Quote:
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One has never been tempted.
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The only time to ever jump out of a perfectly serviceable aeroplane is when it is on fire. ( which is also the only time that one has too much fuel )
In my NATO sponsored RAF training, one of the students was of the French Air Force, an ex-3rd mate off a Marseilles tanker, and built accordingly.
One night, flying a Harvard, he got himself lost over snow covered terrain in Canada, and decided that the only answer was to bale out. ( not the brightest of decisions, but he was still a student ) He undid his straps, opened the canopy, and with a skill that I doubt I could emulate, managed to climb out on to the wing whilst still holding the control column with some semblance of control. He then looked down at the dark, snow covered landscape - and climbed back in !!
He eventually saw some lights, which proved to be our home airfield.
( so he told us, obviously as a solo student there was no witness to the story - we believed him )