What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Fly Down to RenoThe P-51 Mustang was America’s answer to the JapaneseZero. Powered by a US-built Rolls-Royce Merlinengine, it delivered 1500 horsepower and a knockout blowto the flying machines of the Pacific Rim.However, the P-51 in which I flew was churning out3000 horsepower and could deliver a knockout blow tomy central nervous system – which was very nervousindeed.You see, if a 1940s’ car breaks down, and let’s face itthey do, a lot, you coast to the side of the road and awaitthe AA. But if a 1940s’ plane breaks down it doesn’t somuch as coast but plummet.And that’s a normal plane. But the one in which I wentfor a ride had been tuned and fettled to turn it from warplane into a 1990s’ racer. The cockpit canopy had beenlopped off each of the wings to reduce drag, and the enginehad been tweaked to the point where it was a bomb. Andthe clock was ticking.In the back, it was noisy and hot and as the thermalsrose to buffet our undersides, there were moments ofqueasiness, though thankfully they stopped short ofbecoming the spectacular outpourings that occurred inthe F-15.There wasn’t time to be sick anyhow. You see, an F-15struts its stuff in the stratosphere, but the Mustang wasdesigned for low-level performance. So I now know whatit’s like to do 500 mph 50 feet from the deck.It’s bloody good fun right up to the moment whenthe pilot decides to turn. This of course means you stay50 feet up but one of the wings does not. From where Iwas sitting, it seemed like the tip was actually pruning thebushes.The pilots need to be familiar with ultra-low flightbecause in a race they may need to get among the weedsto overtake. But we weren’t in a race. So there was noneed to be down there so pleeeeease Mr Pilot, can we goback up again. Pretty please? With bows on?The answer was no, and for an hour we charged aboutin the undergrowth, flicking left and right to avoid smallmounds and molehills.Death, had it come, would have been mercifully swiftand I knew the organisers had a standby act to keepthe crowd amused while they hosed me down a drainsomewhere.Last year, after a fatal accident, a wing walker wasdespatched to keep everyone occupied but that wentwrong too. As a finale, the pilot flipped his plane upsidedown so his wing-walking passenger was dangling underneath.However, he misjudged it a bit and took the guy’shead off.Air racing is under threat in America because itsdangerous – and over there, dangerous is a dirtier wordthan ****.However, even before the legislators move in, there’s avery real possibility that the supply of old planes will dryup and that will be it.I’m just glad that I got to have a go before they face the

final curtain.