From Yeager's book:
...well, it was true that the drive shaft ran right up the center of the cramped cockpit, that the airplane performed beautifully at low altitudes, but underpowered up high, and that if you stalled it, you might wind up boring a deep hole because it spun like a top going down. But once you had a feel for the ship and understood it, the Thirty-Nine was a fun airplane to fly...
...there were three squadrons in our fighter group, and amoung all those pilots, I was one of the few who loved the Thirty-Nine and would have gladly flown it off to war.
for giggles:
...I told her I had five hundred hours in the Thirty-Nine and thought it was the best airplane I ever flew. She asked me if I wanted to fly it. "Yeah, man," I replied, "I'd give my right arm." So we concocted a little deal.
She was scheduled to fly the show the next morning. She was an ex-WASP, and the P.A. announcer told the crowd all about her just before take-off. We parked her Thirty-Nine away from the crowd. She outfitted me in a woman's wig, and white jump suit, and a blue cap, and off I went. I put on a helluva arobatic show, doing Immelmanns and Cuban eights, thrilled to be back in a Thirty-Nine again. I landed and parked far from the crowd, where she replaced me in the cockpit and then taxied up to the main ramp to receive the cheers.
Some guys will do anything to fly I guess.
- Jig
