I've flown in a B-25 both in front (flight engineer's position) during run up, and in one of the waist gunner positions in flight.
Absolutely the loudest thing I have ever done.
If you were not on the intercom headset and wanted to talk to someone you had to SCREAM directly into their uncovered ear to be understood above the din.
I'm sure you could hear the sounds of the guns if you were the operator, but if you were the pilot and the waist or tail gunner opened up you would feel it (possibly) but not hear it. Even when we were taxiing out to the active, nearby civilian light aircraft could not be heard. Standing outside of a warbird is in no way comparable to being inside one. By comparison, the cockpit of a Cessna 172 is as quiet as a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud.
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Personally speaking, the P-40 could contend on an equal footing with all the types of Messerschmitts, almost to the end of 1943.
~Nikolay Gerasimovitch Golodnikov
Last edited by ElAurens; 10-13-2011 at 07:52 PM.
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