Seems to me you’re implying that Nieubauer should have committed suicide for no purpose other than looking good. When a low-altitude, low-airspeed Hornet loses its last engine, the pilot effectively becomes cargo, as he doesn’t have any maneuverability (or perhaps controls as well) to guide the aircraft. So “riding it in” would be purposeless. The jets have fairly good low/slow ejection seats after the party is over and the crash spot written in stone.
TC
I’m not IMPLYING anything.
I’m not even second-guessing the pilot. Maybe it flew further than he thought it was going to after he ejected.
I simply made a statement about how things used to be when I was growing up near a Naval Air Station.