Did WWII P-51 pilots wear parachutes?
472125
Yes they did as did all fighter pilots.  In the seat of a fighter aircraft, there is a recess to accomodate a parachute which also acted as an unforgiving seat cushion.  They could either wear the chute and get into the aircraft, or the chute could be waiting and sitting in the recess.  They are then strapped in by the ground crew.  My greatest respect to the deceased, another warrior has gone to valhalla. My sincerest condolences to his family on his loss.  God Bless.
1054442
Back in the 60's? We used to see those blimp things a lot then (airships they call them now) the army and air-force used them a lot for paratroop training and weather observation. They were very quiet unless you were directly under one. When they turned away from you they just disappeared because of the optical effect of the skin they were made from, plus they were mostly grey so they blended into the clouds very easily. We lived near a base where they flew three of them from and they often seemed to disappear (sometimes as you were watching them!). This would be my guess!
874824
Area 51 (currently known as Air Force Flight Test Center, Detachment 3 and also known as Dreamland, Watertown Strip, Paradise Ranch, The Box, Groom Lake) is a remote tract of land in southern Nevada, owned by the United States Air Force, containing an airfield whose primary purpose is the secret development and testing of new military aircraft. It is famed as the subject of many UFO conspiracy theories.\n\nUFO and other conspiracy theories concerning Area 51\nIts secretive nature and undoubted connection to classified aircraft research, together with reports of unusual phenomena, have led Area 51 to become a centerpiece of modern UFO and conspiracy theory. Some of the unconventional activities claimed to be underway at Area 51 include:\n\nThe storage, examination, and reverse engineering of crashed alien spacecraft (including material supposedly recovered at Roswell), the study of their occupants (living and dead), and the manufacture of aircraft based on alien technology. \nMeetings or joint undertakings with extraterrestrials. \nThe development of exotic energy weapons (for SDI applications or otherwise) or means of weather control. \nThe development of time travel technology. \nActivities related to a supposed shadowy one world government. \nMany of the theories concern underground facilities at Groom or at nearby Papoose Lake, and include claims of a transcontinental underground railroad system, a disappearing airstrip (nicknamed the "Cheshire Airstrip", after Lewis Carroll's Cheshire cat) which briefly appears when water is sprayed onto its camouflaged asphalt [10], and engineering based on alien technology. In 1989, Bob Lazar claimed that he had worked at a facility at Papoose Lake (which he called S-4) on such a U.S. Government flying saucer.\n\nOne major theory is that Area 51 is a place which simulates the environment of the moon. In 2000-2001, Fox Television broadcast a show about Apollo moon landing hoax accusations, in which it was suggested that the whole moon landing in 1969 was a hoax and was filmed in parts of Area 51.\n\nOthers, however, claim that during the mid 1990s, the most secret work previously done at Groom was quietly moved to other facilities, including Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, and that the continued secrecy around Groom is largely a successful attempt at misdirection[11].\n\nIn July 1996, a man named Victor came forward and said on Art Bell's Coast to Coast AM radio show that he had a videotape of an alien interrogation. He said that he copied the tape and smuggled the copy out of Area 51. The video showed the head of an alien in a dark room, possibly using telepathy to communicate with military personnel and scientists[12] and was eventually included in a documentary entitled Area 51:
782119
they spread their body out and use parachutes to catch the wind and make them slow down.
215457
Why Is It That KamaKazie Pilots Wore Helmits
720244
The 'Red Berets' is the popular name of the Parachute Regiment, the Airborne Infantry of the British Army. It is an elite unit by virtue of its stringent selection process and rigorous training programme.\n\nUnlike other regular infantry Regiments in the British Army, the Parachute Regiment do not wear olive green berets. Instead they wear a maroon beret with their own cap badge.\n\nThe Parachute Regiment has its origins in the elite force of commandos set up by the British Army at the request of Winston Churchill in the early days of World War II.\n\nBritain's first airborne assault took place on February 10, 1941, when the 11th Special Air Service, as it was then known, jumped into Italy and blew up an aqueduct in a daring raid named Operation Colossus.\n\nAfter the Battle of Crete, it was agreed that Britain would need far more paratroopers for similar operations. No 2 Commando were tasked with specialising in airborne assault and became the nucleus of the Parachute Regiment.\n\nBattle Honours: The Second World War: Bruneval, Normandy Landing, Pegasus Bridge, Merville Battery, Bréville, Dives Crossing, La Toucques Crossing, Arnhem, Ourthe, Rhine, Southern France, North-West Europe Campaign 1942, Soudia, Oudna, Djebel Azzag 1943, Djebel Alliliga, El Hadjeba, Tamera, Djebel Dahra, Kef el Debna, North Africa 1942-43, Primosole Bridge, Sicily 1943, Taranto, Orsogna, Italy 1943-44, Athens, Greece 1944-45\n\nPost WWII: Goose Green, Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge, Falkland Islands 1982, Al-Basrah, Iraq 2003
421810
No, but he did wear one.\n Did you see the following headlines in the papers just after Custer's little battle:\n\nVariety: "Custer Closes Out of Town"\n\nPravda: "Big Red Victory."\n\nSports Illustrated: "Indians Win Series"\n\nWomen's Wear Daily: "Feathers Make Comeback"\n\nReader's Digest: "Sitting Bull Reveals New Cure for Dandruff"\n\nThe Washington Post: "Custer Loses Rural Vote"
145506
Must be for style as I was noticing that each snowboarder's pants got lower the farther they were down the halfpipe.\n\nMaybe the baggy clothes act as a parachute slowing their descent allowing for more twists while in the air.
880506
that would depend on what kind of pilot they were.  A bomber pilot has a different mission than a fighter pilot,  then there are the transport guys, the refuelers.  It all depends.
