Everytime I hear some guy complain on 200 about some guy 'pulling his cord' I start to laugh as it reminds me of a story told to me by a WW2 Spitfire pilot named Terry Spencer.
The date was August 23, 1944 and the Spitfire XII pilots of 41 Squadron were on a flight over Holland. They were carrying drop tanks and were at the point where they had used them up and were going to switch to internal fuel.
Tom Slack, a Flight Lead in 41 reached for the handle to switch to internal fuel and had it come off in his hand. His engine stopped and he began gliding down.
Around him the other pilots were offering all kinds of suggestions. The set up was simple in that a wire ran from the cockpit to the DT. In theory, Tom could reach down and try and grab the wire.
Terry Spencer called over the RT "Pull your wire Tom! Pull your wire!"
In the slang of the day, "pull your wire' also meant playing with yourself.
Tom's reply was "This is no time for jest!" , as he glided down to a crash landing and nine + months as a POW.
So think about that next time you tell some one on 200 to quit pulling his cord
