Posted on 10/25/2023 1:10:43 PM PDT by Red Badger
Can't post because; Getty Images.
AVIATION PING!.....................
Probably the greatest aircraft design ever.
Last time I flew in one was on Texas International Airlines from Texarakana to Dallas and back in 1975, 48 years ago.
Maybe they were used as substitutes for the grounded jets a few years ago:
“By March 18, every single Boeing 737 MAX plane (387 in total) had been grounded, which affected 8,600 weekly flights operated by 59 airlines across the globe. Several ferry flights were operated with flaps extended to circumvent MCAS activation.”
Similar to the old spare refrigerators, freezers, toasters and other items in the grandparents’ basements used as backups by the younger generation as their own new ones lasted 2-3 years before breaking down. That was in a newspaper column by Dear Abby or one of those. Actually heard cases of it being true.
Was one used for the sound of the plane flying in Airplane?
They started building B-52s five years after the last DC3s were produced. That’s the plane that amazes me.
We think of it as a lumbering slow plane. But when introduced, it was the epitome of sleek and comfort. For a different perspective on it, watch the old movie “Island in the Sky” with John Wayne.
There are a lot of aerial scenes and some great photography.
Many of the scenes are filmed low over the mountains and you get a whole other look at it zipping along relative to the ground, raising quickly to avoid mountain ridges, and other maneuvering.
Basler Turbo Conversions is still modifying them into BT-67s; lengthening and strengthening the fuselage, installing turboprop engines, upgrading the avionics, and modifying parts of the wings.
Wouldn’t surprise me...................
I followed the sound of it as best I could, and damned if the thing didn't land just a few miles from where I was. I pulled off the road, and in this large grass pasture area, this is what I saw:
I walked up, walked around them (without getting too close-didn't want to bug out the owners) and they were just gorgeous!
They have even retrofitted some of these with turboprops-they could probably fly for another 100 years!
I know that the Provincetown-Boston Airline (PBA) flew these for many years, but don't think they do anymore.
Love that movie. Just love it.
R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R!
Watching the Weather Channel, it’ll sometimes air episodes of northern Canadian pilots still flying the old birds. Really remarkable machines.
In the movie, Major League, IIRC they wound up with a DC-3 as their team plane.
We had a C-47 at McEntire ANG Base, SC. I got a free ride from Texas (boot camp) back to my home base. Well, almost free. We flew through quite a thunderstorm!
Yes, the C-47 airplane in the film was the military version of the DC-3.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_C-47_Skytrain
In 1972, I took the Texas to South Carolina flight while I was in the SC Air National Guard.
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