Warbird trivia

[Bob Womack]

Can anyone spot the serious mechanical problem with one of these two P-51s? These pics were shot about twenty minutes after they shut down the fans.

Bob

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The wheel well doors on the lower aircraft are retracted.

[Bob Womack]

You are correct!!! I spotted this and tried to tell the young pilot but he blew me off as an uneducated heathen and went back to schmoozing the young lasses. His inboard landing gear doors didn't come down when the plane's engine was cut. They normally sag down in a couple of minutes. After the pilot bloke blew me off, the gaggle of pilots dashingly mounted their steeds, cranked the fans, lit the fires, and buzzed off into the wild blue to return to their nest in the North. It was absolutely ear shattering, stomach churning, and awesome!!! While his buddies flew several flybys and buzzed the field, Bald Eagle skulked out into the pattern and hid over the horizon. The chicks went home. Then he sneaked back over the threshold and back to the hardstand. Why? His main mounts wouldn't come up. Hmmmmm... He landed and got an airframe and power plant mechanic to look it over. Diagnosis: broken inboard door bell crank. To protect the doors, the gear won't retract unless the inboard doors are open. His brethren buzzed off to the North and hearth, chicks, and home, while he called home for a new bell crank and looked for a hotel for the weekend. Alone. The moral of the story: Always preflight. Always. At the very least, it will save you from an ungallant exit.

Bob

[Harlan (Deceased)]

Those types are out there Bob. Trust me, he's not the only one. You did the right thing to try to let him know anyway.

Sometimes the smallest thing out of whack can mean something larger needs attention that can lead to disaster.