Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Mickey1992 on April 01, 2011, 01:51:17 PM

Title: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Mickey1992 on April 01, 2011, 01:51:17 PM
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 (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=30d_1301668798)
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: 1Boner on April 01, 2011, 02:00:18 PM
They're trying to hold it down so it won't run away!!

51s are very skitish ya know. :bolt:
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Yenny on April 01, 2011, 02:02:56 PM
lol good 1
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: oakranger on April 01, 2011, 02:16:30 PM
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 (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=30d_1301668798)

I think to guide the pilot since they can not see where they are going. 
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: F22RaptorDude on April 01, 2011, 03:26:32 PM
I think to guide the pilot since they can not see where they are going. 
Your exactly correct
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Tupac on April 01, 2011, 04:29:38 PM
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.
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: 1Boner on April 01, 2011, 06:53:18 PM
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)
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: F22RaptorDude on April 01, 2011, 06:54:34 PM
Those spotters come in handy
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Wayout on April 01, 2011, 07:22:35 PM
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.
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Carrel on April 02, 2011, 10:17:26 AM
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.
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: EskimoJoe on April 02, 2011, 10:26:23 AM
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  :ahand
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: mthrockmor on April 02, 2011, 10:53:58 AM
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
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Carrel on April 02, 2011, 11:03:19 AM
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.
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: flight17 on April 02, 2011, 11:10:23 AM
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.
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: EskimoJoe on April 02, 2011, 11:16:37 AM
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  :uhoh
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: 1sum41 on April 02, 2011, 11:20:46 AM
you can see where your going in the mustang but you have to s turn very hard. i do wing sitting for the mustang Buzzin Cuzzin while taxiing around at air shows.
see sig for the mustang
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Carrel on April 02, 2011, 11:35:23 AM
yeah, but i bet you jump off the wing before the plane takes off.
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Penguin on April 02, 2011, 05:36:15 PM
yeah, but i bet you jump off the wing before the plane takes off.

(http://arthropoda.southernfriedscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/facepalm.jpg)

Wow, just wow. 

-Penguin
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: allaire on April 02, 2011, 06:26:17 PM
Not to mention the big ol' fan of whirring decapitation and dismemberment in front  :uhoh
That is awesome.  On a related note due to budget cuts the Air Force is toying with similar ideas again.
(http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss327/Allaire69/a10weapon.jpg)
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: 1sum41 on April 02, 2011, 06:36:41 PM
yeah, but i bet you jump off the wing before the plane takes off.
... i dont even know what to say to you.. :bhead
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: curry1 on April 02, 2011, 07:40:13 PM
yeah, but i bet you jump off the wing before the plane takes off.

I bet he does.
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: flight17 on April 02, 2011, 08:11:24 PM
That is awesome.  On a related note due to budget cuts the Air Force is toying with similar ideas again.
(http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss327/Allaire69/a10weapon.jpg)
also long as the ejection cartridges were removed i would do that if it was a secure system... odd though, i wouldnt jump out of plane with a parachute
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: oakranger on April 02, 2011, 08:30:01 PM
yeah, but i bet you jump off the wing before the plane takes off.

Do you play AH at all?
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: rabbidrabbit on April 02, 2011, 08:50:31 PM
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.

The stupid is strong with this one.

Obviously just one extra crewman is not enough to hold down the awesomeness that is the P-51!

Duh!
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Carrel on April 02, 2011, 09:38:56 PM
Do you play AH at all?

Yes, I just started. I used to play AW for a short time. And when I take off there's no crewmen on the wings. I may be a noob but blind pilots? Crewmwn flying on the wings? You are trying to yank my leg. I may be a noob but I am not stupid.
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: 1sum41 on April 03, 2011, 12:07:50 AM
Yes, I just started. I used to play AW for a short time. And when I take off there's no crewmen on the wings. I may be a noob but blind pilots? Crewmwn flying on the wings? You are trying to yank my leg. I may be a noob but I am not stupid.
there not blind. you cannot see over the cowling because it is a taildragger aircraft.
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Guppy35 on April 03, 2011, 12:52:13 AM
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 (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=30d_1301668798)

Very common practice for the tail dragger fighters.  I can post pics of Spits, Jugs, P40s, 51s, etc all with ground crew on the wing to direct them while taxiing.  In particular with a bunch of fighters all working towards the runway, you didn't want someone cutting into the tail of another guy in front that he didn't see.
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: oakranger on April 03, 2011, 01:17:17 AM
Yes, I just started. I used to play AW for a short time. And when I take off there's no crewmen on the wings. I may be a noob but blind pilots? Crewmwn flying on the wings? You are trying to yank my leg. I may be a noob but I am not stupid.

