IPMS Richmond Presents U-2 Model
to Cold War Museum

At our August 19 meeting, Vice-President Richard Leininger presented Gary Powers, Jr. (photo below, at right) with a specially commissioned model of a U-2 spy plane. This U-2 model will be on permanent display at the Cold War Museum near Warrenton, Virginia. The model is a gift from IPMS Richmond and is in addition to a monetary contribution the chapter made to the museum in June.

After Mr. Powers spoke at our June chapter meeting, he provided an AFV 1/48 scale U-2A model kit with the request that we build it for display at the Cold War Museum. Richard Leininger undertook the task of building this model. Richard not only completed it as an outstanding example of a U.S. Air Force U-2A based stateside in 1959, but he attached the model to a custom-built base and added a small plaque commemorating its donation by IPMS Richmond.

Mr. Powers is the son of Francis Gary Powers who was shot down on May 1, 1960, while flying a U-2 aircraft over the Soviet Union on a secret spy mission for the CIA. Mr. Powers’ father was a prisoner of the Russians for nearly two years until being released in exchange for a KGB spy captured and held by the U.S. Along with his work with the Cold War Museum, Mr. Powers is a historian and the author of several books.