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49 - Left Quartering Close-up
This view shows several things of importance. The first is the lowered wing flaps. Note the light colored strip on the flap that only becomes visible when the flap is lowered. This strip varies in color on different aircraft. For this aircraft, it appears to be the same color as the notch on the forward section of the vertical tail. As both areas would be "scuff zones", having the same color would make sense.
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50 - Left Inboard Wing Flap
Note the small louver at the wing root. This auxiliary air louver is one of the only tell-tale characteristics identifying a U-2R, as averse to a U-2S.
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51 - Senior Spear Antenna Farm
This is another view of the belly antenna farm. Of note, again, is the glossy finish of the blade antennae.
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52 - Main Landing Gear
This is a left-rear quartering shot of the main landing gear strut. Note all the wiring and plumbing attached to the back of the strut and the oleo scissors.
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53 - Speed Brake
This is a view inside the speed brake. Note how the interior is a darker black than the outside of the aircraft, since it is mostly protected from the elements when the speed brake is closed. The speed brake actuator is white with a silver oleo. All the piping and wiring harnesses in the well are various colors.
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54 - Speed Brake
This is a difficult shot to make out. The speed brake is cracked open a few inches. The thing that is most evident in the picture is how busy the inner area is with wiring and plumbing.
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55 - Speed Brake and Tail Wheel
This is not the clearest picture, but details of the opened speed brake are visible. Also, the tail landing gear is visible. Note that the tail landing gear leg is either aluminum or white while the wheels are white with rubber tires.
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56 - Tail Landing Gear
This is the left rear angle on the tail landing gear. Note that the strut is white and the wheels are a tan polyurethane-looking color. The tail wheels are solid wheels, not inflated tires. Note also that the wheel well door has vent louvers in it. These louvers are mirror imaged on the right side tail wheel well door.
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57 - Tail Landing Gear
This view of the tail landing gear is from the front. Some detail of the wheel well is visible in the top of the picture. Clearly visible are the two retraction arms that close the wheel well doors as the landing gear strut retracts into the wheel well. Note that the yellowish color of the strut is a reflection from the chromate yellow wheel well, shining off the gloss white landing gear strut.
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58 - Left Vertical Tail
This is the left side of the vertical tail. The thing to note here are the markings. All are painted in red. The BB tail code identifies the aircraft as belonging to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB.
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59 - Left Vertical Tail
The white notch on the lower forward portion of the tail is a scuff area. The horizontal tails and vertical tail are one solid assembly unit on the aircraft. To trim the aircraft in flight, the whole unit is pivoted up and down with the white notch being the overlap area for the moving surfaces. Note the darker black area at the base of the tail. This is a black scuff area across the bottom of the vertical tail where it slides in and out of the fuselage.
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60 - Engine Exhaust
This view of the engine exhaust provides color reference for the tail pipe and the areas around the tail pipe. Note the open area above the tail pipe and the light yellow/green color inside the opening.
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61 - Right Vertical Tail
The red item with a streamer at the base of the rudder is a control lock to prevent the rudder from moving in the wind.
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62 - Right Horizontal Tail
This is the right horizontal tail on an original (first batch) U-2R. Note the stiffeners added to the top and bottom of the leading edge to solve a buffet problem that was created when the super pods were introduced on the wings.
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63 - Center/Rear Fuselage Overview
Dominating the view is the dorsal antenna pod for Senior Span/Spur. The speed brake is slightly cracked open, giving away its location of the fuselage side. Also visible in the picture are the doubled anti-collision lights on the upper fuselage. This is the new location for the anti-collision lights on any aircraft that is capable of carrying the Senior Span/Spur dorsal pod. The old anti-collision light location is under the area covered by the dorsal pod pylon.
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64 - Tail Landing Gear
This is the right rear angle on the tail landing gear. Note that the torque link on the landing gear strut is disconnected and dangling in this picture.
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65 - Speed Brake
This is the inside of the speed brake well on the right side of the aircraft. Note the lesser amount of wiring and plumbing as compared to the inside of the left speed brake.
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66 - Senior Spear Antenna Farm
This is another view of the antenna farm, this time from the right rear quadrant. Note that the bases of some of the blade antennae are the same light yellow/green color as is found in the wheel well and engine intake interiors.
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67 - Main Landing Gear
This is a right-rear quartering shot of the main landing gear strut.
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68 - Right Super Pod
The lighting of this picture dramatically highlights the ripples in the skin of the wing.
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69 - Senior Span/Spur Dorsal Antenna
This rear quartering view of the Senior Span/Spur dorsal antenna pod provides more information on the location of the pod, relative to the wing. Also visible is a portion of the antenna farm on the bottom of the aircraft and the double anti-collision beacon lights on the upper fuselage.
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70 - Right Super Pod
This view shows the outside of the right super pod. Note the vent hole in the tip of the tail cone and the interior of that vent hole being white (like the left super pod). A person walking on the far side of the aircraft gives one of the blade antennae on the bottom of this pod an unusual scissors-like look...
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71 - "System 20" Fairing
This is the empty "System 20" fairing on the right wing trailing edge, between the wing flaps and aileron.
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72 - Right Wingtip Pod
This is a rear quartering view of the right wingtip pod. Of interest is the pattern of the fasteners around the sensor located in the middle of the rear face. The faces of the pod are lighter than the body of the pod. The pod is very dark and flat, similar to the finish on the ASARS II nose.
