the lancaster kicks ass
Major General
- 19,937
- Dec 20, 2003
*shudder*
Which fighters did pilots feel safest in for crash landing?
- Thread starter Sal Monella
- Start date
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mosquitoman
Master Sergeant
What is with everybody's sudden obsession with fat girls! I haven't had a peaceful nights sleep in a week!
cheddar cheese
Major General
Does anyone know any good products for cleaning vomit off of keyboards? 
the lancaster kicks ass
Major General
- 19,937
- Dec 20, 2003
i dropped some skin off my lip into my keyboard yesterday.......
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
plan_D said:
cheddar cheese
Major General
Or simply "No dogs allowed"
the lancaster kicks ass
Major General
- 19,937
- Dec 20, 2003
dinos7
Airman
i believe the p51 was the sfest crash lander. but im not so shure
What are your reasons for this? I would think it was quite hard to land it on that big radiator cooler under the fuselage.
I think it would have been quite dangerous. A big chance of nosing the bird over or flipping it.
dinos7
Airman
thats just my belief.
Do you still harbor that belief?
Excerpt from Lieutenant Rip Collins who flew both P-47's and P-51's in the 35th Fighter Group in the Pacific"
"You can imagine what happens during a crash landing if your wheels would not come down (due to damage or mechanical trouble). On landing, it could make the P-51 nose over in the dirt as the scoop drags into the earth. In water (and I flew over the Pacific Ocean most of my 92 combat missions), it could cause trouble in a crash landing because the air scoop would be the first part of the aircraft to hit the water. Instead of a smooth belly landing, anything might happen."
Excerpt from Lieutenant Rip Collins who flew both P-47's and P-51's in the 35th Fighter Group in the Pacific"
"You can imagine what happens during a crash landing if your wheels would not come down (due to damage or mechanical trouble). On landing, it could make the P-51 nose over in the dirt as the scoop drags into the earth. In water (and I flew over the Pacific Ocean most of my 92 combat missions), it could cause trouble in a crash landing because the air scoop would be the first part of the aircraft to hit the water. Instead of a smooth belly landing, anything might happen."
wmaxt
Staff Sergeant
DAVIDICUS said:
It depends on the surface your trying to land on.
For pavement it would offer a "crumple zone"
In soft earth it would "catch"
In the water it's recomended to "kick the plane at the last second to land sideways" I presume thats to prevent flipping/diving the plane in the water.
wmaxt
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
wmaxt said:
Ya know, I got to agree with this. I've seen a P-51 air intake scoop up close with the skin removed from the area. Inside the scoop from what I could remember is either an oil cooler or a coolant radiator. In either case, these things aren't the strongest pieces of hardware on the airplane, and the surrounding structure isn't that beefy. I think the scoop will crush or rip away first before it causes a real problem, of course the only way to know for sure is to ask a P-51 vet who bellied one in or go find a P-51 and crash it!
This reminds me of a story my brother told me. A guy walks into a Ford dealership parts department (where my brother works) and asks "how do I test my Mustang's airbags?" My brother told him "drive it into a wall."
"... kick the plane at the last second to land sideways" I presume thats to prevent flipping/diving the plane in the water."
That could enhance the chance of flipping. (the end portion of the wing catching)
You can't always pick and choose where you'll do a gear up belly landing. That being the case, you'd be safest in the aircraft with the fewest undesireable characteristics across the spectrum of surfaces be it soft dirt, pavement or water, etc.
That could enhance the chance of flipping. (the end portion of the wing catching)
You can't always pick and choose where you'll do a gear up belly landing. That being the case, you'd be safest in the aircraft with the fewest undesireable characteristics across the spectrum of surfaces be it soft dirt, pavement or water, etc.
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
DAVIDICUS said:
Its true you can't pick and choose where you're going to crash but i could tell you one of the first things you lean when getting checked out in an aircraft is emergency procedures IE, engine out/ off field landings. I would guess if a low-time P-51 jock during the war got a limited 10 hour training and check out in a -51, probably 5 of those hours were emergency procedures.
There was (and still is) an actual AF TO for aircraft ditching procedures which was normally viewed as a supplement to the -1. Whether this was in it or not, I don't know, but i think the best way to know for sure is to talk to someone who actually crashed.
wmaxt
Staff Sergeant
FLYBOYJ said:Ya know, I got to agree with this. I've seen a P-51 air intake scoop up close with the skin removed from the area. Inside the scoop from what I could remember is either an oil cooler or a coolant radiator. In either case, these things aren't the strongest pieces of hardware on the airplane, and the surrounding structure isn't that beefy. I think the scoop will crush or rip away first before it causes a real problem, of course the only way to know for sure is to ask a P-51 vet who bellied one in or go find a P-51 and crash it!
I've seen a few pics of P-51s bellied in on runways it didn't seem to be a big deal. There is both a radiator and in front of it is an oilcooler.
I've seen a number of P-38s (pictures) bellied in on a multitude of surfaces, as long as they had a straight shot they seem to do well. Most of those pics mention the pilot was fine - I've never seen a caption state a serious injury or fatality.
wmaxt
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
In my general aircraft experiences - scoops and other things protruding from the airframe don't do well in a crash, and I would think that unless the P-51 scoop could support the whole aircraft (which I know it can't) its going to rip away or crunch, reguardless of what you're landing on. At 110-100 knts (I believe the speed of a P-51 over the numbers) hitting water or earth are going to produce the same results.
