[ARC5] "Was the P-51 Mustang unbeatable?" on Quora

[taigh at twinbeech.com]

I was a guest behind the scenes at Beale Air Force base in Northern California. We got to sit in on an SR-71 crew suiting up for a mission. It was cool to talk to them. The pilot said he had a fellow SR pilot who could not go on the full mission without smoking so he would turn up the oxygen in his helmet to high blower, open his visor and light up. The cigarette would not stay lit without it being close to the opening and receiving oxygen flowing out of the helmet. The pilot telling the story thought for sure his buddy would start an oxygen fire in his helmet sometime but it never happened.

 

The B-29 had ash trays built in to the pilots and copilots instrument panels. They were at the other crew positions as well.

 

Thanks,

 

Taigh

 

Taigh Ramey

Vintage Aircraft Inc.

7432 C.E.Dixon Street

Stockton, California 95206

(209) 982-0273

(209) 982-4832 Fax

 <http://www.twinbeech.com/> www.twinbeech.com

KEEP 'EM FLYING...FOR HISTORY!

 

From: arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net <arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of John Watkins
Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2021 9:36 PM
To: CARL HUETHER <k1uhy at comcast.net>
Cc: D C _Mac_ Macdonald <k2gkk at hotmail.com>; MARK DORNEY via ARC5 <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [ARC5] "Was the P-51 Mustang unbeatable?" on Quora

 

I do know of at least 1 F8U pilot that smoked in the cockpit.  Would occasional look across and see the Oxygen mask dangling and a smoke haze in there.  The cockpits were of course pressurized, but ???  Never know what can happen.

 

John WD5ENU 

 

On Thu, Aug 26, 2021 at 12:53 CARL HUETHER <k1uhy at comcast.net <mailto:k1uhy at comcast.net> > wrote:

Ive read the Mosquito crews were active in flight smokers, especially the Australians. 

Also another famous Merlin user and at the top of my favorite WW2 European theater aircraft. It gave Fritz lots of headaches since it was so versatile in a wide range of assignments. 

  

Carl 

On 08/19/2021 9:57 AM D C _Mac_ Macdonald <k2gkk at hotmail.com <mailto:k2gkk at hotmail.com> > wrote: 

  

  

Very different type of aircraft, but all the members 

of my B-52F crew smoked while we were airborne. 

Obviously not during takeoff, landing, or refueling 

but the aircraft is pressurized and nobody was on 

oxygen during normal cruise. 

  

73 - Mac, K2GKK/5 

Since 30 Nov 1953 

Oklahoma City, OK 

USAF (Retired) 61-81 

FAA (Retired) 94-10 

  

  _____  

From: arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net <mailto:arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net>  <arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net <mailto:arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net> > on behalf of Bill KA8VIT <ka8vit at ka8vit.com <mailto:ka8vit at ka8vit.com> >
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2021 08:30
To: MARK DORNEY <mkdorney at aol.com <mailto:mkdorney at aol.com> >; MARK DORNEY via ARC5 <arc5 at mailman.qth.net <mailto:arc5 at mailman.qth.net> >; Doran Platt <jeepp at comcast.net <mailto:jeepp at comcast.net> >
Subject: Re: [ARC5] "Was the P-51 Mustang unbeatable?" on Quora 

  

I have found this smoking in the cockpit being dangerous discussion interesting. 

  

To a normal person sitting in their office or home reading your remarks would find them sensible or at least as common sense. 

  

But, when I was in the artillery, we used to have powder pits filled with the unused charges from our fire missions, (which would later be set afire and burned). 

  

To a normal person sitting in their office or home reading this the sensible or common sense thing would be to keep cigarettes and flames 50 meters or more away from the powder pits. 

  

But I'll tell you what...  we all sat on the edges of those pits and smoked...   and smoked a lot. 

  

Because we were so tired and fed-up at that point that we just didn't give a f%#k. 

  

So, I can believe it was that way with those pilots as well. 

  

73 - Bill KA8VIT/W8COD 

  

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