Stupid helmet question

[Greasy Rider© @invalid.com]

I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51
Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to
wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness
of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap?

As a motorcyclist I feel very strange if I'm not wearing the very best
helmet that I can afford. Why would a pilot operate a high performance
aircraft with anything less?

I know that a high dollar helmet and other protective gear has no
guarantees whether it's a car, motorcycle, pony or aircraft.

Am I missing something? Is the pilot simply exercising his freedom to
take his chances? (The law won't let me do that in some states.)

[Ed Rasimus]

On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 16:36:18 GMT, Greasy Rider© @invalid.com wrote:

>I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51
>Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to
>wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness
>of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap?
>
>As a motorcyclist I feel very strange if I'm not wearing the very best
>helmet that I can afford. Why would a pilot operate a high performance
>aircraft with anything less?
>
>I know that a high dollar helmet and other protective gear has no
>guarantees whether it's a car, motorcycle, pony or aircraft.
>
>Am I missing something? Is the pilot simply exercising his freedom to
>take his chances? (The law won't let me do that in some states.)

What you may be missing is recognition of the fact that the helmet in
modern, high-performance aircraft functions primarily as an anchor
mechanism for electronics and an oxygen mask. It does shield the
noggin from the canopy bangs that potentially result from abrupt
maneuvers, but it doesn't add all that much to "crash worthiness."

In fact, most states will not accept a military flight helmet as a
substitute for a certified auto/motorcycle helmet.

But, they do make you feel cool when you put it on and drop the
visor--at least until the hot spots start showing up forty-five
minutes into a ten hour ocean crossing.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com

[Steven P. McNicoll]

<Greasy Rider© @invalid.com> wrote in message
...
>
> I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51
> Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to
> wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness
> of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap?
>

When was the photo taken?

[Greasy Rider© @invalid.com]

On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 17:15:59 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
> postulated :

>When was the photo taken?

Don't know.
There is a series called "P-51" over in
alt.binaries.pictures.military. Difficult to tell time frame.

[Steven P. McNicoll]

<Greasy Rider© @invalid.com> wrote in message
...
>
> Don't know.
> There is a series called "P-51" over in
> alt.binaries.pictures.military. Difficult to tell time frame.
>

I can only view 3 of the 11 images, the one showing a pilot with cap is not
available to me.

[Greasy Rider© @invalid.com]

On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 17:55:14 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
> postulated :

>I can only view 3 of the 11 images, the one showing a pilot with cap is not
>available to me.

E-mailed it to you....

Regards,
Greasy

[Ragnar]

Greasy Rider© @invalid.com wrote:
> I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51
> Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to
> wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness
> of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap?
>
> As a motorcyclist I feel very strange if I'm not wearing the very best
> helmet that I can afford. Why would a pilot operate a high performance
> aircraft with anything less?
>
> I know that a high dollar helmet and other protective gear has no
> guarantees whether it's a car, motorcycle, pony or aircraft.
>
> Am I missing something? Is the pilot simply exercising his freedom to
> take his chances? (The law won't let me do that in some states.)


Top speed of a P-51 is over 400 mph. Exactly which helmet is going to
help him in a crash?

[Greasy Rider© @invalid.com]

On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 14:14:08 -0400, Ragnar >
postulated :

>Top speed of a P-51 is over 400 mph. Exactly which helmet is going to
>help him in a crash?

So... all crashes occur at top speed?

[Mike Kanze]

In the early 1970s the USN was very insistent about aircrew wearing the
helmet - with the visor down - anytime while out on an active flight line,
or on the flight deck when the ship was at Flight Quarters. The safety point
was one of vision and hearing conservation. This was a major culture change
for many of the lower Rocket numbers, who had grown up in more relaxed
times; and a minor one for the rest of us. For me it simply meant keeping my
****cutter and Ray-Bans in my G-suit pocket until leaving the flight line.

Of course the helmet was, and is, excellent protection for your head when
doing 0-dark-30 preflights on a dimly lit flight deck.

The USN also got very big on good general "industrial safety" practices
during that era as well (for example, no rings or jewelry that could
accidentally amputate a body part if you were a wrench-turner). This
predated the onset of similar OSHA stuff in civilian industry.

