Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Simaril on December 05, 2005, 01:53:33 PM
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Digging around for aircraft test data, I came across this story -- and instantly thought of you fine ladies and gentlemen.
Originally reported in oral history section of Air Mobility Command Museum; http://amcmuseum.org/Collections/OralStories/WorldWarII/SilverHistory.htm
Devito had the opportunity to test, inspect and fly several glider models from the United States and Europe . “When we got done inspecting a glider, we flew in it,” he said. “So we made sure they were ready to fly.”
By 1945, the glider unit had helped develop and test almost every type of tactical glider to include assault, power and cargo gliders, like the CG-4A, XPG-1, XPG-2 and XPG-3. To train glider pilots to safely pick up troops behind enemy lines, they tested different methods. One unique test subject was sheep. During the first test, a sheep was released from an aircraft and hung below it on a cable.
“After they towed the sheep around for a while, it was brought up, and a veterinarian would check its vitals to see how the sheep liked it,” Devito said. The next trial was to pick up a harnessed sheep similar to the way tow planes picked up the gliders — like a fishing rod hook and line. But during this test, the sheep got the pickup cable wrapped around its neck and died, so the harness was modified. “The second sheep survived,” Devito said. “So the team figured it was safe to pick up a lieutenant, then a sergeant.”
All emphasis mine.
While the team claimed the sheep was used for "testing only", it is significant to note that there is no mention of returning the already harnessed and immobilized wolly to its flock.
Also, as this was an allied testing unit, the subsequent rumors of the JB's communal "abuse of a corpse" offenses are likely (though not certainly) untrue.
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mBaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :aok
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Gotta love the test subject progression...from least significant to most;
Sheep...Lieutenant...Sargeant
:rofl