As promised, look at the tape (or whatever) applied to the ejection ports on this Aleution P-40E flown by Chenault’s son (his variation of the flying tiger scheme).
http://www.elmendorf.af.mil/3wing/units/history/webdocs/P-40E%2011FS.htm
Believe this or not It was actually called gun tape. we now commonly refer to it as duct tape. It was devoped especially for that purpose for the navy but was soon in full use every where. I had this story told to me as a kid by my grandfather who worked in a factory that made the stuff.
Going back to the ejector port tape being thin enough for the shells to break through, what kept the mud and dirt from doing the same??? Something just doesn’t sound right about this.
Never seen mud on an airplane? I had a customer that owns a 1946 Navion nav-4 (one owner aircraft btw). He operated it from his grass strip for years during all sorts of weather. We were constantly picking grass, mud, twigs and God only knows what else out of that thing.
The gentlemens name was Crocker Snow. He’s a bit of an aviation legend in this neck of the woods. Check out this link to see his aircraft which I still maintain today for crockers son-in-law. It’s been featured in many magazines.
Also check out his pilot license…It’s signed by ORVILLE WRIGHT, no kidding! Its all the way over to the right in the row of pictures. [8D]
Darren
Probably the weight and the momentum of the shells would be enough to penetrate the ejector tape/newspaper but not of the dirt and sand.