How would YOU fly?

[Anonymous]

Not all pilots wanted to be aces - In a recent documentary about Spitfires and the Battle of Britain, one pilot commented on how he thought the idea of tallying kills was a silly idea, and that all they went up to do was the job of protecting their country - the last thing on their minds was how many theyd shot down.

But the whole point is to shoot down the enemy, that's how you protected your country. Any fighter pilot who didn't realize this wasn't much of a fighter pilot!

=S=

Lunatic

 

[cheddar cheese]

Yes - They wanted to shot down planes, duh, but what this guy was saying was that he wasnt bothered about becoming an ace or tallying his kills.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes - They wanted to shot down planes, duh, but what this guy was saying was that he wasnt bothered about becoming an ace or tallying his kills.

Well, I can see that. Goals would be:

1) don't get killed or maimed

2) don't loose your plane

3) kill the enemy

However, by becoming an "ace" on most sides you got perks. Better planes, better plane crews, more control over your plane configuration, etc...

=S=

Lunatic

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Yes - They wanted to shot down planes, duh, but what this guy was saying was that he wasnt bothered about becoming an ace or tallying his kills.

Well, I can see that. Goals would be:

1) don't get killed or maimed

2) don't loose your plane

3) kill the enemy

However, by becoming an "ace" on most sides you got perks. Better planes, better plane crews, more control over your plane configuration, etc...

=S=

Lunatic

You know, I've met fellows who were fighter pilots during WWII and Korea and at first have had that thought process, but after the first few missions, their actual thought process was

1) Survive

2) Survive

3) Survive

Comments?!

 

[Nonskimmer]

Makes sense.

"Try not to shit my pants."
From fear, anyway. G-forces might be another matter.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes - They wanted to shot down planes, duh, but what this guy was saying was that he wasnt bothered about becoming an ace or tallying his kills.

Well, I can see that. Goals would be:

1) don't get killed or maimed

2) don't loose your plane

3) kill the enemy

However, by becoming an "ace" on most sides you got perks. Better planes, better plane crews, more control over your plane configuration, etc...

=S=

Lunatic

You know, I've met fellows who were fighter pilots during WWII and Korea and at first have had that thought process, but after the first few missions, their actual thought process was

1) Survive

2) Survive

3) Survive

Comments?!

Well, that should be the #1 item, which is where I placed it. But if a fighter pilot was too concerned with his own saftey, he would not be a fighter pilot very long. You had to be aggressive and you had to be dedicated to the mission as well.

=S=

Lunatic

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Don't forget the puke on dashboard

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Yes - They wanted to shot down planes, duh, but what this guy was saying was that he wasnt bothered about becoming an ace or tallying his kills.

Well, I can see that. Goals would be:

1) don't get killed or maimed

2) don't loose your plane

3) kill the enemy

However, by becoming an "ace" on most sides you got perks. Better planes, better plane crews, more control over your plane configuration, etc...

=S=

Lunatic

You know, I've met fellows who were fighter pilots during WWII and Korea and at first have had that thought process, but after the first few missions, their actual thought process was

1) Survive

2) Survive

3) Survive

Comments?!

Well, that should be the #1 item, which is where I placed it. But if a fighter pilot was too concerned with his own saftey, he would not be a fighter pilot very long. You had to be aggressive and you had to be dedicated to the mission as well.

=S=

Lunatic

Agreed, but I don't think thats the mindset for the first few missions!

 

[Anonymous]

For the first few missions? Most US fighter pilots felt they were invincible and flew rather foolishly.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

For the first few missions? Most US fighter pilots felt they were invincible and flew rather foolishly.

I disagree - most folks I ever spoke to were SCARED! And they also said those who said they weren't were either lying or crazy!

 

[Anonymous]

For the first few missions? Most US fighter pilots felt they were invincible and flew rather foolishly.

I disagree - most folks I ever spoke to were SCARED! And they also said those who said they weren't were either lying or crazy!

