The Lockheed U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance plane, nicknamed the “Dragon Lady,” holds a special place in the heart of the Republic of China (ROC) Air Force.
The U-2 was designed to provide all-weather surveillance capability at heights of up to 21,000m, beyond the reach of most fighters, missiles and radars.
Its unique glider-like characteristics also made it one of the most difficult aircraft in the air force’s fleet to fly, with little margin for error, especially during take-offs and landings.
The plane was flown by members of the Air Force’s 35th Squadron, or the “Black Cats,” between 1961 and 1974 at the height of the Cold War for reconnaissance of China’s atomic bomb program in a Taiwan-US project known as Project Razor.
The air force sent 30 pilots to the US for training, where six of them died. Only 17 of the remaining pilots survived the 220 reconnaissance missions Taiwan flew over China before the project was terminated in 1974 as the US pushed for improved relations with China.
Some of those survivors gathered recently to celebrate the launch of the book The Black Cat Squadron: Stories about Flying at 70,000 Feet, which details their experiences.
Author Shen Li-wen’s (沈麗文) father, Shen Tsung-li (沈宗李), was one of the pilots.
Reminiscing about his pilot days with his former colleagues, Shen Tsung-li recalled a near-death encounter with a MiG-21 fighter in the sky above eastern China.
“The alert sounded before I noticed an enemy fighter,” Shen said.
He then tilted the airplane 90 degrees and the warning shut off.
In a flash, he saw the MiG pilot.
“Since then, whenever I close my eyes, the face of the pilot emerges in my head,” Shen said.
Chang Li-yi (張立義), another former Black Cat, said he had to eject from his plane after being shot down 21,000m above the Earth.
“I immediately passed out. When I woke up, I was still in the air and dropping,” Chang said.
Chang’s U-2 was shot down by China on Jan. 10, 1965, and he became a prisoner of war. He was released in Nov. 10, 1982, and now lives in the US.
Another former pilot, Tsai Sheng-hsiung (蔡盛雄), said a reconnaissance pilot’s mission was unique, as the priority was always to return safely.
“Regular fighter pilots become heroes after shooting down enemies, even if they do not return, but for us, all the work is wasted if we do not return with the pictures,” Tsai said.
Tsai said the process of being chosen as a U-2 pilot was quite “extraordinary.”
“I was asked to report to the Air Force Command Headquarters. My superior officer gave me a note with an order to meet with US officials in a hotel room,” Tsai said. “They told me they had discovered some of my family members were communists.”
Tsai said he later realized that the Americans were testing his reaction toward emotional stress because only those with a calm demeanor would be chosen.
To survive during a flight up to 21,000m, Tsai said a U-2 pilot had to wear a customized anti-pressure suit, which he described as similar to an astronaut’s space suit.
“I lost six to eight pounds [2.2 to 3.6kg] every mission,” he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS