The FReeper Foxhole Profiles The 440th Troop Carrier Group

Morning Aeronaut, looks like it has enough engine.

A C-195 in Uniform: The LC-126
February excerpt

An uneven fuel-air mixture distribution to the seven cylinders in the Jacobs engine created the idiosyncratic "Jacobs cough." Cessna reworked the carburetor's butterfly valve, but the problem remained when the aircraft was operated at reduced throttle settings, with a fully leaned mixture, and at higher altitudes. The "cough" usually occurred just once, if all throttle and mixture settings were unchanged, but tended to rouse the attentions of both pilot and passengers when it did occur.

The 195 with the 300-horsepower Jacobs engine was designated the Model 195, those with the 245-horsepower engine the Model 195A. When the 195 arrived on the market in 1947, it was dubbed the "Cadillac of the Air" — the biggest and fastest civilian single-engine airplane available. The big radial engine provided a macho appeal and a distinctive roar on arrival and departure…but also complicated visibility when taxiing. Early in the production run, Cessna had to recall the Model 195s to replace a batch of bad pistons that were causing the engines to seize. Businessliners were produced continuously until 1954 with a total production run of 1,099 aircraft — 233 of the C-190 and 866 of the C-195 series. List price, in 1953, for the C-190 was $16,500 and ranged from $15,795 to $23,500 for the C-195 series, depending on the engine.

"OFF THE SHELF" PURCHASES

In 1949, the US Army requested that the Air Force purchase 15 Cessna 195s "off the shelf" to allow the Army to evaluate the aircraft's suitability for such duties as light cargo hauling, search-and-rescue missions, and liaison flights. The aircraft proved both rugged and dependable and able to haul loads from unimproved airstrips, leading the Army to eventually buy 67 more of them.

The easy-access engine compartment was certainly an important factor for the Army — where in-the-field maintenance was a necessity. The entire engine and cowl assembly on the C-195 aircraft was hinged on the left side with the engine on swing-out mounts. Once swung open, the entire assembly was held open by an over-center lock. With the engine in this position, a mechanic could easily get his hands on any of the engine components and accessories.

The original 15 aircraft were subsequently given the designation LC-126A and assigned military s/n 49-1947 through 49-1960 and 49-2773. All used the 300-horsepower Jacobs R-755-A2 engine. These original LC-126A aircraft were delivered with a seaplane door on the pilot's side, a spartan interior, the usual military avionics for that era, and provisions for interchangeable wheel, float, or ski landing gear. Following the Army evaluation, they were returned to the USAF and assigned duty in Arctic search-and-rescue work. In 1953, all were transferred officially to the Army.

In 1950, the Army National Guard bought five C-195s and designated them LC-126B, although virtually identical to the LC-126A. These were assigned s/n 50-1249 through 50-1253 and, in 1962, were redesignated U-20B. Three of the five aircraft continued to serve in the National Guard until well into the 1960s.

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on February 27:
0280 Constantine the Great Roman emperor (306-37), adopted Christianity
1702 Johann Valentin Gorner composer
1792 Don Joaquin B F Espartero Spanish adventurer/field marshal
1807 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Portland ME, poet (Hiawatha)
1823 Ferdinand Van Derveer Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1892
1823 William Buel Franklin Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1903
1827 Richard W Johnson Brevet Major General (Union Army), died in 1897
1832 Alfred Pollard Edward Civil War journalist, died in 1872
1847 Dame Ellen Alice Terry Coventry England, Shakespearian stage actress
1867 Irving Fisher US economist (compensating dollar)
1869 Alice Hamilton physician/writer (workmen's compensation laws)
1881 Sveinn Björnsson 1st President of Iceland (1944-52)/poet (Figur ild)
1886 Hugo L Black Alabama, (Senator-D-AL)/78th US Supreme Court justice (1937-71)
1891 David Sarnoff US, radio/TV pioneer/CEO (RCA)
1892 William Demarest St Paul MN, actor (Uncle Charlie-My 3 Sons)
1897 G Paul H Schuitema graphic designer/photographer (System-O-Color)
1899 Charles H Best Maine, physiologist/co-discoverer of diabetes treatment (Insulin)
1902 John Steinbeck Salinas CA, author (Grapes of Wrath-Nobel 1962)
1902 Marian Anderson singer, banned by D A R
1904 James Thomas Farrell US, author (Studs Lonigan trilogy)
1910 Joan Bennett Palisades NJ, actress (Elizabeth-Dark Shadows, Little Women, Disraeli)
1917 John Bowden Connally Jr Floresville TX, (Governor/Senator-D/R-TX), Wounded in the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy
1923 Dexter Gordon US, tenor saxophonist/actor (Connection)
1930 Joanne Woodward Thomasville GA, actress (3 Faces of Eve, Rachel)
1932 Elizabeth Taylor London, actress (Cleopatra, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof , National Velvet)
1933 Raymond Berry Texas, NFL hall of famer (Baltimore Colts)
1933 Malcolm Wallop (Senator-R-WY, 1977- )
1934 Ralph Nader Winsted CT, consumer advocate-left-wing blowhard (Unsafe at Any Speed)
1936 Roger M Mahoney Hollywood CA, archbishop of Los Angeles (1985- )
1942 Charlayne Hunter-Gault Due West SC, news reporter (McNeil-Lehrer)
1951 Lee Atwater Republican National Committee Chairman (1989-91)
1957 Adrian Smith heavy metal guitarist (Iron Maiden-Aces High)
1975 Dana Marie Lane Cheyenne WY, Miss Wyoming-America (1995)
1980 Chelsea Victoria Clinton Daughter of Bill & Hillary Clinton

