Urinating in a fighter

A serious question: on a 6 hour flight to Berlin and back sitting in a cramped cockpit, how did a US fighter pilot relieve himself? Did they wear an absorptive nappy or towel?

[Tony Williams]

Probably just let it go, as Formula 1 racing drivers still do to this day.


Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion forum

[markjsheppard]

Hi

The Bell P39 Airacobra recovered last year had a funnel and pipe which lead out of the aircraft.

regards

MS

[Ruy Horta]

I believe the correct name is "relief tube" and the function is quite logical

Just try a Google search.

Looks like most US fighters were fitted with such a system, probably a case of aircraft endurance outlasting human endurance!

Quick glance through my Bf 109 and Fw 190 manuals does not show any such system, but I could easily have missed it (although I do not remember ever reading about such either).

[ssg keay]

Yes the relief tube....what a joy. I read a book a while back when a P-51 pilot was taking a leak and didn't see the Me109 creeping up on his 6. Problem was the German pilot was a novice and in his eagerness, got to close and rammed the Mustang with the result of the Mustang loosing the tail. The pilot said he, "dropped everthing, and in the initial shock got his you know what stuck to the aluminum funnel". Now he had two options, either rip some skin and bail, or if he crashes, have his corpse found with to much showing. What an option!! Still have the book if anyone wants to know the titel. Danny

[Artist]

I have a good friend who flew P-51,s in the CBI. Yes they had a relief tube, but the problem many of them had it could not be used for. Bob

[Csaba B. Stenge]

Just read Bob Goebel's Mustang Ace and you will find the answer.

[Brian]

Hi guys,

May I quote (via Plt Off Jim Cranstone RNZAF) from my 'Buffaloes over Singapore':

"Mowbray Garden (flight commander of 243 Squadron on Buffaloes) just couldn't keep still. I remember he wanted to urinate fairly often when he was flying. They had relief tubes in the Buffaloes and the groundcrew got a little browned off with having to flush his relief tube out, so they turned the venturi round (a venturi, in short, accentuates or concentrates a volume of air through vacuum) so anything that was introduced near its point of entry was sucked in with violence. I think Mowbray was hospitalised for a day or two."

I have an account of how a Blenheim air gunner managed to do a 'number two' in his aircraft - but that's another story!

Cheers
Brian

[Artist]

A little off topic, but I was talking to a ball turret gunner on 17's who told me his navagator used to use the relief tube on every mission. When he did so it would hit his turret, if he was pointed forward the pee would hit his viewing window and freez. He would not be able to see for the rest rest of the mission. So before one mission he turned the outside end of the tube forward. The tube had a U shapped bend on the bottom so a small amount of pee would sit in the tube. When the navagator opened the top of the relief tube he got sprayed with his own stale pee. The navagator was so mad it took 50 years for the gunner to admit it was him who did it. Bob

[Tony Kambic]

In AAF Manual 51-127-5 Pilot Training Manual for the P-51 Mustang (Aug 15 1945) Pg. 48 MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT

PILOT'S RELIEF TUBE
The relief tube is stowed on a bracket on the floor of the cockpit at the left of your seat.