Chasing weather ballons with a P51

[Donpilot]

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

[WLIU]

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

[Infidel]

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.

[WLIU]

"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

[rwanttaja]

I once bailed out of a burning Link trainer in an unrecoverable spin. Does that count?

Ron Wanttaja

[WLIU]

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

[rwanttaja]

If it was one of the original blue boxes with leather bellows for the pneumatics and vacuum tubes, it certainly does!


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.

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

[Infidel]

"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

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!"

[Donpilot]

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.