Deaths which occurred on February 27:
1167 Robert of Melun English philosopher/bishop of Hereford, dies
1733 Johann Adam Birkenstock composer, dies at 46
1844 Nicholas Biddle US lawyer/diplomat/statesman/financier, dies at 85
1936 Ivan P Pavlov Russian physiologist (reflexes, Nobel 1904), dies at 86
1939 Nadezjda K Krupskaya Russian revolutionary/wife of Lenin, dies at 70
1974 Pat Brady Toledo OH, actor (Roy Rogers Show), dies at 59
1985 Henry Cabot Lodge (Senator-R)/diplomat, dies at 82
1992 S I Hayakawa (Senator-R-CA, 1977-83), dies from a stroke at 85
1993 José Duval actor (Juan Valdez), dies at 72
1993 Lillian Gish US actress (Birth of a Nation), dies at 96
1993 Ruby Keeler actress (42nd Street), dies of cancer at 83
1998 J T Walsh actor (Good Morning Vietnam, Sling Blade), dies from a heart attack at 54
2003 Frederick Rogers [Mr. Rogers] children's television host, dies from stomach cancer at 74

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1967 ALWAN HAROLD J.---PEORIA IL.
1968 HARTZHEIM JOHN F.---APPLETON WI.
[REMAINS IDENTIFIED 03/17/99]
1968 MILIUS PAUL L.---WAVERLY IA.
1968 PALMER GILBERT S.---BIRMINGHAM AL.
1968 WRIGHT THOMAS T.---GARY IN.
1971 BABCOCK RONALD L.---TUCSON AZ.
1971 LEWIS LARRY G.---ASHVILLE NC.
1971 MOONEY FRED---NORTHUP OH.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
0837 15th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
1526 Saxony & Hesse form League of Gotha (league of Protestant princes)
1531 Evangelical German monarchy/towns form Schmalkaldische Union
1557 1st Russian Embassy opens in London
1563 William Byrd is appointed organist at Lincoln Cathedral
1594 Henri IV crowned king of France
1670 Jews are expelled from Austria by order of Leopold I
1801 Washington DC placed under Congressional jurisdiction
1813 1st federal vaccination legislation enacted
1813 Congress authorizes use of steamboats to transport mail
1814 Ludwig von Beethovens 8th Symphony in F, premieres
1827 1st Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans LA
1861 Warsaw Massacre Russians fire on crowd demonstrating against Russian rule of Poland
1864 Near Andersonville GA, rebels open a new POW camp "Camp Sumter"
1864 6th & last day of Battle at Dalton, Georgia (about 600 casualties)
1865 Civil War skirmish near Sturgeon MO
1869 John Menard is 1st black to make a speech in Congress
1872 Charlotte Ray, 1st Black woman lawyer, graduated Harvard U
1874 Baseball 1st played in England, at Lord's Cricket Grounds
1877 US Electoral College declares R Hayes winner Presidential election
1879 Constantine Fahlberg discovers saccharin (artificial sweetener)
1883 Oscar Hammerstein patents 1st cigar-rolling machine
1890 D Needham & P Kerrigan box 100 rounds (6 hours 39 minutes), San Francisco; match is draw
1901 NL Rules Committee decrees that all fouls are to count as strikes except after two strikes
1908 Star #46 was added to US flag for Oklahoma
1912 Lord Kitchener opens Khartoum-El Obeid (Nyala) railway
1919 1st public performance of Holst's "The Planets"
1919 American Association for the Hard of Hearing formed (New York NY)
1922 Supreme Court unanimously upheld 19th amend woman's right to vote
1925 Hitler resurrects NSDAP political party in Munich
1929 Russia & US sign trade agreement
1933 German parliament building, Reichstag, destroyed by fire (set by Nazis, blamed on communists)
1938 Britain & France recognize Franco government in Spain
1939 Supreme Court outlaws sit-down strikes
1942 Battle of Java Sea began 13 US warships sunk-2 Japanese
1942 1st transport of French Jews to Nazi-Germany
1945 Battle of US 94 Infantry
1946 4th "Road" film, "Road to Utopia" premieres (New York NY)
1950 General Chiang Kai-shek elected President of Nationalist China
1951 22nd amendment to the Constitution is ratified, limiting President to 2 terms in office
1956 Elvis Presley's releases "Heartbreak Hotel"
1957 Premiere of only prime-time network TV show beginning with an "X" "Xavier Cugat Show" on NBC (until X-Files)
