Which fighters were "thick skinned?"

[Anonymous]

OK guys - next week I'm going to be in California, at Mojave airport and at Gillespie Airfield for an airshow (Apr. 28-May 1). Both places are a warbird environment rich. There will definitely be a Mustang at at least one these places, maybe a Spit, possibly a P-47. Because I'll be an airshow participant, I should be able to get a real close look at these aircraft, providing they are all there. I'll take pictures and let you know what I find out.

=FBJ=

Take a micrometer and see if you can find somewhere you can take some measurements

 

[DAVIDICUS]

Please get some P-47 pictures. 8)

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I'll try if one shows up to the airshow.

 

[Soren]

RG it is clearly you who is the blind one, and especially because you don't even see it when enlarged !

Soren, do you notice that there is a head right in the middle of the red circle you've drawn and marked "leg" ???

In the Middle !! Look here's where the head is:

 

[Anonymous]

Grrrr...

Where is the guy in blue's right leg?

And again, it really does not matter as he is clearly NOT STANDING ON THE WING!

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I WANT TO TAKE YOU GUYS TO THE GRASSY KNOLL

 

[Soren]

*Sigh*

 

[Anonymous]

There is no "leg" in the left of your two red boxes. It's on the other side of the wing which you have boxed. The right side is less clear, but appears to be the same - it is obscured by the guys head and the guys arm too much to make a solid determination.

 

[Soren]

*Sigh*

Believe what you want to RG, but they are there, and he is crouching. He is probably sitting on one of his feet, making it less apparent on the pic.

 

[evangilder]

Guys, is this WWII aviation or photo analysis? You mean to tell me that this is the only photo that you have to make your point? Are you forgetting what you were debating about in the first place? Geez, you have been debating this for at least a full page of posts. Are you debating to debate, or is there a point to this?

 

[Soren]

Guys, is this WWII aviation or photo analysis? You mean to tell me that this is the only photo that you have to make your point? Are you forgetting what you were debating about in the first place? Geez, you have been debating this for at least a full page of posts. Are you debating to debate, or is there a point to this?

Yes your quite right, this is stupid, and Im done debating that pic.

Point is the Spit, 109 and 190's wings could be walked on without sustaining any damage. (As long as you don't start jumping on them)

Even on todays conserved WW2 fighters, wich are being handled with extreem caution, it is allowed to sit on the wing-tip ! (Also while taxiing)

 

[evangilder]

I wouldn't do that for mainly safety reasons. That's a dangerous exercise that I hope young impressionable aviation buffs don't get the idea of doing. Safety should be the number 1 concern, especially with old warbirds.

We don't have any German planes in our museum, but we do have a zero and a spitfire. There are zones very clearly marked on the zero where you are not to step, else your foot may go through. There are not zones like that on the spitfire, but everyone knows that you don't step on flaps or control surfaces. Most guys will walk where the supports are so as to preserve the aircraft as long as possible. Could any part of the wing be walked on? Most likely, but doing that in our hangar is likely to get you a serious ass-whooping. But these are 60+ year old airplanes that have few cheap spare parts. These airplanes are treated better than some peoples kids!

 

[trackend]

I'm sure you're right Evan it would seem a tad daft to use any surface on an aircraft for anything other than the purpose to which it was designed for, even more so with such rare craft as these as for war time i'm sure that short cuts or the need for speed mean't that tasks (including clambering incorrectly on wings ect), would have been tollerated to a degree exactly as aircraft componants where pushed well beyond there designed service limits or pilots taking there planes beyond sensible stress levels during combat

 

[Anonymous]

*Sigh*

Believe what you want to RG, but they are there, and he is crouching. He is probably sitting on one of his feet, making it less apparent on the pic.

That is possible, but tell me... how is that "standing" on the wing? Point made! LOL.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

*Sigh*

Believe what you want to RG, but they are there, and he is crouching. He is probably sitting on one of his feet, making it less apparent on the pic.

That is possible, but tell me... how is that "standing" on the wing? Point made! LOL.

even if he's crouching he's putting all of his weight on a very small area, which has the same effect as standing, either way there's allot of weight on a small area.........

 

[Anonymous]

*Sigh*

Believe what you want to RG, but they are there, and he is crouching. He is probably sitting on one of his feet, making it less apparent on the pic.

That is possible, but tell me... how is that "standing" on the wing? Point made! LOL.

even if he's crouching he's putting all of his weight on a very small area, which has the same effect as standing, either way there's allot of weight on a small area.........

Standing on a boot can put all the weight on the edge of a heel generating many many times the lbs/sq-inch of kneeling. It's not the same thing at all. Neither is being barefoot or in tennis or other soft-soled shoes.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

ok you're standing on the wing, your body weight is mostly on the heels of your feet however there's still a considderable ammount of weight being distributed by the rest of your feet, so that's your body weight being distributed over the area of your feet, if you're kneeling only the tips of your toes and a small area of your knees are having to distribute your body weight, that's a small area still, not much bigger than the area of your feet if it is at all...............

 

[trackend]

What if you're wearing flippers or snow shoes or you have a bunion that concetrates the weight in a smaller area or you only have one leg or one leg and a peg leg or ballet shoes on point or high heel shoes ( the last two only apply to transvestite ground crew) or clogs or mochasins or SS boots and you tend to goose step or ice skates or jumping jacks or moon boot or oooooooooooooo thats it im now officially bonkers

 

[Anonymous]

ok you're standing on the wing, your body weight is mostly on the heels of your feet however there's still a considderable ammount of weight being distributed by the rest of your feet, so that's your body weight being distributed over the area of your feet, if you're kneeling only the tips of your toes and a small area of your knees are having to distribute your body weight, that's a small area still, not much bigger than the area of your feet if it is at all...............

Combat boots had hard soles. Walking rolls the weight from the back to the front of each foot as you step. With a boot, it would be very easy to put a crescent shaped dent into thin duraluminum sheeting, especially if the internal structure is sparse.