When you gotta go...

[Kweassa]

Suddenly the topic sprang up in my mind...

When you gotta go, you gotta go, right?

How common was the pilot relief tube system amongst the aircraft of WW2?

It'd be interesting to see how many of our AH planes were equipped with such considerations for the pilot.

I'm guessing probably most of the bombers had them.. but small fighter aircraft...??

[Karnak]

Based on comments I've seen from P-51 pilots, I am guessing the P-51 did not have any such system.

[Enker]

I believe the P-47 had one, but it froze over at altitude, same for the P-51, as I vaguely remember Chuck Yeager talking about how they froze over, causing the pilots to go before take off, otherwise they would have to hold it. From Yeager, the autobiography.

[Grendel]

Interestingly, from my talks with Finnish pilots, they told that the American built fighters did have relief tubes, others not. Those that didn't have included Me 109, MS 406, Fiat G-50 for example. On the other hand, Curtiss Hawk 36 and Brewster did have pissing tubes.

Bombers, perhaps surprisingly, didn't seem to have those, though. Blenheims didnt. Ju-88s/Dorniers, I don't know. British had interesting experiences with jammed bomb days until they noticed that the crew  werepissing in bomb bay - and the piss froze the bomb doors, that wouldn't then open...

Or perhaps the tubes on the earlier B17s were poorly located, so the crew thought it easier to do their needs elsewhere.

[Soulyss]

Based on comments I've seen from P-51 pilots, I am guessing the P-51 did not have any such system.

Actually there's a chance the 51 did, in Anderson's book there's a passage where he talks about the relief tube.  It was there, but at altitude moisture would get in the there and freeze frequently, and the hassle of actually using it considering how many layers of clothing they wore usually meant that he just didn't bother.  I'll see if I can find the specific passage when I get home from work.

[TheAce]

Wasn't there just a small hatch by the tail wheel in the B17 where you could just set your butt down and let it all out in view of the tail gunner?

[Soulyss]

Being somewhat of a slow work day, I scanned through the different aircraft sections of America's Hundred Thousand, and of all the fighter types deployed the only one that didn't mention a relief tube being furnished with the aircraft was the F6F.

[Enker]

Wasn't there just a small hatch by the tail wheel in the B17 where you could just set your butt down and let it all out in view of the tail gunner?

It was a small toilet actually. And I think that was in the G and after, though I would think that your posterior region would freeze to the seat.

[Speed55]

Suddenly the topic sprang up in my mind...

You wouldn't happen to have been sitting in traffic would you?

[Nemisis]

We should all get those for out AH2 gaming rigs . No more "away from keyboard" messages.

[Kweassa]

You wouldn't happen to have been sitting in traffic would you?

 Actually, there was a debate on how the pilots took care of their bladders and bowels, in a small local web community on military history that I am a part of. The topic came up when someone mentioned how medieval knights took care of business during battles - just pis*ing and shi*ing in armour, right on top of a horse... and how the squires and attendants would have to clean it up after the master returned smelling like crap (literally).

[Guppy35]

Based on comments I've seen from P-51 pilots, I am guessing the P-51 did not have any such system.

51s had a relief tube.  Classic story was the pilot who didn't want to hassle with having to undo everything during a flight.  he instead taped the relief tube to his 'joystick'.  He didn't really notice anything until he got to altitude when things starting to feel cold, then numb.  The relief tube of course vented to outside the fuselage.  By the time he got back to base he was in great pain as things had frozen, unfrozen and swollen up so that the relief tube had to be cut off.

[Big Rat]

OUCH!!!!, bet that made for a long flight

 
BigRat

[Nemisis]

Poor guy. That must have SUCKED!

[sandwich]

im thinking you should be able to take a leak out of the waist gunner position.

as long as youre not at 25k.

just after takeoff or just before landing.