Corrected entry: There is simply no way to engineer changes to Joe's P40 that would enable it to dive into open ocean at full speed. Even if you could somehow prevent the wings from being sheared off, the rapid deceleration would instantly kill anyone on board.
Rooster of Doom
12th Oct 2004
Correction: In 1954, a test pilot subjected himself to roughly -40Gs, by riding a sled at 600mph, then stopping within about a second. Since the P-40 had a top speed of around 360, and Sky Captain's could be expected to be slightly faster (but certainly not 600mph); he could easily survive that sort of deceleration. Likewise, if his aircraft was modified for underwater travel, Dex more then likely would have fortified the aircraft for that sort of approach.