Dudley Henriques wrote in
:

Dan Luke wrote:
"Dudley Henriques" wrote:

"Jeeze,,Holy Cow Hon....not the damn COW story again!!"

Oh, no you don't, Dudley. You're not getting away without telling
the cow story.

But it better not start with "This ain't no bull***t..."



A HA!!! I snagged one!!!.....and my wife told me this old trick I play
on the family each year would NEVER work on the sharp guys on "RAP"

Well, if you INSIST on hearing the cow story and have fallen prey to
my unashamed trolling segue invitation.....here it is.

Please forgive my pasting it in below, but this thing has been bandied
around our family so much I finally made a copy and saved it for email
use
:-)

The P51 Cow Story ( Or as it's known around the Henriques
household...
"The Dudley's Horny Story"

I remember one time; I was out playing some formation acro with a
buddy of

mine out over the boonies. Both of us were flying Mustangs. I usually
flew

the wing position when we did this.[ I never told John, but I had this

aversion to having that big Hamilton of his that close up my

butt...especially if we had been out the night before!! :-) ]

Anyway, I'm tucked in on his left wing back and down about twenty feet
when

he calls for a 4 g loop. I slide back and inside just enough to get a
45

degree paint between my windshield bow mirror and his left well cover

[the position for a vertical maneuver that keeps me from slicing off
his tail section and bending my prop!! ]

Well, I noticed the altimeter was a bit low

at the maneuver onset, but still within parameters for the loop. John
calls

the maneuver and walks us up to 4g's. I'm glued on the paint ; holding

position. You get a peripheral view of the horizon holding a position
paint

in formation acro. Without taking my eyes off John, I knew he was long
over

the top. On the way down I felt we were long as well. The g didn't
feel

right...it wasn't enough! Anyway, I'm beginning now to feel the g
building

at a faster rate than I should be feeling......and this ain't good!!
We're

past vertical and I can see the ground under his wing. You know that
awful

feeling you get when you know you are in too deep? Well I had it right

there!!! You mentally do the math and geometry instantly in these

situations. I could see we were going to make it, but it was going to
be

close....damn close!

I could "feel" that we had enough g available to make the recovery
arc, but

being low and outside, I was committed lower than John was. He eased
us out

with enough room under my airplane to maybe stuff a cornstalk between
me and the

ground. Then I notice we're "in" a field with trees at the end ahead
of us.

There, right in front of me is this cow. He was eating grass with his
head way down low. I instantly had the thought flash through my head
that I was low enough that if he raised his head to take a peek at
what was barreling at him at a good 250mph I stood a damn good chance
of taking his horns off with the tips of my prop.

I shouted "Break...Break up!!...Give me some room, quick!!! " John
pulls up

just in time for me to miss the cow and go knife edge between two
trees at the end of the

field. I swear, I flew between them left wing down, standing on the
right

rudder!

Well, all's well that end's well I guess. I missed the cow, missed the
trees and missed the houses. One could say I REALLY "missed" up!!!


End of stupid Dudley story! Needless to say, we had a few beers that

night while we went over entry altitudes and g profiles for pilots who
wish

to live longer lives! :-)))



Whew.

NEver had that close a call doing aerobaitcs, I don't think . Well, not
technicaly anyway. You were one lucky boy!

Bertie