I remember well my open cockpit biplane flying days and occasionally having to go headfirst into the cockpit to retrieve whatever or do some maintenance. The flailging, protruding legs resembled a person being swallowed by a man-eating beast, much to the amusement of onlookers. Generally, however, the person emerged unscathed with minimal abrasions and muscle cramps.
One day, I did see a similar biplane depart a fly-in with airshow smoker billowing as it flew low over the length of the runway, then zoomed upward at a crazy angle. Airspeed bled off and soon it was mushing forward, no longer climbing. “Get the nose down!” I heard myself say aloud. Fortunately, the pilot did and slowly the aircraft leveled off and picked up speed once agin. Any pilot will understand how very necessary it was to lower the nose to avoid a wing stall close to the ground. That certainly would have “eaten his lunch.”
#stearman #boeingpt-19 #biplane #cockpit
Eskildoodle Photos and Feelings 