‘Tony LeVier [the test pilot who flew the first flight of the U-2] was sitting at Bob Gilliland’s bar when we arrived. The story of how the U-2 was named came up,’ Colonel Richard “Butch” Sheffield, SR-71 Blackbird RSO
From the beginning, the US Air Force (USAF) and the CIA co-managed U-2 development, testing, and missions. Nonetheless, the CIA employed civilians working for the agency as pilots for overflights over the USSR. Fighter pilots in the USAF Reserve voluntarily left the service to work for the CIA because President Dwight D. Eisenhower thought that sending military pilots over the USSR would be interpreted as an act of war. They were Lockheed test pilots, officially speaking.
On July 4, 1956, the first U-2 mission over the USSR took place, and the aircraft returned with pictures of the shipyards in Leningrad. The US concluded that there was no “missile gap” or “bomber gap” favoring the Soviets, as many had feared, after several additional flights and the pictures they produced. In the end, the CIA conducted 24 U-2 flights over the USSR and many more over other communist nations.
Its employment remained a secret until May 1, 1960, when Francis Gary Powers’ U-2 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile while it was conducting a reconnaissance flight over Soviet territory.
Colonel Richard “Butch” Sheffield, SR-71 Blackbird Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO), recalls how the U-2 got its name in his unpublished book, “The Very First”.
‘The first six SR-71 crew members (Gray Sowers, Cos Mallozzi, John Storrie, Richard Sheffield, Al Hichew, and Tom Schmittou) were invited to Bob Gilliland’s house, looking over Los Angeles.
‘Tony LeVier [the test pilot who flew the first flight of the U-2] was sitting at Bob’s bar when we arrived. The story of how the U-2 was named came up. During the first flight at the Ranch, Kelly [Johnson] was on the radio telling Tony how to land the U-2, front wheel first. Every time Tony tried landing the front wheel first, the aircraft would bounce up into the air. Kelly insisted, finally Tony gave Kelly the finger as he bounced by, Kelly returned, giving Tony the finger, and yelled, “U-2” [I.E. you too].
‘The staff quickly wrote down the name.’
“Butch” Sheffield continues;
‘We had been briefed not to tell anyone why we were in Southern California or that we were Air Force Officers visiting the Skunk Works (SW). We were told to stay at a hotel on Hollywood Way a few miles from the SW. After a few days, one of the people working at the hotel said; “Why are all you Air Force Officers visiting the SW?” ‘We guessed that because of our Air Force issued “hack” watches and our short haircuts that anyone could guess who we were.
‘The first six crewmembers did not have any time in the simulator before their first flight it wasn’t ready yet.’
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Photos by U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin, and Linda Sheffield Miller