I'm a sucker for the old prop planes, especially those of the ww2 era. P51D would be my choice out of those two. If I had to choose any one warbird to fly in for the rest of my life I would choose the Supermarine Spitfire, always been my favorite.
I'd like to fly the UH-1B huey that I crewed in Vietnam in 1965. It's still airworthy and flying in Logan Co, WV. I paid it a visit a few years back along with my son. I'd like to see if I can still hover those things.
Oooh, I really did enjoy my very few flights in the Corsair, only flew it twice, but I did fly the Mustang about 45 hours back in the early 60's. Being the Landing Signal Officer in the squadron, I managed to wangle flights in some of the other air wing aircraft, most memorable being the Phantom. I was gone from the Navy when the Tomcat came out, would have loved that beast. Most of my Navy time was in A1's and A4's..plenty in both. I did manage to fly most of the trainers, T-34, T-28 and SNB (ancient D-18 Beech) and Reserves got me qualified as AC in the E1B (slower than air, and ugly) Someone mentioned a Catapult shot, and yes, they were memorable. The really hard shots were on the smaller carriers with Hydraulic catapults, it was a major jolt! Steam cats were thrilling too, it was like God is taking me flying...steady acceleration from zero to 150 knots in about three heart beats...
Back east during the '80s I was in touch with a fellow in Maine who was rebuilding a C.A.C. TP-51D (Australian built) Mustang - second seat in place of the fuselage tank and the radio equipment relocated. He promised me a ride in the bird but it never came to pass. Evidently he ran out of funds or someone made him an offer for the airframe he couldn't afford to pass up.
I don't like flying in anything w/ one engine. If God wanted anyone to fly in anything with one engine, He wouldn't of invented an aircraft with 4 engines.
Being a Helicopter Crewman for most of my Career in the Navy My Favorite was and still would be the SH2F Seasprite. If I had to choose a fixed wing aircraft it would be the Blackbird hands down. Closest I could ever dream of being an Astronaut.
At one point in my life I was a commercial pilot and the P-51 was always the machine I wanted to fly!
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
The Firearms Forum
2.2M posts
71K members
Since 2003
A forum community dedicated to all firearm owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!