--
Mike Kanze

"If truth is beauty, how come no one has their hair done in the library?"

- Lily Tomlin


"Ed Rasimus" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 16:36:18 GMT, Greasy Rider© @invalid.com wrote:
>
>>I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51
>>Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to
>>wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness
>>of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap?
>>
>>As a motorcyclist I feel very strange if I'm not wearing the very best
>>helmet that I can afford. Why would a pilot operate a high performance
>>aircraft with anything less?
>>
>>I know that a high dollar helmet and other protective gear has no
>>guarantees whether it's a car, motorcycle, pony or aircraft.
>>
>>Am I missing something? Is the pilot simply exercising his freedom to
>>take his chances? (The law won't let me do that in some states.)
>
> What you may be missing is recognition of the fact that the helmet in
> modern, high-performance aircraft functions primarily as an anchor
> mechanism for electronics and an oxygen mask. It does shield the
> noggin from the canopy bangs that potentially result from abrupt
> maneuvers, but it doesn't add all that much to "crash worthiness."
>
> In fact, most states will not accept a military flight helmet as a
> substitute for a certified auto/motorcycle helmet.
>
> But, they do make you feel cool when you put it on and drop the
> visor--at least until the hot spots start showing up forty-five
> minutes into a ten hour ocean crossing.
>
>
> Ed Rasimus
> Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
> "When Thunder Rolled"
> www.thunderchief.org
> www.thundertales.blogspot.com

[Dale]

In article >,
Ed Rasimus > wrote:


> What you may be missing is recognition of the fact that the helmet in
> modern, high-performance aircraft functions primarily as an anchor
> mechanism for electronics and an oxygen mask. It does shield the
> noggin from the canopy bangs that potentially result from abrupt
> maneuvers, but it doesn't add all that much to "crash worthiness."
>
> In fact, most states will not accept a military flight helmet as a
> substitute for a certified auto/motorcycle helmet.


Here's a quote of the flightsuits.com website in reference to one of the
helmets:

Caution: HGU-55 helmets have been designed for use in fixed-wing
aircraft and offer limited impact protection. Users with different
applications should consider helmets with greater impact protection
designed specifically for their applications.

--
Dale L. Falk

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing around with airplanes.

http://home.gci.net/~sncdfalk/flying.html

[Dudley Henriques]

It has nothing to do with feeling secure. It has everything to do with
understanding how hard the ground is when you hit it in something like a
P51.
I flew a Mustang for many hours with a baseball cap. Hard helmets are a REAL
pleasure at altitude with the sun pouring in on them. It's like having your
head in a pizza oven. You wear them in the military because that's where
they put the avionics and O2 crap.
In fast airplanes, If you dig a hole at the speeds your airplane is capable
of handling, it won't matter much what you have on your head. Your head AND
the helmet will probably end up on some tree branch dangling in the wind
anyway. On a bike you have a nice breeze to cool off your bean. In a 51,
you're under a magnifying glass on a hot sunny day!
Bob Hoover uses a soft plantation hat that he sits on enroute, then puts on
after he lands to keep the sun out of his eyes while he taxies in. I did the
same on more than one occasion.
A helmet WILL save you from the occasional "bump" on the head, but
everything considered, many of us opt not to wear one if we have the option.
It has nothing to do with overconfidence and everything to do with quality
of life! :-)
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot; CFI; Retired
dhenriquestrashatearthlinktrashdotnet
(take out the trash :-)

<Greasy Rider© @invalid.com> wrote in message
...
>I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51
> Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to
> wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness
> of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap?
>
> As a motorcyclist I feel very strange if I'm not wearing the very best
> helmet that I can afford. Why would a pilot operate a high performance
> aircraft with anything less?
>
> I know that a high dollar helmet and other protective gear has no
> guarantees whether it's a car, motorcycle, pony or aircraft.
>
> Am I missing something? Is the pilot simply exercising his freedom to
> take his chances? (The law won't let me do that in some states.)

