From the Cockpit

When I was on the road with Collings I shot hours of video footage. The GoPro camera really opened new avenues of filming. I haven't posted many videos, more or less a lack of time to edit, but I'll slowly add more as time permits. The first video I did was 14 years ago...hard to believe. I know a lot of people don't like music to videos and the links I put below do not have music. I think it is safe to say we all like the sound of a Mustang when it flies by, BUT, from the inside it is eye watering loud and relentless. The best I heard it described was like standing under a tin roof in a hailstorm. How those guys managed to do anything negligible over the R/T is beyond me...even with modern radio equipment it is hard to make out anything over the radio.

The first video is from 2013 and a photo shoot we did with the 262. We were on our way Austin and used the B-24 as a photoship. It is eerie looking out and seeing a 262 off your wing. This is one of the 5 that were completed in Seattle a few years ago. It (they) were reverse engineered from the original that now resides in the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. Other than the engines, avionics and brakes, they are really accurate reproductions and given actual Messerschmidt serial number by the family.

The second video is a cockpit cam of some aerobatics done while moving between cities. I always tried to plan some flights that I could go by myself so I could do some acro filming. Most people get queezy really quick and it makes getting footage difficult. It is 9 minutes but it gives you a good perspective of how much sky the airplane uses to do maneuvers. Since Betty Jane was dual controlled all our flights were geared toward the customer doing as much of the flying as they wanted. For most people, the most eye opening aspect of the Mustang is how slow the controls are if you don't muscle it around. The roll rate isn't that fast and it takes anywhere from 15-20lbs of pressure to really get it moving, especially if you are carrying a lot of speed. At a minimum, loops are around 4gs, too keep from stalling out at the top.

When I was a kid I always wondered what it would be like to see things from the cockpit...it is an utmost honor to be able to fly such machines and it gives you a new perspective and appreciation for what these guys did. I hope you guys like these.

Jim