EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016: Lockheed U-2 Fly-By Is Rare Treat

Fred Harl and Carmelo Turdo

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 featured a number of unique aircraft in the air and on static display, with each day offering more opportunities for The Aero Experience to report great Midwest Aviation stories.  One such opportunity came on Friday afternoon when a Lockheed U-2S from Beale AFB, CA opened the airshow.  The iconic jet approached from behind the crowd and circled around for another pass along the main show line, emitting a whistling sound as it made a wide turn under an overcast sky.       
   
The aircraft featured below was manufactured as a TR-1A in 1980 and upgraded to the U-2S standard in 1995.  The U-2S has modern internal systems, engine and sensor capabilities and routinely flies above 70,000 feet during reconnaissance and signals intelligence missions.  The jet represents 60 years of development of the original U-2 design, originally used over the Soviet Union, during the Cuban Missile Crisis and over every other area U.S. security interest around the globe since then.