[old hoodoo]

Greasy wrote:
> I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51
> Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to
> wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness
> of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap?
>
> As a motorcyclist I feel very strange if I'm not wearing the very best
> helmet that I can afford. Why would a pilot operate a high performance
> aircraft with anything less?
>
> I know that a high dollar helmet and other protective gear has no
> guarantees whether it's a car, motorcycle, pony or aircraft.
>
> Am I missing something? Is the pilot simply exercising his freedom to
> take his chances? (The law won't let me do that in some states.)

My guess is that he has probabably taken off the helmet and secured it
in the cockpit for take-offs and landing? Might even have a special
place for it, would have to in that limited space?

Some pilots and motorcycle jock's I know utterly lack imagination and
have no conception of getting hurt. It may be due in part to extreme
self-confidence and perhaps a little ego boost at not being a pussy.

[old hoodoo]

Oopps, didn't put a smiley face after "pussy". Someone is going to get
their feelings hurt so here it is. :-)

[Greasy Rider© @invalid.com]

On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 18:32:09 -0500, old hoodoo
> postulated :

>Some pilots and motorcycle jock's I know utterly lack imagination and
>have no conception of getting hurt. It may be due in part to extreme
>self-confidence and perhaps a little ego boost at not being a pussy.

Been riding since the early 50s and by the grace of God only had one
serious rag doll. I'd have to disagree with the "utterly lack
imagination and have no conception of getting hurt" part in my case.
As I cruise down the concrete ribbon I am more than aware of the
delicacy and insanity of my position. Just inches from some very hard
and abrasive substance not to mention the brain dead cagers talking on
their cell phones. I’ve never talked to a motorcyclist who didn’t know
he was skating on the edge of survival and most will tell you that in
almost any event the motorcyclist will have his life forever changed.
The freedom that removing the state mandated helmet and simply
enjoying the breeze is almost intoxicating. Kinda like cruising in an
open helocopter two feet AGL.

Don’t think I’ve ever considered the ego aspect of not being a pussy
but I hear that you are what you eat. :)


Greasy

[Dave Kearton]

"old hoodoo" > wrote in message
news:NfF4e.33$fn5.19@okepread01
| Oopps, didn't put a smiley face after "pussy". Someone is going to
| get their feelings hurt so here it is. :-)



A smiley face after pussy is assumed.



--

Cheers


Dave Kearton

[Noah Little]

Dave Kearton wrote:
>
> A smiley face after pussy is assumed.

:-)
--
Noah

[Gord Beaman]

"Dave Kearton" > wrote:

>"old hoodoo" > wrote in message
>news:NfF4e.33$fn5.19@okepread01

>| Oopps, didn't put a smiley face after "pussy". Someone is going to
>| get their feelings hurt so here it is. :-)
>
>
>
>A smiley face after pussy is assumed.

Of course...some just smile, others smile AND smoke...
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

[Dave Kearton]

"Gord Beaman" > wrote in message

| "Dave Kearton" > wrote:
|
|| "old hoodoo" > wrote in message
|| news:NfF4e.33$fn5.19@okepread01
|
||| Oopps, didn't put a smiley face after "pussy". Someone is going to
||| get their feelings hurt so here it is. :-)
||
||
||
|| A smiley face after pussy is assumed.
|
| Of course...some just smile, others smile AND smoke...
| --
|
| -Gord.
| (use gordon in email)




Gord, you've got to slow down ......



--

Cheers


Dave Kearton

[J.A.M.]

Nope. Instant acceleration and deccelerations occur, and then the time tends
to zero and the forces tends to infinite. It's called percussion in physics.
Classic example are the snooker balls. Also hitting a golf ball. No time
between the club hits the ball and it goes flying.
By definition the percussion is a sharp impact, where time is zero and force
infinite.

"hoarse with no name" > escribió en el mensaje
...

> With all vehicle crashes it is worth remembering that deceleration is
> equivalent to acceleration and that it takes an infinite amount of force
> to accelerate instantly. This means we never accelerate/decelerate
> instantly. When a vehicle crashes the time necessary to decelerate is
> bought, so to speak, through the deformation of the structure. When an
> unhelmeted body is thrown from the cycle and the head meets the ground
> time for deceleration is bought the same way, through deformation of the
> structure. I also believe that some of the velocity is redirected, often
> perpendicular to the pavement. This is why the advantage goes to the
> helmeted rider whose head decelerates by compressing the cushioning in
> the helmet.