I'll try to find some pilot accounts for you. From what I've read, they didn't get "scared" until after their first serious clash with the enemy. Until then, they were more afraid of screwing up than of getting shot.

 

[DAVIDICUS]

There is no reason to beleve that close quarters combat in the air engendered a different state of mind than close quarters combat on the ground.

My father was a Technical Sergeant in the Army who was involved in five battles. He also took part in the Invasion of Normandy.

He echoed precisely what Flyboy has indicated. "Everyone was scared and anyone who says they weren't is lying."

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I worked at Lockheed with a fellow named Joe Melichi, a liaison engineer who flew P-38s in the MTO. He told me during a mission, while shooting up ground targets, he got hit by something really bad, blew the top of the canopy off, holes everywhere and lost an engine which he got feathered immediately. When he got hit he grabbed the yoke (out of fear) engaged the gun switch and even shot off a few rounds from his plane's guns, emitting more explosions, flames and chaos in front of him. On his way back to base he told me he was so scared he started crying because he had almost all his instruments shot away, but his greatest fear, HE LOST HIS MAP! Other members of his flight, seeing he was shot up, joined up on him and escorted him home.

When he attempted to land, the plane skidded off the runway because all the tires were shot up. When he got out of the plane, he "went" in his pants when he saw the amount of damage to his plane. Then to his surprise, some of his squadron mates ran up to him cheering.

To his amazement, he discovered that he was being attacked by an ME-110 which just peppered his lightning. When the canopy blew off and when he grabbed the control yoke, the rounds he got off hit the 110 who over shot him and blew it out of the sky in sight of his entire flight! Hearing this he then puked on one of his buddies standing close to him.

Joe always told me we was scared of dying, scared of screwing up and scared of doing something that would get someone else killed. Kills were celebrated after the initial excretions! He finished the war with 1 ME-110 and 1 ME-109.

 

[cheddar cheese]

Wow thats an amazing story, and one wich really demonstrates the toughness of the Lightning...I enjoyed reading that, thanks!

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Thanks - when I worked at Lockheed in the early 80s there were a bunch of guys Like Joe still around. One of the guys was an engineering manager named Carson - I think he was known as Kit Carson and flew with Chuck Yeager.

I also had the pleasure to meet this VP from Lockheed Georgia, his name was Norman Appold. If you know your B-24 history he flew the Ploesti mission and got a Medal of Honor. You should of seen the look on my boss's face when I introduced my self and said "Sir it's a pleasure to meet a Medal of Honor winner."

 

[evangilder]

You certainly don't meet them very often! Considering that most of them are awarded posthumously, your chances of meeting one are not all that good. I did get a chance to salute one when I was at Keesler. I wish I had gotten his name, I was a bit "star-struck", and intimidated when I saw that MOH. I was all of 18 years old at the time.

 

[MP-Willow]

Flyboyj, I remember reading about his flight over Polesti, a place most B-24 crew would have been hapy to never go to! If you get a chance read the cition that was writen for his award.

As for the P-47N, a grand old bird that was great! It could hold its own with the P-51, but not as well higher up and I think if the P-51 got the jump on it, then game over. But the F6F, was the plane for the Pacific

 

[mosquitoman]

It's the same with the VC, before Iraq, the last 2 had been given posthumously in the Falklands

 

[DAVIDICUS]

MP-Willow said, "As for the P-47N, a grand old bird that was great! It could hold its own with the P-51, but not as well higher up and I think if the P-51 got the jump on it, then game over."

I believe that "higher up," as in over 30K altitude, was precisely the place that the P-47N shone the brightest. The turbo-supercharger system allowed it to maintain power where the thin atmosphere would strangle engines of oxygen and power.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Flyboyj, I remember reading about his flight over Polesti, a place most B-24 crew would have been hapy to never go to! If you get a chance read the cition that was writen for his award.

WILL DO - THANKS!