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

Fri Aug 27 15:08:37 EDT 2021

Several of the B-24s on the “Tidal Wave” mission over Polesti  went down after damage caused enough fuel vapor to escape from the extra, internal long range fuel tanks installed for the mission to ignite. 

Mark D. 
WW2RDO

“In matters of style, float with the current. In matters of Principle, stand like a rock. “.   -   Thomas Jefferson 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 27, 2021, at 2:18 PM, taigh at twinbeech.com wrote:
> 
> 
> 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
> 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> 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> 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 <arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on behalf of Bill KA8VIT <ka8vit at ka8vit.com>
> Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2021 08:30
> To: MARK DORNEY <mkdorney at aol.com>; MARK DORNEY via ARC5 <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>; Doran Platt <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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