"Jim Macklin" wrote in message
news:hBtZf.1$8q.0@dukeread08...

Isn't amazing how much time seems to exist in those few
moments. And all the details that you see.

Yup! In a fraction of a second there, I was doing the mental footwork
between the ground, my prop arc (my Hamilton 24D50 cut an 11' 2" swath ),
the angular sight distance between my plane and the other Mustang, my
wingspan vs the ground if I attempted to bank out of it, the buildings
coming right at me at 300 plus, AND that damn cow!!
I had almost accepted hitting the cow and trying to put the airplane down
somehow between the two buildings as I was yelling at lead to give me some
air.
It's funny. I've discussed this same "feeling" with friends of mine in
NASCAR and Indy Racing. They all say the same thing.
In these moments, the mind short circuits and thought based on reason stops
cold. Reaction is instinctive and will be right or wrong based on how deeply
ingrained your training has taken your mind.
I'm far from being qualified to analyze what actually happens to you
mentally, but I can tell you this much. To this day, I can sit here in the
den typing this post and remember in my mind's eye the exact markings on
that cow standing in that field :-))
Dudley Henriques