1962 South-Vietnam President Ngo Dinh Diem's palace bombed, 1st US killed
1963 Mickey Mantle of New York Yankees sign a baseball contract worth $100,000
1969 General Hafez al-Assad becomes head of Syria via military coup
1972 President Nixon & Chinese Premier Chou En-lai issued Shanghai Communique
1973 American Indian Movement occupy Wounded Knee in South Dakota
1975 House of Representatives pass $21.3 billion anti-recession tax-cut bill
1977 Keith Richards gets suspended sentence for heroin possession, Canada
1980 Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF wins elections in Zimbabwe
1981 Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder record "Ebony & Ivory"
1982 Wayne Williams found guilty of murdering 2 of 28 blacks in Atlanta GA
1988 Bonnie Blair (US) wins Olympics 500 meter speed skating in record 39.1
1988 Katarina Witt (GDR) wins 2nd consecutive Olympics figure skating
1988 Gulfstream G-IV goes around the world 36 08 34
1990 Exxon Corp & Exxon Shipping are indicted on 5 criminal counts (Valdez)
1991 Singer James Brown is released from prison
1991 Gulf War ends after Iraqi troops retreat & Kuwait is liberated
1994 Maronite church near Beirut bombed, 10 killed
1995 Car bomb explodes in Zakho, North-Iraq (54-80 killed)
1998 FBI arrests 10 most wanted suspected serial killer Tony Ray Amati
1998 New England Patriot David Meggett arrested in Toronto on sex assault charges

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Dominican Republic : Independence Day (1844)
St Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla : Statehood Day (1967)
St Kitts & Antigua : Independence Day (1967)
US : Wine Appreciation Week (Day 6)
US : French Fry Friday
Sleep Safety Month

Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of St Leander
Anglican : Commemoration of George Herbert, priest
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Gabriel Possenti [non-leap years]

Religious History
280 Birth of Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to be converted (ca. 312) to the Christian faith.
1838 Birth of William J. Kirkpatrick, American Methodist sacred composer. He edited his first collection of hymns at age 21, and is still remembered today for composing the melodies to such hymns as: "He Hideth My Soul," "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus," "Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It" and "Lord, I'm Coming Home."
1839 Scottish clergyman Robert Murray McCheyne wrote in a letter: 'Most of God's people are content to be saved from the hell that is without. They are not so anxious to be saved from the hell that is within.'
1849 William Jewell College was chartered in Liberty, Missouri, under Baptist sponsorship.
1938 English Bible expositor Arthur W. Pink wrote in a letter: 'Slackness and carelessness are inexcusable in a child of God. He should ever present a model and example of conscientiousness, painstaking care, and exactness.'

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"Let a fool hold his tongue and he will pass for a sage."

You know you're getting old when...
"getting lucky" means you find your car in the parking lot.

Contemporary Latin Phrase of the day...
"Cavaeat humanus sic tofu burritus e toga."
(Beware of the man with a tofu burrito in his toga.)

Amazing fact #56,982...
Twelve or more cows are known as a "flink."

Air Power
"Over the hump"

C-46 "Commando"

Douglas C-47 Skytrain / Dakota

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

C-46 History:

In March 1940, the Curtiss-Wright company first flew a new 36-seat commercial airliner design, designated the CW-20. The US Army became interested in the aircraft for its cargo/transport capabilities, and ordered a militarized version, the C-46 Commando, be produced, utilizing two 2,000-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43 engines. The Commando entered service with the USAAF in July 1942, becoming the largest and heaviest twin-engine aircraft in the Air Corps.

