This Airline Pilot Is The First Air Force Reservist To Qualify To Fly U-2 Spy Plane

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Colville McFee

Military.com/Stars and Stripes: Airline Pilot Is the First Air Force Reservist to Qualify to Fly U-2 Spy Plane

An Air Force reservist has qualified for the first time to fly the U-2 Dragon Lady, becoming one of fewer than 1,500 people to pilot the iconic spy plane.

Maj. Jeffrey Anderson, a former active duty U-2 pilot who switched to the reserves more than two years ago, took a break from flying for Delta Air Lines to requalify on the aircraft, considered among the hardest in the world to fly.

"This is truly amazing," Anderson said in an Air Force statement this week.

Officials at the 9th Reconnaissance Wing out of Beale Air Force Base, Calif., where the aircraft are based, hope to qualify more reservists in the coming years to help address pilot shortages in the service.

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Update #1: After 65 Years, the U-2 Spy Plane Gets Its First Reservist Pilot (Popular Mechanics)
Update #2: U-2 Fleet Welcomes First Reservist Pilot (Air Force Magazine)

WNU Editor: Quite an accomplishment for Maj. Jeffrey Anderson. As for the U-2 program, it looks like the US Air Force wants it to fly for decades .... The US Air Force is spending $50 million to keep the U-2 spy plane high above the battlefield for decades to come (Business Insider).