Share on other sites
7 hours ago, mrvark said:

Here's the Q-Bay hatch on the one at the NASM--the gray paint makes the details a bit easier to see.

 

Interesting story:  Years ago Carmine Vito spoke to our local aviation historians group. For those the don't know the name Carmine Vito, he was the U-2 pilot who made the first direct overflight over Moscow.

 

Vito was also the backup pilot for Power's famous mission. These flights were tightly scheduled based on weather over the target, so a backup plane/pilot was always next to the primary, both manned and engines running.   There was a time limit (IIRC 4 hours) after which the primary would stand down and the backup would fly the mission.  On that fateful night Powers was almost at the (4 hr?) limit when the go signal came down and Powers was given the option to stand down.  Powers elected to fly the mission, so Vito taxied back to the hangar. A flip of the coin and Vito could have the one shot down.

 

Vito had a habit of chewing gum while waiting on alert. At some point he spit out the gum and stuck it up under the canopy rail.  Many years later Vito was at the NASM to see the U-2 on display.  He recognized the tail number and asked to see inside the cockpit.  He felt under the canopy rail and, viola - his gum was still there!!!

 

Mr. Vito was kind enough to autograph my copy of Chris Pocock's U-2 book.  🙂

 

.

 

.

Edited by habu2
sspelling
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...