et&wnc Wrote:
----------------------------------------------------
> On my first (non-dual-control) Mustang ride, I
> wondered what I'd have done if the pilot got
> knocked out. The canopy release was way forward,
> out of reach from where I was sitting. I'd have
> had to unstrap the lap belt (I did have a
> parachute, though), climb partially forward, and
> pray the canopy didn't knock me out or kill me
> when it slid back on its rails. Then, I'd have had
> to jump, assuming I had enough air between me and
> the ground to do that. I just assumed that if the
> pilot was knocked out, I'd be riding it down with
> nothing do but wonder how my parents were going to
> take the news. At least with other WW2 and modern
> aircraft I flew in later, I had the chance to grab
> the yoke/stick or get out under my own initiative
> (via open window with a chute, or with an ejection
> seat). But that one time, the gamble was worth it,
> as I got to fly in formation with the Collings
> B-17, B-24,
and a T-6, over water! Best 90
> minutes of my life, no question.
Yep, you are the "stuckee" when you ride in the back of a P-51. Worse yet would be a Corsair and this is why a number of them that had a rear seat, no longer do. If it bellied in or went down over water, the guy in back would be totally dependent on the pilot being able to get out of his/her restraints, turn around and unpin the seat, pull it forward and then get you out. But I agree, with that big canopy, the view in a P-51 is unsurpassed and so is the experience. I've got an hour in one and part of that was at 370 and earlier being out over the Pacific for a short while. I put a 20mm lens on my Pentax and have slides of most of the trip.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2016 06:57PM by Tom Moungovan.
