Cool emergency feature on Cessna bird dog

[danny_galaga]

One has appeared in my hangar recently. Noticed this cool feature on the door hinges while having a sticky beak. Inside is a handle you can crank in an emergency 🙂

 

 

[SilverHammer]

They're still used and not uncommon in aerobatic aircraft. Most American Champion aircraft like the Citabria and Decathlon and Scout have them, but with a safety wire...

[onetrack]

Lends a whole new world of meaning to the phrase, "pull the pin"!  In Vietnam, being able to get out of a burning aircraft fast, was a pretty important feature of flying there.

[danny_galaga]

It also still has the rocket rail switches 😃

[onetrack]

This one did daily daybreak patrols along Route 2 in the far North of Phuoc Tuy, right past our fortified engineer compound at NDP (Night Defensive Position) Garth at Courtenay Hill. He was out to surprise VC or NVA laying mines and boobytraps in the road or roadsides, or simply trying to surprise enemy on the move.

 

There was a sharp curve in Route 2 at the extreme right of the photo, and as he banked around that curve, I swear his wingtip was often only a few feet above the road.

 

 

Below is an aerial view of Courtenay Hill on the AWM website. There's major confusion in the official records, NDP Garth and FSB (Fire Support Base) Cherie are the one and same.

Australian Engineers from 17 Construction Squadron established NDP Garth in late 1970, as protection, while we quarried Courtenay Hill for road base for Route 2 upgrades.

However, the NDP was later turned over to the Royal Australian Artillery, who then revamped the NDP into FSB Cherie.

 

Aerial view of Courtenay Hill (left) at the commencement of Operation Overlord. Surrounded by ... | Australian War Memorial

WWW.AWM.GOV.AU

 

Edited July 6 by onetrack