So Chuck Yeager, in his autobiography*, describes the dry lakebeds there, and how Neil Armstrong (arrogant bastard) insisted they were dry enough to land, after the spring rains going into summer. Yeager said hell no they aren't. So he agreed to ride in the back seat to go check them out - Armstrong was like "no problem we'll just touch and go." So they touched and immediately did not go but got sucked right in to the muck, full afterburner and everything, plane shaking (I think it was a 2-seat F-100 or something like that) and Yeager was like "uh this isn't doing anything just shut it down." So they're sitting there in this plane and Yeager goes "Well Neil it's gonna get dark soon and we're out here wearing fucking windbreakers, got any good ideas?"
THAT is how the dry lake mud is....
*Fantastic btw, if you haven't read it it's fucking awesome. First couple growing-up chapters are kinda "okayyy" then it gets to him entering the Army flying and holy shit.
So Chuck Yeager, in his autobiography*, describes the dry lakebeds there, and how Neil Armstrong (arrogant bastard) insisted they were dry enough to land, after the spring rains going into summer. Yeager said hell no they aren't. So he agreed to ride in the back seat to go check them out - Armstrong was like "no problem we'll just touch and go." So they touched and immediately did not go but got sucked right in to the muck, full afterburner and everything, plane shaking (I think it was a 2-seat F-100 or something like that) and Yeager was like "uh this isn't doing anything just shut it down." So they're sitting there in this plane and Yeager goes "Well Neil it's gonna get dark soon and we're out here wearing fucking windbreakers, got any good ideas?"
THAT is how the dry lake mud is....
*Fantastic btw, if you haven't read it it's fucking awesome. First couple growing-up chapters are kinda "okayyy" then it gets to him entering the Army flying and holy shit.
Great story.