[Per Andersson]

J.A.M. wrote:
> Nope. Instant acceleration and deccelerations occur, and then the time tends
> to zero and the forces tends to infinite. It's called percussion in physics.
> Classic example are the snooker balls. Also hitting a golf ball. No time
> between the club hits the ball and it goes flying.
> By definition the percussion is a sharp impact, where time is zero and force
> infinite.
>

Not in real life but as an approximation. The golf ball will
deform (can be seen in high speed films) and it will take a
finite time for the deformation front to move trough the ball.
If not, we would have an infinite stiff ball with an infinite
speed of sound in the ball and no internal loss of energy
and that is unphysical. Percussion
is just a tool used to simplify calculations and not something
you will find in nature.

/Per

[Keith W]

"J.A.M." > wrote in message
...
> Nope. Instant acceleration and deccelerations occur, and then the time
> tends
> to zero and the forces tends to infinite. It's called percussion in
> physics.
> Classic example are the snooker balls. Also hitting a golf ball. No time
> between the club hits the ball and it goes flying.

If you watch a slow motion image you'll find there is in fact a delay and
elastic deformation, small to be sure, occurs in both ball and cue/club.
Trick shots rely on this interaction, for example if you want to jump
the cue ball over another you strike down onto the top surface of the
ball, its the elastic rebound that makes it jump.


> By definition the percussion is a sharp impact, where time is zero and
> force
> infinite.

Thats a simplification, to be true in real life this would require materials
that were completely inelastic. These do not exist.

Keith



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[J.A.M.]

Ok. That's right. Evidently that's a theoric approach to a real life
evolution.
My point was that while the forces are not infinite, they are very high
indeed.
Not very relevant to the discussion, though. English is not my craddle
language, so sometimes I have problems getting across...

Anyway, back to the topic, helmets (HGU-series) are not impact resistant,
just save your head from ocassional bumps, while manoevering, preflighting,
etc... and as stated before, provide a secure place to hang mics, oxigen
masks, NVG's, earphones, noise attenuation... etc...
And they look cool with the visor down. That must count for something.
Anyway they weigh a ton when pulling G's.

"Keith W" > escribió en el mensaje
...
>
> "J.A.M." > wrote in message
> ...
> > Nope. Instant acceleration and deccelerations occur, and then the time
> > tends
> > to zero and the forces tends to infinite. It's called percussion in
> > physics.
> > Classic example are the snooker balls. Also hitting a golf ball. No time
> > between the club hits the ball and it goes flying.
>
> If you watch a slow motion image you'll find there is in fact a delay and
> elastic deformation, small to be sure, occurs in both ball and cue/club.
> Trick shots rely on this interaction, for example if you want to jump
> the cue ball over another you strike down onto the top surface of the
> ball, its the elastic rebound that makes it jump.
>
>
> > By definition the percussion is a sharp impact, where time is zero and
> > force
> > infinite.
>
> Thats a simplification, to be true in real life this would require
materials
> that were completely inelastic. These do not exist.
>
> Keith
>
>
>
> ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet
News==----
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Newsgroups
> ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption
=----

[Phormer Phighter Phlyer]

Greasy Rider© @invalid.com wrote:
> I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51
> Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to
> wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness
> of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap?
>
> As a motorcyclist I feel very strange if I'm not wearing the very best
> helmet that I can afford. Why would a pilot operate a high performance
> aircraft with anything less?
>
> I know that a high dollar helmet and other protective gear has no
> guarantees whether it's a car, motorcycle, pony or aircraft.
>
> Am I missing something? Is the pilot simply exercising his freedom to
> take his chances? (The law won't let me do that in some states.)

In high performance aircraft, like the P-51, the thing on your head is
just something to hold the earphones and mic. An O2 mask if ya need that.

The high dollar helmet that I wore would protect in case of an ejection
but in the case of a crash, the helmet will just make it easier to
recover your head...it'll look better in the coffin.