A lot of the P-51s and P-47 who have a ground crew on the end of the wing to guild them as they are taxing onto the run way or off.  When you get onto AH, jump into a P-51 and try to taxi your self off the runway with out refueling.  See how well you can see what is in front of you. 
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Guppy35 on April 03, 2011, 01:29:41 AM
Pictures are worth a thousand words.  I think I have 6000 words on the subject here on a very common practice.

Spitfires
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s199/guppy35/Spitrider.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s199/guppy35/Spitfire.jpg)

Mustang
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s199/guppy35/Mustang-1.jpg)

Thunderbolts
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s199/guppy35/Jug1.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s199/guppy35/French47-1.jpg)

P40s
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s199/guppy35/40rider-1.jpg)
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Rino on April 03, 2011, 05:11:50 AM
     I don't know Guppy, according to Carrel we'd be dropping "meat-bombs" all over if we blind pilots did that
in AH  :D  All of a sudden F3 mode makes alot more sense  :lol
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Carrel on April 03, 2011, 10:33:30 AM
A lot of the P-51s and P-47 who have a ground crew on the end of the wing to guild them as they are taxing onto the run way or off.  When you get onto AH, jump into a P-51 and try to taxi your self off the runway with out refueling.  See how well you can see what is in front of you. 

Thank you Oakranger for FINALLY explaining it to me. Nobody else was making any sense. 
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: flight17 on April 03, 2011, 11:34:38 AM
im pretty sure a lot of us all said the same thing...
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Rino on April 03, 2011, 03:36:08 PM
     Guess we should have used smaller words  :D
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: allaire on April 03, 2011, 07:38:58 PM
     Guess we should have used smaller words  :D
And pictures. :rofl
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Carrel on April 03, 2011, 11:56:19 PM
And pictures. :rofl

I saw the picture and got confused because someone said the reason the crewmen were sitting on the wings was because the pilot couldn't see. It was a logical conclusion what they were saying was the pilot was blind, and that made no sense to me at all. Even a noob like me knows there were no blind pilots in WW2, not to mention spotters couldn't sit on the wings during extreme ACMs without seat belts, at least...and also not to mention, how could the spotters communicate to a blind pilot? Hand signals? And the drag of a couple of seat belted spotters  on your wings would maybe effect the aerodynamics of that aircraft. 

I'm willing to chalk this one up to a misunderstanding. In the future I hope some of you communicate better, I'm disappointed it took so many posts in this thread to finally work through it...it's like some of you can't understand plain English.



Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: EskimoJoe on April 04, 2011, 12:24:40 AM
This is.... truly sad..
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: oakranger on April 04, 2011, 12:33:48 AM
OK guys, he got a little confused about what i said.  He now understand. 
Title: Re: Maintenance crew riding on the wing of P-51
Post by: Tigger29 on April 04, 2011, 12:41:03 AM
I saw the picture and got confused because someone said the reason the crewmen were sitting on the wings was because the pilot couldn't see. It was a logical conclusion what they were saying was the pilot was blind, and that made no sense to me at all. Even a noob like me knows there were no blind pilots in WW2, not to mention spotters couldn't sit on the wings during extreme ACMs without seat belts, at least...and also not to mention, how could the spotters communicate to a blind pilot? Hand signals? And the drag of a couple of seat belted spotters  on your wings would maybe effect the aerodynamics of that aircraft. 

I'm willing to chalk this one up to a misunderstanding. In the future I hope some of you communicate better, I'm disappointed it took so many posts in this thread to finally work through it...it's like some of you can't understand plain English.

Seems very sheldon-esque to me!