509807
Low PT standards is the way of the Air Force.  That and wearing a reflective belt around your ass instead of your waist.  And in my case; "hell they're paratroopers who cares where they land just fly the plane."\n\nAirborne!
489517
Parachute A uses parachute B to land safely.\n\nDick would have a heary attack regardless of whether he has a 'chute or not - so he doesn't need one.\n\nCastro will break many bones as he is what - 90? - osteoporosis has earned him NO 'chute.\n\nSaddam doesn't get one because he is such a coward. Hiding in a spider hole after his glorious armies deserted him.
801773
The SR-71 spy plane, which the Air Force will still only admit that it did mach 3+, had an ejection seat.  The folks who built it considered the possibility of a high-altitude (85,000 feet), mach 3+ ejection. I once read through the sequence that the ejection seat would go through in the technical manual.  There were over 50 steps that the seat would perform from the moment of ejection to the pilot landing on the ground.  It assumed that he would be unconscious, and automatically deployed the chutes, cut the straps and pushed itself away from the pilot, and a bunch of other things.\n\nAs far as I know, no one ever had to eject at that speed and altitude.  But there were people who believed it could be survivable.
764468
They used grass, leaves, their fingers and anything else to wipe their butts just like I used in my advanced military training.  You just don't worry about things like that in war as you probably walk around with your pants half filled just from being afraid of dying.
518539
The German's had lots of experiemental aircraft during the war, but there are only a few that flew during the way.  ME-162 Komet, and the ME-262.\n\nThere were plans for a "flying wing", but no flying saucer.
577922
This is turning out to be one of the most commonly asked questions:\n\nRepost of same answer I have already given:\n\n\nReasons why not parachutes (in the order they fell out my brain, not importance):\n\n1. It takes room and time for experienced people to put parachutes on - even if folks were given vintage chest mounted parachutes it isn't a practical proposition in an emergency (what about kids, the ederly and infirm?). Also - are we expecting freefall or will there be time to hook up a static line?;\n2. Even dropping folk out of two sides of the plane, to get a significant amount of people out in a stick type drop (like WWII parachutists) would take way too long even if you don't allow for a huge number of folks freezing/freaking in the queue;\n3. Storing that amount of even chest mounted parachutes is problematic (although not impossible);\n4. Assuming you had emergency opening doors (rather than the normal ones) the depresurisation (lack of oxygen plus cold) at normal altitude would kill most folks before you could get them out. If you wait until (say) 17,000 ft you are going to have very little time in an emergency to do anything;\n5. Depresurising the aircraft will make any aircraft problem worse;\n6. perversely available parachutes might make hijack/terrorims more likely ... Google "DB Cooper" for more information;\n7. The speed of exit would make the ride 'interesting for even experienced jumpers' - imagine a giant grabbing your back and throwing you like a toy (this is from personal experience);\n8. I could mention the amount of injures/deaths due to malfunctions, bad landing, collisions (with each other ... you are very very unlikely to hit the aircraft or engines) especially if a night jump or water landing but I suppose if the failure is catastrophic enough it is better than nothing.\n\nIf I think of more I will add them. \n\n\nBottom line, although it is possible to jump from a commercial jet, even at 40,000 feet (if you have supplimentary oxygen; cold weather clothing and freefall gear [unless you want to open immediately and land sometime the following day]) staying with the plane is going to be a much better bet, whatever the situation. \n\nAs a side-note, parachutes exist for entire aircraft (mostly microlights and small aircraft but their are test versions for big jets) - I suspect the sticking point is reliability combined with economics (such parachutes take space and weight quite a bit which equals money in air transport).\n\nIn the event of a controlled landing by a large jet onto/into water the floatation devices do have a use but I am not convinced that they are there for anything other than emotional support.\n\nBlue skies =8-)
823249
Your question gives a wonderful excuse for some reminiscing!\nA group of us were in the flying club bar (after flying had finished!) and in came a few of our resident sports parachuting club members. At various times one or two of us had flown the aircraft from which they had jumped, and after a  convivial shandy or two, one of the parachuting instructors said, half jokingly,"How about you lot making a jump?" ... to which a couple of us said, also half jokingly, "No problem. When?" \nAnyway, next day we started the compulsory basic training, and the following day we were at 2,500 feet over a well known airfield in the South West of England, in a Cessna 172.   So that tells you why and where...\nNow, how did it feel?  Exhilarating and a little scarey, sums it up!  You see,  in those days you made your first jumps all  by yourself (not strapped to an instructor like today), using a static line  - i.e., a line attached between the aircraft and your main chute,  which,  when you fell away from the machine, pulled out the pilot and main 'chutes.  (NB You also  wore an emergency chest parachute). You stood with your left foot on the aircraft's starboard main wheel (the pilot held the brakes on so that it did not rotate), and swung yourself  out of the door so that your right leg hung out into space, while your two hands grasped the wing support strut - a sort of 'letter X' position .  On the word 'Go!' you leapt backwards and counted up to 3 secs, by which time your main chute would be (or should be!) deployed.  If it was - fine;  you simply settled down to enjoy the view and the silence.   Of course, if it was not open fully then you had a few seconds to sort out  the problem or to pull the emergency chute! \nWould I (did I) do it again? Well, yes -   because  I made several more jumps, but in the end decided that staying in a nice warm aeroplane was preferable. :- ) \nAnyway, go for it - several friends of mine made it their hobby and carried out hundreds of jumps in several different countries.  And as you progress to high altitude free fall you will be even more thrilled by the experience.  So good luck and happy landings!
216994
My personal favorite was the parachute pants.  Thinking back, I can't believe I actually wore those AND had the audacity to think they looked good!