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73 - Right Wingtip Pod
This is a nearly identical picture to the previous one, only from a different aircraft. What I wanted to point out here is the different orientation of the fasteners on the round rear face of the pod as compared to the previous picture.
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74 - Right Wingtip Pod
This is a front quartering view of the right wingtip pod. Of interest, again, is the pattern of the fasteners around the sensor located in the middle of the rear face. Note they are the same pattern as that found on the rear face.
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75 - Right Wingtip Pod
Strong shadows and black aircraft do not mix well. Notable in this picture are the contours where the wingtip pod attaches to the wing.
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76 - "System 20" Fairing
Like the GPS antenna fairing on the left wing, the "System 20" fairing on the right wing extends much further under the wing than it does on top of the wing. Use the location of the pogo leg attachment as a reference point to see how far the fairing extends.
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77 - Right Wing Underside
Dominating the view in this picture is the removable prop-stand for the wing. Various wing details are also visible in this picture -- the pogo leg attachment, the "System 20" fairing, the aileron trim tab actuator, and the aileron actuator (at the extreme left of the picture).
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78 - Right Super Pod
This is a side view of the right super pod. Notable are the Senior Spear blade antennae on the bottom of the pod.
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79 - Right Super Pod Close-Up
In this view, I attempted to detail the blade antennae found on the right super pod. Unfortunately, the angle of the picture causes the pod antennae to be mixed in with the antenna farm found on the rear fuselage, making it hard to determine exactly which antenna is which.
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80 - Right Super Pod Close-Up
This view does better at showing the Senior Spear blade antennae on the right super pod without the clutter of the blade antennae from the belly antenna farm in the background. The pink arrows point out a couple intake scoops along the side of the super pod, similar to those found on the left super pod.
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81 - Right Super Pod
This view of the forward end of the pod provides a better view of the blade antennae on the pod. Note the forward section of the pod is darker than the rest of the aircraft. Also, note the vent hole in the tip of the nose of the pod.
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82 - Right Super Pod
This is the right super pod on an aircraft that is not equipped with Senior Spear. It is smooth and regular with no extraneous blade antennae coming out of it.
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83 - Right Super Pod Intake Scoops
This view highlights the two intake scoops found on the right super pod. These scoops are similar to those found on the left super pod. Note that the rear one is canted downward slightly while the forward one is straight. Note also the alignment of the blade antennae. All of them mounted along the centerline of the super pod with the first and last ones leaning slightly outward from the other two.
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84 - Senior Spear Antenna Farm
This is another view of the antenna farm and main landing gear, this time from the right front quadrant. Note that this side also has a red hubcap on the main wheel.
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85 - Senior Span/Spur Dorsal Antenna
This front quartering view of the Senior Span/Spur dorsal antenna pod provides more details about the shape of the pod and the pattern of fasteners on the side of the pod pylon.
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86 - UHF/ADF Antenna
The large blade antenna is the UHF radio antenna. The thin whip as an ADF antenna. The whip was originally straight. The bend in the upper portion of the whip antenna was introduced to provide clearance for the Senior Span/Spur dorsal pod. Most U-2 aircraft seem to now use the bent whip, even if they are not capable of carrying the Senior Span/Spur dorsal pod.
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87 - Right Intake
This is a close-up of the right intake. The bump in the middle of the pictures is part of the electronic countermeasures fit of the aircraft. The lighter gray panel in front of the bump is notable. This panel appears to be a lighter shade on most all U-2 aircraft. Behind the bump is the oil cooler vent louver, which stands out well in the specific lighting of this picture.
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88 - Right Engine Intake
This view provides another example of the color inside the engine intakes and wheel wells. In this lighting, the color is a light lime green. Note also the oil cooler intake scoop on the outer ducting wall. The man working inside the intake duct gives a good size reference to the overall dimensions of the intake duct.
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89 - Right Forward Fuselage
This overview provides information on the relationship between the cockpit and the right engine intake.
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90 - Cockpit External Overview
This view shows the cockpit and the inner details of the canopy. Note the shape and style of the rearview mirrors on the inner canopy frame. Note also the sunshade attached inside the upper middle section of the canopy (with some paper taped unto it). The sunshade is mounted on a track to allow it to slide left or right as the pilot deems necessary. The fat T shaped item visible just above the cockpit sill is the cockpit fan used to provide air to the pilot.
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91 - Cockpit Internal Overview
Taken from U-2R 80-1088, this overview of the instrument panels provides plenty of information regarding the painting of the cockpit. Note the cockpit is Dark Gull Gray (F.S.36231) with black instruments.
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92 - Ejection Seat
Also taken from U-2R 80-1088, this picture provides color reference for the U-2 ejection seat. The basic seat is black. The lower cushion appears to be black leather. The rear cushion is a green/gray nylon looking material with silver/gray harnesses and a red headrest.
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93 - Cockpit Overview
This is another view showing mostly the inner details of the canopy. Note the de-fogging pipe running around the rear portions of the canopy.
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94 - Right Cockpit
Visible through the windscreen are some of the details of the instrument hood. Also visible in the shadows of the lower canopy frame is the lifting handle for opening the canopy. Opening the U-2 canopy is a pure manual effort. There are no hydraulic or electric lift devises to assist in opening the canopy. Hence, a substantial lifting handle (as seen in the lower left corner of the picture) is a requirement.
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95 - U-2 Maintenance
This is a maintenance shot on U-2R/S 80-1095. Important things to note are the inner colors of the open bay doors and the details of the Senior Ruby slab-sided super pod.
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