Originally Posted by
chevvron
Don't forget one or two RAF pilots flew those mission years before Powers, the difference being he was the first (as far as we know) to get shot down over Soviet territory.
To set the story straight up to the FGP shootdown (which was the only U-2 loss over the USSR, no “as far as we know” secret squirrel whispering required):
Tony LeVier unintentionally first got airborne on a high speed taxi test on 1st August 1955, in U-2 Article number 341.
On May 1st 1956, the first trained group of CIA pilots, arrived in the UK at RAF Lakenheath as Detachment A, intending to conduct operations. For political reasons, things didn’t go as smoothly as planned. The first operational U-2 mission was eventually flown from Wiesbaden on 20th June, and the first overflight of the USSR by a U-2 was made by Stockman on July 4th.
Powers began training in May 1956 with the second CIA group, before any British pilots. He was deployed with Det B to Adana in late August 1956. Their initial operational flights included providing coverage of the Suez Crisis. On November 20th, Powers performed Det B’s first overflight of the USSR.
The first British pilots assigned to the U-2 were Walker, MacArthur, Dowling, and Bradley in 1958. Walker was killed in training and replaced by Robinson. On completion of training they were assigned to Adana alongside Det B flying the same aeroplanes. Their first operational mission was flown on 31st December 1958, over the Middle East. The first of two overflights of the USSR, Operation High Wire, was flown by Robinson on 6th December 1959. The second, Operation Knife Edge, was flown by MacArthur on 5th February 1960.
There was only one more successful American overflight prior to the loss of Powers on May Day 1960. So sure, don’t forget “our boys”, but no, they weren’t flying years before Powers.