[Qui si parla Campagnolo]

Greasy Rider© @invalid.com wrote:
> On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 14:14:08 -0400, Ragnar >
> postulated :
>
>
>>Top speed of a P-51 is over 400 mph. Exactly which helmet is going to
>>help him in a crash?
>
>
> So... all crashes occur at top speed?
>

A crash and roll when landing would still be 150 mph or so...in a
cockpit not designed to protect in a crash with roll cages and such. A
helmet helps when you bang your head on preflight, again, a place to
mount the headphones, mic/O2 mask, little else. Also something that is
reflective when you are in the H2O for the helo...place to attach the
strobe. No protection in a crash.

[Gord Beaman]

"J.A.M." > wrote: .
>
>Anyway, back to the topic, helmets (HGU-series) are not impact resistant,
>just save your head from ocassional bumps, while manoevering, preflighting,
>etc... and as stated before, provide a secure place to hang mics, oxigen
>masks, NVG's, earphones, noise attenuation... etc...
>And they look cool with the visor down. That must count for something.
>Anyway they weigh a ton when pulling G's.
>
Dunno about G's but they certainly weigh a ton after a 28 hour
flight.
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

[Gord Beaman]

"Dave Kearton" > wrote:

>
>"Gord Beaman" > wrote in message

>| "Dave Kearton" > wrote:
>|
>|| "old hoodoo" > wrote in message
>|| news:NfF4e.33$fn5.19@okepread01
>|
>||| Oopps, didn't put a smiley face after "pussy". Someone is going to
>||| get their feelings hurt so here it is. :-)
>||
>||
>||
>|| A smiley face after pussy is assumed.
>|
>| Of course...some just smile, others smile AND smoke...
>| --
>|
>| -Gord.
>| (use gordon in email)
>
>
>
>
>Gord, you've got to slow down ......

I know! I know!, my wife keeps saying that too (thank God)
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

[Bob]

Pilots in my day, 50s to 90s, wore helmets because they were required
safety items. Had they not been required most jet fighter pilots would
have opted for a ball cap. Why? you might ask. The standard helmet
issued to Vietnam era fighter pilots weighed around 5 pounds. Pull max
G's and you got several things due to the helmet. One, your O2 mask
went down below your chin making it hard to talk to anybody. Two your
head was pulled into your lap and forget about twisting around to clear
your six. Why were these helmets so heavy? because we (USN) had a
helmet spec that required it to survive 40G's and resisit a 2 pound
spike dropped from ten feet above. No pilots had a voice in creating
these specs. Guess who did? Right, the helmet manufacturers.
Pre-Vietnam we wore Orange flight suits. Better to find your body
after a crash. One good thing the Vietnam war did for us was send all
these "Safety" pukes scurrying under their desks and for the most part
out of our hair. We wore really hot, sweaty, stinky Nomex flight
suits. Why? fire proof of course. I never heard of a cockpit fire in
a jet airplane but I'm sure there were some somewhere.

I don't own a P-51 but if I did I assure you I would not wear a nomex
flight suit or some damn over-speced helmet. If safety was really
paramount (the often chanted parable) I'd stay the hell out of a P-51
or anything which got me so far above ground thqt a fall might hurt. A
motorcycle? Forget that! More dangerous than smoking three packs a
day in a gasoline refinery. I'm for choice. You want a helmet, be my
guest. Just don't tell me I must also.

[Grantland]

"Bob" > wrote:
>I'm for choice. You want a helmet, be my
>guest. Just don't tell me I must also.
>
Then give up social health-care rights. Pay high premiums.

[Jim Baker]

"Ed Rasimus" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 16:36:18 GMT, Greasy Rider© @invalid.com wrote:
>
<snip>

> But, they do make you feel cool when you put it on and drop the
> visor--at least until the hot spots start showing up forty-five
> minutes into a ten hour ocean crossing.
>
>
> Ed Rasimus

On my first ride taxiing out in a Tweet in UPT, I noticed the mirror and
casually moved it inboard (to not draw attention to the fact that I wasn't
paying attention to the droning from the right seat) and moved my head
outboard. I swear, it was the coolest looking reflection I had ever seen of
myself. I laughed at myself later in my Q when I thought back that the most
exciting thing I did that day was not the flight, (even though that was very
exciting) but the image of myself in a helmet, dark visor down and oxygen
mask up. Later, I got to hate wearing that huge, heavy white helmet. It
was a real blessing when the lighterweight, fitted ones came along.

