"Piggyback" Hellcat ...
Tue Sep 01, 2020 12:45 pm
From Merritt Magruder,
"These are never before made public, pictures and engineering drawings of a jump-seat, to take aloft, a Radar Technician, on board an F6F Nightfighter, in order to diagnose chronic radar malfunctions that only occurred at altitudes above 8-10 thousand feet. VMF(N)-533 Squadron Commanding Officer, then Lieutenant Colonel, M.M. Magruder, USMC, ordered his Executive Officer, Major Homer H. Hutchensen, USMC, who had a Mechanical Engineering degree, to design, and fabricate a seat that could be easily installed behind the Pilot, to safely take up a radar tech. This was necessary in order to replicate the malfunctions that only occur at low temperatures and pressure, that could not be duplicated on the ground. Colonel Magruder made the first test flight to verify operational safety and feasibility. The first picture is of Major Hutchensen ready to take off with 533 Flight Surgon, "Doc" Stafford. It is of interest to note that it is so cramped, that in order to make room for the pilot to be able to pull the stick back far enough to make a flared, three point landing, the passenger had to stand up into the slipstream, on final approach and really suck in his gut. With this cleaver procedure they were able to resolve the the Radar Malfunctions that had allowed many enemy aircraft to escape that would have otherwise been shot down..."
"These are never before made public, pictures and engineering drawings of a jump-seat, to take aloft, a Radar Technician, on board an F6F Nightfighter, in order to diagnose chronic radar malfunctions that only occurred at altitudes above 8-10 thousand feet. VMF(N)-533 Squadron Commanding Officer, then Lieutenant Colonel, M.M. Magruder, USMC, ordered his Executive Officer, Major Homer H. Hutchensen, USMC, who had a Mechanical Engineering degree, to design, and fabricate a seat that could be easily installed behind the Pilot, to safely take up a radar tech. This was necessary in order to replicate the malfunctions that only occur at low temperatures and pressure, that could not be duplicated on the ground. Colonel Magruder made the first test flight to verify operational safety and feasibility. The first picture is of Major Hutchensen ready to take off with 533 Flight Surgon, "Doc" Stafford. It is of interest to note that it is so cramped, that in order to make room for the pilot to be able to pull the stick back far enough to make a flared, three point landing, the passenger had to stand up into the slipstream, on final approach and really suck in his gut. With this cleaver procedure they were able to resolve the the Radar Malfunctions that had allowed many enemy aircraft to escape that would have otherwise been shot down..."
Re: "Piggyback" Hellcat ...
Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:42 pm
Yeah that looks comfortable... 
Phil
Phil
Re: "Piggyback" Hellcat ...
Tue Sep 01, 2020 4:48 pm
Man, I thought two in a P-38 looked cozy!
Re: "Piggyback" Hellcat ...
Tue Sep 01, 2020 7:29 pm
Adds a new definition to the term "riding b*tch".
Re: "Piggyback" Hellcat ...
Thu Sep 03, 2020 2:45 pm
Can I get an FAA field approval to do that on my Hellcat?
Re: "Piggyback" Hellcat ...
Thu Sep 03, 2020 3:05 pm
bdk wrote:Can I get an FAA field approval to do that on my Hellcat?
Yes, but you must use 1.125 Dia. water pipe...
Phil
Re: "Piggyback" Hellcat ...
Fri Sep 04, 2020 11:47 am
This further proves those guys had balls of steel - "it requires the passenger to STAND UP into the slipstream for the landing" HOLY COW batman!
Tom P.
Tom P.