Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
WW2 fun fact......according to a docent at Palm Springs Air Museum those lucky teens in B-17's who were cruising at 25,000ft or so if they jumped they had to wait and do a count until they were down around 10,000ft to pull the cord. Jump out and pull the cord right away you were a block of ice when you hit the ground, and extremely dead. Can't imagine doing WW2 as a kid. One of the docents said the "old man" pilot on his ship was 23.
Extra bonus fact I always wondered about is the shrapnel you see in the movies exploding everywhere. How high could they go with that...........answer 42,000ft. As a group of bombers approached the Germans would send up fighters to tell the shrapnel guys their altitude, so that is why the bombers spread out the altitude so some of them wouldn't get bothered.
WW2 fun fact......according to a docent at Palm Springs Air Museum those lucky teens in B-17's who were cruising at 25,000ft or so if they jumped they had to wait and do a count until they were down around 10,000ft to pull the cord. Jump out and pull the cord right away you were a block of ice when you hit the ground, and extremely dead. Can't imagine doing WW2 as a kid. One of the docents said the "old man" pilot on his ship was 23.
Extra bonus fact I always wondered about is the shrapnel you see in the movies exploding everywhere. How high could they go with that...........answer 42,000ft. As a group of bombers approached the Germans would send up fighters to tell the shrapnel guys their altitude, so that is why the bombers spread out the altitude so some of them wouldn't get bothered.
I knew someone who did just that. Just a few days before Desert Storm he had to bail out with a total engine failure (F-16) while training for a large-force employment mission. His emergency power unit failed so the aircraft didn't glide, it departed controlled flight and entered a deep stall and spin. He ejected at ~29,000 feet and as he was riding the seat down he noticed that he was going to quickly catch and even pass the aircraft. The ACES II ejection seat has several modes, and it detects the outside conditions and provides the best seat performance for those conditions; at low altitude you want the parachute NOW so there's no delay. However, at high altitude you ride the seat down to 14,000 feet before the man-seat separator (aka "butt kicker") decouples the lap bet and snaps you out of the seat along with the parachute pulling you clear. There is a handle to manually pull after ejection which will override the automatic features, which this guy did, since he wanted nothing to do with an out-of-control F-16 above him while he's hanging in the 'chute. So, at around 26,000 feet he pulled the manual handle and was in for a long ride down. There is a 10-minute supply of oxygen from the "bailout bottle" which he used. Still, he was under the canopy about 20 minutes, in the evening, in January. He was very cold when he hit the ground even though it wasn't far from Al Kharj, KofSA. Not as cold as a B-17 crewman over Northern Europe in January, but cold nonetheless.
I knew someone who did just that. Just a few days before Desert Storm he had to bail out with a total engine failure (F-16) while training for a large-force employment mission. His emergency power unit failed so the aircraft didn't glide, it departed controlled flight and entered a deep stall and spin. He ejected at ~29,000 feet and as he was riding the seat down he noticed that he was going to quickly catch and even pass the aircraft. The ACES II ejection seat has several modes, and it detects the outside conditions and provides the best seat performance for those conditions; at low altitude you want the parachute NOW so there's no delay. However, at high altitude you ride the seat down to 14,000 feet before the man-seat separator (aka "butt kicker") decouples the lap bet and snaps you out of the seat along with the parachute pulling you clear. There is a handle to manually pull after ejection which will override the automatic features, which this guy did, since he wanted nothing to do with an out-of-control F-16 above him while he's hanging in the 'chute. So, at around 26,000 feet he pulled the manual handle and was in for a long ride down. There is a 10-minute supply of oxygen from the "bailout bottle" which he used. Still, he was under the canopy about 20 minutes, in the evening, in January. He was very cold when he hit the ground even though it wasn't far from Al Kharj, KofSA. Not as cold as a B-17 crewman over Northern Europe in January, but cold nonetheless.
But the guy did live, right? Seems to me he didn't have much in the way of better options. Airplane landing on you after bailing out could ruin your day.
But the guy did live, right? Seems to me he didn't have much in the way of better options. Airplane landing on you after bailing out could ruin your day.
Quite alive and well, we flew F-16s together after DS. He's at SWA or UPS now, I don't remember which.
WW2 fun fact......according to a docent at Palm Springs Air Museum those lucky teens in B-17's who were cruising at 25,000ft or so if they jumped they had to wait and do a count until they were down around 10,000ft to pull the cord. Jump out and pull the cord right away you were a block of ice when you hit the ground, and extremely dead. Can't imagine doing WW2 as a kid. One of the docents said the "old man" pilot on his ship was 23.
Extra bonus fact I always wondered about is the shrapnel you see in the movies exploding everywhere. How high could they go with that...........answer 42,000ft. As a group of bombers approached the Germans would send up fighters to tell the shrapnel guys their altitude, so that is why the bombers spread out the altitude so some of them wouldn't get bothered.
I cant imagine doing that. I was just reading some stories about bombers and their crews, and the things that went on. In some planes you didnt wear a chute, it was too bulky and not enough room in the plane to move around with it on. Reading where guys had to bale, or were thrown out with no chute on after a plane was hit. Not a fun time.
Extra bonus fact I always wondered about is the shrapnel you see in the movies exploding everywhere. How high could they go with that...........answer 42,000ft. As a group of bombers approached the Germans would send up fighters to tell the shrapnel guys their altitude, so that is why the bombers spread out the altitude so some of them wouldn't get bothered.
The Germans used rangefinders. For example, the 88 used a separate component which was an analog computer containing an optical rangefinder which fed range data right to the guns. Elevation is only one component of this, as aircraft are only at the distance of their elevation when directly overhead. Otherwise, even when maintaining a constant elevation their distance to a particular gun is constantly changing as the approach it.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,329 posts, read 54,381,135 times
Reputation: 40736
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vf6cruiser
Extra bonus fact I always wondered about is the shrapnel you see in the movies exploding everywhere. How high could they go with that...........answer 42,000ft. As a group of bombers approached the Germans would send up fighters to tell the shrapnel guys their altitude, so that is why the bombers spread out the altitude so some of them wouldn't get bothered.
My Dad was aircrew on 55 B-26 Marauder combat missions in the MTO. He always said they weren't all that fearful about the German fighters, maybe because you could at least return fire with them, but when the fighters disappeared they knew they were in for a rough ride.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