Jim Baker

[old hoodoo]

Greasy wrote:

> On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 18:32:09 -0500, old hoodoo
> > postulated :
>
>
>>Some pilots and motorcycle jock's I know utterly lack imagination and
>>have no conception of getting hurt. It may be due in part to extreme
>>self-confidence and perhaps a little ego boost at not being a pussy.
>
>
> Been riding since the early 50s and by the grace of God only had one
> serious rag doll. I'd have to disagree with the "utterly lack
> imagination and have no conception of getting hurt" part in my case.
> As I cruise down the concrete ribbon I am more than aware of the
> delicacy and insanity of my position. Just inches from some very hard
> and abrasive substance not to mention the brain dead cagers talking on
> their cell phones. I’ve never talked to a motorcyclist who didn’t know
> he was skating on the edge of survival and most will tell you that in
> almost any event the motorcyclist will have his life forever changed.
> The freedom that removing the state mandated helmet and simply
> enjoying the breeze is almost intoxicating. Kinda like cruising in an
> open helocopter two feet AGL.
>
> Don’t think I’ve ever considered the ego aspect of not being a pussy
> but I hear that you are what you eat. :)
>
>
> Greasy

The great thing about P---- is that unlike cake, you can eat it and have
it too.

[Blinky the Shark]

["Followup-To:" header set to rec.aviation.military.]

old hoodoo wrote:

>> Been riding since the early 50s and by the grace of God only had one
>> serious rag doll. I'd have to disagree with the "utterly lack
>> imagination and have no conception of getting hurt" part in my case.
>> As I cruise down the concrete ribbon I am more than aware of the
>> delicacy and insanity of my position. Just inches from some very hard
>> and abrasive substance not to mention the brain dead cagers talking on
>> their cell phones. I’ve never talked to a motorcyclist who didn’t know

In this context, what's a cager? Where I live (US) it's a basketball
player.

--
Blinky Linux Registered User 297263
Who has implemented Usenet Solution #45933:
Now killing all posts originating at Google Groups
http://blinkynet.net/comp/ggfilters.html for rules

[Gord Beaman]

old hoodoo > wrote:

>
>
>Greasy wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 18:32:09 -0500, old hoodoo
>> > postulated :
>>
>>
>>>Some pilots and motorcycle jock's I know utterly lack imagination and
>>>have no conception of getting hurt. It may be due in part to extreme
>>>self-confidence and perhaps a little ego boost at not being a pussy.
>>
>>
>> Been riding since the early 50s and by the grace of God only had one
>> serious rag doll. I'd have to disagree with the "utterly lack
>> imagination and have no conception of getting hurt" part in my case.
>> As I cruise down the concrete ribbon I am more than aware of the
>> delicacy and insanity of my position. Just inches from some very hard
>> and abrasive substance not to mention the brain dead cagers talking on
>> their cell phones. I’ve never talked to a motorcyclist who didn’t know
>> he was skating on the edge of survival and most will tell you that in
>> almost any event the motorcyclist will have his life forever changed.
>> The freedom that removing the state mandated helmet and simply
>> enjoying the breeze is almost intoxicating. Kinda like cruising in an
>> open helocopter two feet AGL.
>>
>> Don’t think I’ve ever considered the ego aspect of not being a pussy
>> but I hear that you are what you eat. :)
>>
>>
>> Greasy
>
>The great thing about P---- is that unlike cake, you can eat it and have
>it too.

Damned tootin...and you can smoke after either (or both)
encounter(s)!... :)
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

[John Miller]

Blinky the Shark wrote:
>
> In this context, what's a cager? Where I live (US) it's a basketball
> player.

It's someone who does their motoring in a cage (automobile).

--
John Miller
Co-Founder, Pensacola Press Club

[Don McIntyre]

Dale L. Falk sent:

<<There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing around with airplanes. >>

God Bless You, can't think of a better way to put it myself! 8-)
Retired USN P-3B/C Aircrew in 1995. Boy do I miss flying!

