U2 Spy Plane Operator Manual Used Cartoons for Visual Communication

© Ugur Akinci

Technical writers who wrote the operator manual for the U2 Spy Plane back in the 50s had the right idea: use visuals, illustrations, and even cartoons whenever possible to get technical ideas across efficiently.

Here is a sample cartoon from U2 UTILITY FLIGHT HANDBOOK:

The U2 made the news headlines back in 1960 when a U2 took off from Turkey but was shot down over the Soviet Union.

Here is another cartoon from the same document:

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