---------------------------------------------------------- Tailwind-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Tue 01/06/04: 2 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 01:01 AM - Test, Please Ignore. (Matt Dralle) 2. 02:10 PM - Fw: mid- air collision (Rick and Cindy) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 01:01:57 AM PST US From: Matt Dralle Subject: Tailwind-List: Test, Please Ignore. This is a test. Please ignore. Matt #5 Matt G Dralle | Matronics | PO Box 347 | Livermore | CA | 94551 925-606-1001 V | 925-606-6281 F | dralle@matronics.com Email http://www.matronics.com/ WWW | Featuring Products For Aircraft ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 02:10:50 PM PST US From: "Rick and Cindy" "Tom and Renee Crosslin" , "Tailwind Discussion" , , "Howard Grimes" , "Gary Parrish" , "E'town Flying Service" , "Scot Crosslin" , "Paul Poberezny" , "DAVID SOUTHARD" , "Allan Jackson" Subject: Tailwind-List: Fw: mid- air collision --> Tailwind-List message posted by: "Rick and Cindy" Ladies and Gentlemen: I sold my Wittman Tailwind a couple of months ago. I didn't meet the man who bought it until he showed up to pick it up. When Jim arrived, turns out he was a WWII veteran of aerial combat in P-38s. A real living, breathing hero! Jim shared part of this amazing story of a mid air collision in his P-38 verbally while he was here, and here's 'the rest of the story'. Rick Crosslin ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim & Louise Irby" ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Subject: mid- air collision > i have been urged to write this story for years, by many, before i get > any older > i had a mid-air collision with my wing man while flying patrol > over Remagen bridge in early 1945.the germans were trying to dive bomb > the bridge and the 474fg and my 429fs of p-38s were trying to keep them > from itour sqdn comdr maj james cobb was sqdn lead as red 1, > i was 2nd element leader as red 3 and lt ralph byres was red 4, my wing > man. > we were circling at about 18000 when a flight of 4 FW-180s crossed > below at about 15000. they split in twos, maj cobb > dove on the right pair and i took after the left pair.i was closing fast > began scoring a few hits when "WHAM", > byers hit me from behind and above. the impact was so great, i > couldnt breathe. my seat back had knocked the breath out of me even with > a backpack parachute on. our two aircraft were stuck together. i couldnt > see out side,all i could see was the greasy belly of an engine nacell > that had crushed my canopy down on my head. while my left prop was > chewing on his airplane , the vibration was terrible. i instictively > yanked all the power off. throttles, prop & mixture. this caused us to > break apart. i never saw the other P-38 again. others in the sqdn > watched it tumble, burning, to the ground. > byers never got out. > when we broke apart, we weregoing straight down in a left spiral. > i pulled up to a shallow glide with the left engine on fire,quickly > turned off gas and ignition and prepared to bail out.the big old rhine > river under me and i assumed everything west of it was friendly > territory. to be sure, i punched up 9th TAC fighter control,they came > right back with a YES. > now the left engine fire was almost out. i had tried to feather it > but the prop blades were bent up into grotesque shapes and kept flipping > around, causing the airplane to sort of corkscrew thru the > air. > all the while, the right engine and prop > were windmilling smoothly. iturned on the gas and ignition, put the > mixture back up > and that sweetheart was running like a top, so i headed west toward home > base, > A-78 at florenes, belgium with the mag-compass swinging from side to > side > as the bent prop continued to flip over and over. > soon the sqdn caught up and lead me home.maj cobb stayed with me > while i dropped the gear. he flew under and said it looked ok. now i > worried about how the left wing damage would behave in a stall. > after everone else was on the ground, i pulled up and got a wicked stall > at about > 130. a pleasant tho, the prop and engine quit turningover and i had a > stable platform. > i smoked it on at about 150,climbed on the brakes as hard as i > dared and slowed > enough to make the turn-off at the end. > now coasting, the first hardstand was empty, so with a little left brake > i spun around and parked it onthe spot. > "WHAT A RIDE" this beautifull P-38 > had saved my but one more time. >