The first major variant to appear was the C-46A, which had a large cargo door in the left rear fuselage, 40 folding seats, a strengthened cargo floor, and higher-altitude capable engines. This last feature was to become important when the C-46 began flying cargo "over the Hump" from India to China. The C-46 was found to have much better load-hauling capabilities than the C-47 at the altitudes involved. The Commando also served in the Pacific theater, where it moved troops and supplies from island to island, contributing to the defeat of Japan. In the European Theater, C-46s served as glider tugs, towing two CG-4 gliders at a time across the Rhine River.

Other versions of the aircraft included the R5C-1 (US Navy/Marine Corps designation); the C-46D (personnel version with an extra door on the right side); C-46E (utility version with C-46A doors and a stepped windscreen); and C-46F (cargo model with doors on both sides and square wingtip ends).

Well over 3,000 Commandos were built, and they remained in service through the Korean War. A few even served during the first years of the war in Vietnam. Today, a small number continue to fly in various capacities around the world, mostly as freighters in Central and South America.

Nicknames: Whale; T-Cat (C-46s modified to U.S. Civil Aviation transport-category standards.)

Specifications: (C-46A)
Engines: Two 2,000-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-51 radial piston engines
Weight: Empty 30,000 lbs., Max Takeoff 45,000 lbs.
Wing Span: 108ft. 0in.
Length: 76ft. 4in.
Height: 21ft. 9in.
Maximum Speed: 270 mph
Cruising Speed: 173 mph
Ceiling: 24,500 ft.
Range: 3,150 miles
Armament: None
Number Built: 3,000+
Number Still Flying: 50+ (amazing huh?)

C-47 History:

The Douglas DC-3 was born of the intense competition for modern commercial aircraft that characterized the post-World War I era. It was the direct descendant of the DC-1, which first flew in 1933 as Douglas' initial response to a short supply of competitor, Boeing Aircraft's, landmark 10-passenger 247, the first, low-wing, all-metal airliner. With only one 12-passenger sample flying, and already a record-breaking success, the DC-1 was quickly made obsolete, replaced by an a more powerful version with greater seating capacity, the 14-passenger DC-2, of which 193 were built.

When, in 1934, American Airlines asked Douglas for a larger version of the DC-2 that would permit sleeping accommodations for transcontinental flights, Douglas responded with the 24 passenger (16 as a "sleeper" craft) DST (Douglas Sleeper Transport), the 24-passenger version of which was designated DC-3.

The DC-3 is given most of the credit for an almost 600% increase in airline passenger traffic between 1936 and 1941. Recognizing its great potential as a military transport, the United States Army specified a number of changes needed to make the aircraft acceptable for military use, including more powerful engines, the removal of airline seating in favor of utility seats along the walls, a stronger rear fuselage and floor, and the addition of large loading doors. A large order was placed in 1940 for the military DC-3, which was designated C-47 and became known as "Skytrain," a name it would soon be asked to live up to.

Used as a cargo transport to fly the notorious "Hump" over the Himalayas after the Japanese closed the Burma Road, and as a paratroop carrier in various campaigns from Normandy to New Guinea, the Douglas C-47 was one of the prime people movers of WWII where, in one form or another, it was manufactured by belligerents on both sides, after first having been licensed to Mitsui before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and to the Russians, who manufactured it under license as the Lisunov Li-2. During the war, Mitsui built their own version, via contract with the Showa and Nakajima companies, which built about 485 "Tabbys" (the code name given to the aircraft by the Allies) as the Showa L2D.

Known also as "Dakota" (British designation), R4D (U.S. Navy), "Skytrooper" and "Gooney Bird," the Douglas C-47 (USAAF) went through many modifications during its long service life, largely with respect to engine power ratings, but also with structural modifications for specific tasks like reconnaissance and navigation training. It was even tested as a floatplane, and as an engineless glider, a task it performed well, but too late in the war to matter. It was also used as a fighting machine as the AC-47D gunship ( "Puff, the Magic Dragon") of the Vietnam war, where the plane was equipped with three modernized Gattling guns (General Electric 7.62mm "Miniguns," each mounted and firing from the port side) for use as a "target suppressor," circling a target and laying down massive fire to eliminate or at least subdue the enemy position.

