Take a virtual ride in a U-2 spy plane

I remember learning about the U–2 spy plane when I was a child. At the time, it seemed like a redundant plane, superseded by newer surveillance planes. It seems that perception was very wrong. One big takeaway from this great video from CBS News is that the U–2 is a very relevant, effective and modern surveillance platform.

Mostly this is just very cool to see as a military jet geek (at least as a child and teenager). This was one of the passions I shared with my late Dad.

Another great perspective on the U–2 spy plane comes from the awesome photographer, Christopher Michel, who flew this plane in an earlier career. He published photos of his experiences (at least, what he could share) and the views are breathtaking.

Photos by Christopher Michel from his album titled “U–2: At the Edge of Space”, licensed CC BY 2.0