Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51

[Mickey1992]

The link below is a short clip about the P-51.  At about :45 it shows aircraft taxiing and each one has a maintenance crew member riding on the wing.  Why would they do this?  Are they along for the ride for some task at the end of the runway?

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=30d_1301668798

[1Boner]

They're trying to hold it down so it won't run away!!

51s are very skitish ya know.

[Yenny]

lol good 1

[oakranger]

The link below is a short clip about the P-51.  At about :45 it shows aircraft taxiing and each one has a maintenance crew member riding on the wing.  Why would they do this?  Are they along for the ride for some task at the end of the runway?

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=30d_1301668798

I think to guide the pilot since they can not see where they are going. 

[F22RaptorDude]

I think to guide the pilot since they can not see where they are going. 

Your exactly correct

[Tupac]

I think to guide the pilot since they can not see where they are going. 

They can see out the sides though. Ive watched P51s taxi before and they've never had people riding on the wings.

[1Boner]

I took a ride in an AT-6 one time and the pilot would steer the plane side to side a little to keep an eye in front of the plane. (approaching the runway)

[F22RaptorDude]

Those spotters come in handy

[Wayout]

Those spotters come in handy

Especially when the taxiway isn't wide enough to swing the plane from side to side.  With the tail dragging those pilots are blind to what's in front of them.

[Carrel]

I think to guide the pilot since they can not see where they are going. 

Bull. We did not have blind pilots in WW2. That's just crazy talk.

[EskimoJoe]

Bull. We did not have blind pilots in WW2. That's just crazy talk.

No, but those pilots who could see had areas which they could
not see past... Hence, blind-spot 

[mthrockmor]

51 pilots cannot see over the nose as they taxi down the runway. They have a crewman sit on the wing to act as a ground guide. I have also seen videos of lines of P-51s snaking their way down the taxi ways. They slowly curve back and forth as they move downt he line. Pretty neat, all to ensure they don't go off the side of the taxi way or run into the plane ahead of them.

Boo

[Carrel]

That doesn't make sense to me. Why wouldn't they have just one crewman sit on the cowl then? I think they're hitching a ride to the mess hall or something.

[flight17]

That doesn't make sense to me. Why wouldn't they have just one crewman sit on the cowl then? I think they're hitching a ride to the mess hall or something.

how do you propose they get up onto that cowl? and if they did, where would they sit? you have 8 (i think) exaust pipes on each side taking up most of the sides... can only imagine how hot those things get.

[EskimoJoe]

how do you propose they get up onto that cowl? and if they did, where would they sit? you have 8 (i think) exaust pipes on each side taking up most of the sides... can only imagine how hot those things get.

Not to mention the big ol' fan of whirring decapitation and dismemberment in front