Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!cbnews!military
From: shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Side arms for Fly boys.
Message-ID: <1990Oct29.033204.10576@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 29 Oct 90 03:32:04 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
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From: Mary Shafer <shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov>

Jacob Ben-david Zimmerman (zimerman@phoenix.princeton.edu) writes:

   RE jet pilots with sidearms:  I heard that the revolver is a quick way
   of destroying equipment if your plane is downed.  In WWII fighter pilots
   carried them.  In case of a forced landing, one or two shots into the
   fuel tank produced a nice raging inferno.  I imagine that one or two
   shots into electronics would be effective as well.

You don't make forced landings in modern fighters; you eject.  The
impact will destroy any electronics.

The B-52, B-1, and B-2 also have ejection seats.

--
Mary Shafer  shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov  ames!skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer
           NASA Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA
                     Of course I don't speak for NASA
 "A MiG at your six is better than no MiG at all"--Unknown US fighter pilot