Chapter 2
75
CO5653421 UNCLASSIFIED
28 November 1955. The CIA's insistence on more stringent physical
and mental examinations than those used by the Air Force to select
pilots for its U-2 fleet resulted in a higher rejection rate of candidates.
The Agency's selection criteria remained high throughout its manned
overflight program and resulted in a much lower accident rate for
CIA U-2 pilots than for their counterparts in the Air Force program.'2
PILOT TRAINING
Even before the recruiting effort got under way, the Air Force and
CIA be g an to develop a pilot training program. Under the terms of the
OILSTONE agreement between the Agency and the Air Force, re-
sponsibility for pilot training lay with SAC. This essential activity
was carried out under the supervision of Col. William F. Yancey, who
was assigned to March AFB and flew to I leach day.
Colonel Yancey was in charge of six SAL pilots who were to be
trained by Lockheed test pilots to fly the U-2. Once they became
qualified, these SAC pilots would become the trainers for the
—.sheep-dipped" former Reserve SAC pilots, who would fly U-2 mis-
sions for the CIA.
The original U-2 test pilot, Tony LeVier, trained several other
Lockheed test pilots in the difficult art of flying the U-2. Eventually
there were enough trained Lockheed pilots available to test the air-
craft coming off the assembly line and also train the SAC pilots.
Training was difficult because there was no twa-seat model of the
U-2. All instruction had to be given on the ground before takeoff and
then over the radio once the craft was airborne. Almost 15 years
elapsed before a two-seat U-2 was available for training new pilots.
Despite the difficulties involved in training U-2 pilots, Colonel
Yancey had a cadre of six qualified Air Force U-2 pilots by
September 1955. These six were now ready to train the Agency's pi-
lots."
Training pilots was not easy because the U-2 was a mixture of
glider and jet. Although those chosen for the overflight program were
all qualified fighter pilots, they now had to learn to fly the delicate
U-2. Its large wings had tremendous lift but were also very fragile
ED 129511.8(0111>10<25Yrs
Is)
OS) History, chap, 10, pp. 5-6: chap. 5, p. 18 (TS Codeword).
" OSA History. chap. II. pp. 1-7 (TS Codeword).
ret
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