"You can take one, however they are VERY uncomfortable and I refuse to wear one, and YOU can't leave the aircraft until I do!"
That's a great story!
One thing about pilots...their butt is more
important to them than their passenger's.
They will move mountains to make sure they
are safe.
If they are safe...their passengers will be, too. ;o)
"working on the birds of the "Confederate Air Force" (I refuse to succumb to PC and use the title "Consolidated Air Force")"
That's terrific!
Learn some HTML, and post some pics on your homepage.
Good for you for refusing to bow at the alter of
Political Correctness!
And, thank you for your kind words. ;o)
Yes, this is very true, however my former boss and owner of a mint Canadaire T-33A conveyed to me that he would NEVER, EVER leave his bird unless the cockpit was on fire!
Well, at an air show in Mt. Clemens, MI in '94, 128 flags were stuck in the ground to identify body parts of my then boss and the only surviving part of the aircraft was a "tip tank" that ejected on impact.
God rest his soul.