Chasing weather ballons with a P51
I would like to know if any body else ever chased weather ballons with a P51. I had the fun doing this in Cheyenne Wyoming sometime in 1951 with the air national guard. I was able to keep the ballon against the prop at the 1:30 position while I flu around in circles and diving and climbing. The best I was able to do was a barrel roll keeping it against the prop. I am sure there are others that could do it better. I would like to hear from any body else that fooled around with ballons.
Don pilot
Have not done that but I have barrel rolled around my flight lead while his passenger tried to take a picture.
And I have put my right wingtip into a storm and circumnavigated all of the way around it to get back to where I started.
Best of luck,
Wes
N78PS
Last edited by WLIU; 05-15-2014 at 09:22 AM.
Nope, I can't top that one! Still dreaming of the day when or if I'll get the chance for a flight in a P51.
"When" is today. "If" depends on how much money you have in your pocket. To the best of my knowledge, the folks at Kissimmee have a 2 seater ready and waiting for you....
On the other hand, here is a data point for you. A friend bought an hour of dual in one of the two seaters and, with a background in flight test, he reported that a P-51 is easier to fly than his Globe Swift.
Best of luck,
Wes
N78041
I once bailed out of a burning Link trainer in an unrecoverable spin. Does that count?
Ron Wanttaja
If it was one of the original blue boxes with leather bellows for the pneumatics and vacuum tubes, it certainly does!
Best of luck,
Wes
N78PS
Wooo Hooo! It certainly was. Our CAP squadron was restoring a WWII model back in the mid '70s. Used to love how it worked... an analog computer using vacuum and valves.Originally Posted by WLIU
I was working on it alone, late one night, and decided to spin it. Because of the way the stall valve worked, Links actually spun nose-up. I was whirling around in circles when I smelled smoke. I stomped the right rudder pedal to recover, but hadn't cotter-pinned the rudder cable and the cable popped free. I opened the canopy and looked out the side... smoke was coming from the main transformer in the base.
So I opened the canopy all the way, opened the door, and stood on the step. I watched the hangar whirl around for a moment, picked a clear spot, and jumped.
Ron Wanttaja
Your right, and I've been planning for some time now to go there and get my flight. A fellow I know did it and showed me the video footage from his flight with great enthusiasm.
I think it's time I get off my rump and "Get 'er done!"
I would like this information to get to Bob hoover, who I think would do a lot better than I did and could include it in his airshows.
Donpilot.
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