What was the burn factor of castor oil

If the pilots were soaked with castor oil the whole aeroplane had to be to. These planes had to burn like a roman candle when they wer hit.

[Richard_Schrader]

I'am sure combined with non-sealable fuel tanks,and coated with flamable dope the danger of fire was the aircrews biggest fear. It makes the men who flew those planes all the greater.

[mike_baram]

It was preferable for a pilot to jump out of a burning plane and end it all quickly than to allow the flames to do the work.
Also, it was not unheard of to use his pistol (but I can't find the source where I read that).

Mannock carried a pistol and made no secret of his reason for doing so; that's probably where you heard the stories about pilots blowing their brains out rather than burn. (I've never come across any stories of anyone actually doing so, though.)

Castor based oils do not burn as readily as you might think. The reason it was used is because it didn't burn in combustion chamber very well so it was thought to provide additional lubrication. Castor oil does hold up under heat well but once on top of piston oil does nothing but foul plugs. Just as a added note the Castrol Oil Co. started out suppling caster oil for aeroplane usage.
Cheerio,
Dwight Rudder "HONOURARY CANADIAN"
' BILLY BISHOP RULES, EH !'

I have read that mick mannock claimed he carried a pistol with him for that reason,and may have used it on himself when he was shot down in flames. "heroes of the sunlit sky" Arch Whitehouse 1967