By war's end, 10,692 of the DC-3/C-47 aircraft had been built, with 2,000 Li-2s by the Soviets, and 485 Showa L2Ds by the Japanese, for a total of about 13,177. Between its first flight on December 17, 1935, and this writing, the DC-3 will have had 65 years of continuous service. From its pioneering of military airlifts over the hump, to its perfecting of the technique during the Berlin Airlift, the C-47 has been prized for its versatility and dependability, factors that explain its remarkable longevity as an active carrier worldwide. [History by Kevin Murphy] Thanks to Tex Gehman.

Nicknames: Gooney Bird; Super DC-3 (R4D-8); Skytrooper; Biscuit Bomber; Tabby (NATO code name for the Showa L2D); Cab (NATO code name for Lisunov Li-2); Dumbo (SC-47 Search-and Rescue variant); Sister Gabby/Bullshit Bomber (EC-47 dispensing propaganda-leaflets in Vietnam); Spooky/Puff the Magic Dragon (AC-47 Gunship); Dowager Dutchess; Old Methuselah; The Placid Plodder; Dizzy Three; Old Bucket Seats; Duck; Dak; Dakleton (South African C-47s which replaced their Avro Shackletons), Vomit Comet (Nickname used by US Army paratroops during the Normandy invasion.)

Specifications (C-47):
Engines: Two 1,200-hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S1C3G Twin Wasp radial piston engines
Weight: Empty 16,865 lbs., Max Takeoff 25,200 lbs.
Wing Span: 95ft. 0in.
Length: 64ft. 5.5in.
Height: 16ft. 11.5in.
Maximum Speed: 230 mph
Cruising Speed: 207 mph
Ceiling: 23,200 ft.
Range: 2,125 miles
Armament: None
Number Built: 13,177 (All manufacturers)
Number Still Airworthy (All Variants): 300+ (more amazing huh?)

C-54 History:

When it was decided that the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, should have a personal airplane to transport him to meetings around the world, the aircraft of choice was the US Army Air Corps’ (USAAC) C-54A Skymaster. Dubbed ‘The Sacred Cow’, this was the plane that took the president to Tehran, Casablanca, Hawaii and other less exotic spots in the USA.

The C-54 was the military derivative of the Douglas DC-4, a four-engine long range pressurized airliner with a three-man crew and accommodations for up to 49 passengers or 26 troops. Originally designed to a specification from United Airlines, the DC-4 had a maximum speed of 274 mph and a range of 3900 miles. The first 61 civilian orders were followed by a further buy for 71 from the USAAC though, in the end, most ended up in Army service.

To meet the military’s more stringent needs, the DC-4 was given a cargo door, stronger floor, cargo boom hoist and larger wing tanks. First flight of the military C-54 occurred on 26 March 1942. During the war years, 1242 C-54s were delivered with a wide variety of modifications. A few of the major ones were the C-54A, the original, fully militarized model capable of lifting 50 soldiers or 32,500 pounds of cargo; the JC-54D, which was modified for missile nose cone recovery; the C-54E, with larger Pratt & Whitney engines, bigger fuel tanks for longer range and a specially designed cabin for quick conversion between passenger and cargo roles; the C-54M, which was a C-54E stripped out to serve as a coal-carrier during the Berlin Airlift; the EC-54U, a post-war modification as an electronic counter-measures platform; and at least 14 sub-variants built for the US Navy originally called the R5D. There were numerous other variants which performed countless other roles, from VIP transport to multi-engine training.

The C-54 offered sterling service for both the USAF and the US Navy after the war, and was not fully retired until the late 1960’s. Ex-military Skymasters became popular as cargo transports and fire bombers, and many are still in active use around the world in these roles. A lucky few have been acquired by appreciative warbird groups in the USA. [History by Jeff VanDerford]

Nicknames: The Sacred Cow (FDR's personal transport); Rescuemaster (US Air Force's SC-54D air-sea rescue variant.)

Specifications:
Engines: Four 1,450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2000-2SD-13G Twin Wasp radial piston engines.
Weight: Empty 43,300 lbs., Max Takeoff 73,000 lbs.
Wing Span: 117ft. 6in.
Length: 93ft. 10in.
Height: 27ft. 6in.
Maximum Speed: 280 mph at 14,000 ft.
Ceiling: 22,300 ft.
Range: 2,500 miles
Armament: None
Number Built: 1000+ military versions
Number Still Airworthy: At least 122 (amazing!)

All photos/information Copyright of War Bird Alley

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