Gary Rezeau has an interesting comment below about "the right stuff." At the risk of deviating a little from the Crusader subject matter, here's some generational comparisons: In 1939, my dad was rejected by the USAAF ("vision not good enough") and then volunteered with the Finnish air force, when they were fighting the Russians. They signed an armistice before he could get there. Then he went across the border and joined the RCAF. He was trained in Spitfires and then Hurricanes. Flew with an RAF squadron in England and North Africa. Got shot down three times, almost captured by the Germans in North Africa. When the RAF tried to rotate him to be an instructor in Canada, he transferred to the USAAF, which NOW accepted him! He was first trained in P-47s, then switched to P-51s and back to England. After four years of combat flying, he iced up on his 11th mission over Germany and crashed in East Anglia. KIA with only four months left in the European war. He makes the rest of us seem like wimps by comparison. I had a lot to live up to. I wonder what he would think about our country today.
There must also be a flyable computer available for Nefarious to do FSO. So he doesn't keep talking about it for eight and a half hours on Friday night!
Ok more details. His dad was 360th FS, 354th FG.
With that nose I would say 356th FG, 360th FS.
Yep. You're right, I typed it out wrong.
Found this on a forum dedicated to the F-8 crusader. The pilots last name was Nelson, I didn't ask what unit or anything else... This P-51 nose jumped out at me. Would make an interesting skin for sure and honor a great American at the same time. Anybody got any details about the pilot and this P-51? (Image removed from quote.)
That one hard core dude! Definitely a “Never day never” kinda guy.
