Warbird Information Exchange

I echo the many great thoughts posted here. As a long time warbird pilot it is always very sad to loose another. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the pilot. I did not know him but did fly that P-47 once back in May 1996 as a favor from the then owner. Blue skies!

Randy

A few more recovery pictures here:

http://nypost.com/2016/05/28/he-didnt-m ... sed-crash/

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the lack of damage is amazing, i saw a video of it hitting the water and it hit pretty hard and skimmed along for a few hundred meters, very sad

Is that as far back as the canopy will open on the P-47 or are there different positions like the T-6 canopy?
Doesn't seem like a lot of room to get out. Some of the News reports were clearly questionable, but there was at least one report that he got stuck trying to egress after the ditching.

I was wondering the same thing - or if it got jammed when it hit the water.

We also have to remember these planes were built for "kids" 18-25 to be climbing in and out of.

I'm pretty sure this is an electric operating canopy - it was when Bruce Lockwood let my son sit in the cockpit when it showed up at Reno many years ago. So I don't think there are any detents per se, but if it wasn't opened fully before the ditching then maybe the motor stopped. I'm certain there is a manual emergency jettison handle in the cockpit.

Yes, a T-handle on the upper right of the canopy frame for canopy jettison. It is visible in photos of this aircraft.

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"They done it, they done it, damned if they ain't flew." December 17, 1903

Looking at the recovery photos there appeared to be some fuselage wrinkling below the canopy on the right side, so it is possible that the fuselage twisted enough to jamb the canopy

It appears from the photos that the pilot did an amazing job setting the plane down with minimal damage. Looks like that plane will fly again. Sad the pilot couldn't get out in time. I used to live on the river...and have flown the corridor before. There really are no other options in an emergency than to go in the water.

Very sad news about Mr. Gordon. The plane will need to be treated as if it had been dipped in the Atlantic, as the Hudson at that point is more of an estuary than a river, with salinity levels close to that of the ocean.

August