I used to fly these "warbirds" and I am of the thinking that once the wheels and flaps are up then you do all that you were trained to do ie.
Mixture up pitch up power up gear up flap up, dead leg dead engine etc.
But this is obviously only going to buy you some time in these antiquated beasts. It sounds like he had enough time to at least confirm that the aircraft was trimmed and set up correctly for assy. flight and when he could see this was not working he went to plan B. It just so happened that plan B unfolded over suburbia and not a racetrack as the tower suggested.
I listened to the ATC transmission and my heart broke.
