bevacqua is one of only 12 pilots to have flown both operationally. bevacqua: i was very proud of being a u-2 pilot because of what we have done and what we're still doing. it's just a magnificent platform and does excellent reconnaissance. narrator: still widely used today nearly 60 years after its introduction pilot endurance limits u-2 flight time to 12 hours. mcdonough: it's pretty demanding on their bodies. they have to wear a special high altitude suit for it. and then it wipes them out for a good couple of days. it fatigues them quite a bit to go that high. narrator: manned spy planes are not only limited by human endurance they also bring the risk of pilot loss. in 1960, bevacqua's friend francis gary powers, was shot down while flying a u-2 over the soviet union. reporter: it was a propaganda field day for the russians. narrator: powers' cover story was that he was on a meteorological flight. becqua: frank powers tried to say it was a weather flight, but there's miles of film. and so it was easy to discern what he was doing. reporter: and khr