Any fliers?

(BUFDRVR) wrote:

Steve wrote:

Are you up for almost an entire day airborne?

I'd give it a go. Got to be more comfortable than a Cessna pukebox. :-)

I thought that too...until my first Global Power sortie. 28+ hours and when we
landed they poured me out of the jet and my head and back hurt for three days.
I'm here to tell you they're no fun.....novel, but not fun. My comfort limit is
24 hours. Anything longer and I'm in pain.

Not too many of us have had the unique pleasure of spending 28 -
30 hours airbourne at one fell swoop I'd say.

I can attest to the fact that it's quite a unique experience to
spend that (and many many slightly less lengthily sorties) over
the North Atlantic below 500 feet in the dead of winter where you
come home with the top fronts of your thighs sore from smashing
up against the lap belt and your 'leveling devices' so confused
that the tarmac seems to tip crazily under your feet as you
hobble painfully into the hangar after.

All I can say is that we well earned our pensions.
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

Gord Beaman wrote:

I can attest to the fact that it's quite a unique experience to
spend that (and many many slightly less lengthily sorties) over
the North Atlantic below 500 feet in the dead of winter

Oh the hell with that! At least on cruise legs between refuelings at FL350,
both pilots can kind of "zone out". At or below 500' ASL would require
vigilence by both pilots and I have no idea how the hell you could do that for
anything longer than 5 or 6 hours.


BUFDRVR

"Stay on the bomb run boys, I'm gonna get those bomb doors open if it harelips
everyone on Bear Creek"

Subject: Any fliers?
From: (BUFDRVR)
Date: 5/30/04 7:01 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

Gord Beaman wrote:

I can attest to the fact that it's quite a unique experience to
spend that (and many many slightly less lengthily sorties) over
the North Atlantic below 500 feet in the dead of winter

Oh the hell with that! At least on cruise legs between refuelings at FL350,
both pilots can kind of "zone out". At or below 500' ASL would require
vigilence by both pilots and I have no idea how the hell you could do that
for
anything longer than 5 or 6 hours.


BUFDRVR

"Stay on the bomb run boys, I'm gonna get those bomb doors open if it
harelips
everyone on Bear Creek"


It's not so much the time that makes the minutes seem like hours. It's the flak
that maked the seconds seem like hours. In clear skies, it's all a piece of
cake.



Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

(BUFDRVR) wrote:

Gord Beaman wrote:

I can attest to the fact that it's quite a unique experience to
spend that (and many many slightly less lengthily sorties) over
the North Atlantic below 500 feet in the dead of winter

Oh the hell with that! At least on cruise legs between refuelings at FL350,
both pilots can kind of "zone out". At or below 500' ASL would require
vigilence by both pilots and I have no idea how the hell you could do that for
anything longer than 5 or 6 hours.

BUFDRVR


Well a normal crew did have 3 pilots but that likely only helped
a little. The a/c did have a very good autopilot with an
'altitude hold' feature plus the engineer, usually a crotchety
old soul who wasn't above pushing the 'master fire warning bell
test switch' when he saw a pilot nodding off. It's one of the
most attention getting sounds in the world.
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)