Why would they bother building the rigging for all those people to ride on the wings, and risk all the extra weight, when they could just send the pilot for help and wait for a rescue party?
What happened to all the aviation fuel* when they dismantled the wings?
I was wondering why, instead of riding on the wings, they couldn't ride inside the pylon (fugilage.) For one thing, the fairings they attached to the wings to shield them from the wind, disrupted the air flow, and reduced the wings' lift. Only the pilot needed to be up top.
They might roast to death inside the fuselage. The craft was only a few hundred feet off the ground and had very low air speed. It also was very narrow and would have had support rods and trusses inside, so there may not have even been any room.
As for the fairings disrupting airflow, I believe the rebuilt craft had a greater wing to weight ratio than the original craft so I don't think lift was an issue.