Don McIntyre
Clarksville, TN

[Bombardier]

Dudley Henriques wrote:
> It has nothing to do with feeling secure. It has everything to do
with
> understanding how hard the ground is when you hit it in something
like a
> P51.
> I flew a Mustang for many hours with a baseball cap. Hard helmets are
a REAL
> pleasure at altitude with the sun pouring in on them. It's like
having your
> head in a pizza oven. You wear them in the military because that's
where
> they put the avionics and O2 crap.
> In fast airplanes, If you dig a hole at the speeds your airplane is
capable
> of handling, it won't matter much what you have on your head. Your
head AND
> the helmet will probably end up on some tree branch dangling in the
wind
> anyway. On a bike you have a nice breeze to cool off your bean. In a
51,
> you're under a magnifying glass on a hot sunny day!
> Bob Hoover uses a soft plantation hat that he sits on enroute, then
puts on
> after he lands to keep the sun out of his eyes while he taxies in. I
did the
> same on more than one occasion.
> A helmet WILL save you from the occasional "bump" on the head, but
> everything considered, many of us opt not to wear one if we have the
option.
> It has nothing to do with overconfidence and everything to do with
quality
> of life! :-)
> Dudley Henriques
> International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
> Commercial Pilot; CFI; Retired
> dhenriquestrashatearthlinktrashdotnet
> (take out the trash :-)
>
> <Greasy Rider=A9 @invalid.com> wrote in message
> ...
> >I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a
P-51
> > Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to
> > wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash
worthiness
> > of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap?
> >
> > As a motorcyclist I feel very strange if I'm not wearing the very
best
> > helmet that I can afford. Why would a pilot operate a high
performance
> > aircraft with anything less?
> >
> > I know that a high dollar helmet and other protective gear has no
> > guarantees whether it's a car, motorcycle, pony or aircraft.
> >
> > Am I missing something? Is the pilot simply exercising his freedom
to
> > take his chances? (The law won't let me do that in some states.)

[Steve]

On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 14:14:08 -0400, Ragnar > wrote:


>Top speed of a P-51 is over 400 mph. Exactly which helmet is going to
>help him in a crash?

Sounds like a job for a BC-1. ;-)

Know of several guys in the RAF who've had their faces/eyes saved from bird
strikes. One guy had a bird come right through the window in front of him in
an Albert. Bird hit him in the face. Window obviously slowed the bird down
alot, and the visor undoubtedly saved his eyes from flying glass/bird parts.
He now wears a helmet even in light (civvie) aircraft.


--
Steve.

[Red Rider]

"Steve" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 14:14:08 -0400, Ragnar > wrote:
>
>
> >Top speed of a P-51 is over 400 mph. Exactly which helmet is going to
> >help him in a crash?
>
> Sounds like a job for a BC-1. ;-)
>
> Know of several guys in the RAF who've had their faces/eyes saved from
bird
> strikes. One guy had a bird come right through the window in front of him
in
> an Albert. Bird hit him in the face. Window obviously slowed the bird down
> alot, and the visor undoubtedly saved his eyes from flying glass/bird
parts.
> He now wears a helmet even in light (civvie) aircraft.
>
>
> --
> Steve.

After the carrier fires in the sixties, especially the Forrestal fire, most
people were convinced of the wisdom or wearing helmet and gloves from the
moment you manned your aircraft, no matter how uncomfortable it was.

A number of guys on the Forrestal and the Enterprise have made comments
about gloves and helmet saving them from serious burns, while they were
setting in their aircraft. One of the better know (to the public) people to
make this comment was McCain.

Red

[Darrell S]

He was probably wearing a headset for communications. That wouldn't fit
over or under a helmet.

--

Darrell R. Schmidt
B-58 Hustler History: http://members.cox.net/dschmidt1/
-

<Greasy Rider© @invalid.com> wrote in message
...
>I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51
> Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to
> wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness
> of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap?
>
> As a motorcyclist I feel very strange if I'm not wearing the very best
> helmet that I can afford. Why would a pilot operate a high performance
> aircraft with anything less?
>
> I know that a high dollar helmet and other protective gear has no
> guarantees whether it's a car, motorcycle, pony or aircraft.
>
> Am I missing something? Is the pilot simply exercising his freedom to
> take his chances? (The law won't let me do that in some states.)