From “Flying for the Fatherland,” the story of Hanna Reitsch, describing a test flight by Hanna of a manned V-1: “The landing skids were not strong enough to survive a fully loaded landing. Tests had however to be made simulating with the full weight which would be carried during the planned one way trip. For these a water-tank was built into the fuselage with a plug operated by a lever so that the water could be jettisoned. While Hanna was flying with no engine at 18,000 ft the plug-hole froze. At 4500 ft she attempted to drain the tanks, but the plug was still frozen into the hole as she glided fast towards the ground. It was not until she was only a few hundred feet from the ground that her desperate efforts to move the lever succeeded, just in time for the water to leave the tank before she landed. She was, as she commented, lucky: she would not have survived a high-speed landing had the aircraft still been laden with the water.”
Apparently, it was easy enough to fly, but landing was always dangerous. Hanna said it “glided like a piano.”
Hanna was pretty awesome.
"You want me to test fly what??!!"