(ANDREW ROBERT BREEN) wrote:


The Beaufighter, too, was said by those who knew to be bad in ditching
- heavy for its time and with the way out underneath. I've often
heard my father (who did ASR in the channel) comment that he never saw
anyone get out from a ditched Beau.

So too was the Fairchild C-119 Packet. The AOI (Dash One) had a
large red lettered warning "DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DITCH THIS
AIRCRAFT". and went on to explain that because of placement of
the wings/engines and the shape of the fuselage, and that model
simulations had proven that upon water contact the aircraft's
nose would immediately submerge, be ripped off and that the
aircraft would immediately be destroyed. We believed them and
kept our chest chute packs nearby.
--

-Gord.