Chip Mayse <mayse@cs.uiuc.edu> (10/30/90)
From: Chip Mayse <mayse@cs.uiuc.edu>
Even in WW II, American combat aircraft had self-sealing fuel tanks
(lined and/or filled with foam rubber). These could be torn open by
explosive projectiles of some size, but generally wouldn't leak much
fuel even after multiple hits by "ball" rounds. The idea that a downed
plane could be torched by a couple of pistol shots seems to have
originated somewhere like "Airwolf" or "The A-Team."
Chip Mayse
cmayse@ncsa.uiuc.edu