Old Birds

[BIGNASTY]

B29 the crew was led by Darryl Greenamyer one of if not THE BEST RECIP ENGINE man alive. He also use to build and fly in Air Races in Reno NV

 

[BIGNASTY]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9EPQa559Nk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FoYT-PRp_g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp0N-iY2Oo8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAf6GScjiHo





This would have NEVER WORKED as an alert bird start We would hand turn the prop (IGN OFF ) and get it to where the start button had to be LOOKED AT!!!!! and it would fire, had no time to be playing around with hard to start planes OF COURSE while I was climbing in the cockpit to fire it off to get temps up and the pilot was getting ground support info the engine man had two can's of EITHER going into the intake IT WILL FIRE OR BLOW :-laf
FIFI was the back up B29 for the Enola Gay seen it at Reno Air Race when they took the B29 around the 8 mile Pylon course a low level I STARTED TO CRY and the wife looked at me in amazement WHY??? some old guy came over to me and was also crying he said you cant believe that either can you? he bought me a beer not to be out done I bought him a beer and at the end of the the day the two wives had to drive back to the hotel that we both were staying at. CHICKS JUST DONT UNDERSTAND!!!!

turn up the volume on computer TO FULL and it was not any where NEAR AS LOUD as in person

 

[GCroyle]

BIG,



That's the one, amazing story and one of his crew died working on it. I hit a link, you can spend a lot of time chasing those clips. Hey, try to find Arthur Godfrey taking you on a personal tour of a Constellation. He got the Captain to feather 3 engines. I'm on an iPad ain't learned to get fancy and copy paste stuff.



The prop on that racer looked like it had blades from a tug boat prop shop, wow.

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

I don't know the model of this 4 engine bomber, but PBS did a story on the two year long ordeal of a team that went to Iceland to uncover and fly it out. Changed engines, tires, long list. They would get one or two engines running in a day, etc. finally time to taxi and the APU tipped and caught fire, all was lost. But the sight of those monstrous radials coming to life, must have been like what BIG is referring to, I'd pay to be standing nearby just for that.

Couple of years ago at a breakfast flyin out in Ohio, they were selling rides, a Cessna and a thing called a Stearman. I asked what's a Stearman, guy pointed to the tail dragger. I was first in line, amazing.

Fred told me about one of his "unscheduled" landings, said when you can read Hamilton Standard (IIRC) when it should have been a blur pulling you along, it was a bad day.

Gary,

That was a B-29 they pulled out of Iceland. The special was great. It showed the trials and tribulations of piecing this old warbird together after 50 years in the ice. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/b29-frozen.html
Those were the same engines that were used on the C-97. BIG hit the nail on the head on the excitement factor... I sure miss the sound of them ol' recips - especially the big-uns. Ridin' brakes on an engine run and throwin' some serious pitch to the props made her growl... Music... Sweet, sweet music. Also, the squeal of the brakes on taxi. If ya heard that noise on your Cummins you'd pull over and call for a tow ASAP. The C-97 had four five-gallon kegs under the flight engineer's instrument station, each with a manual pump to add oil to the respective engine in-flight.




Dang, BIG... Ya done beat me to the draw whilst I wuz busy findin' an' reminising.

 

[BIGNASTY]

BIG,

That's the one, amazing story and one of his crew died working on it. I hit a link, you can spend a lot of time chasing those clips. Hey, try to find Arthur Godfrey taking you on a personal tour of a Constellation. He got the Captain to feather 3 engines. I'm on an iPad ain't learned to get fancy and copy paste stuff.

The prop on that racer looked like it had blades from a tug boat prop shop, wow.

The Prop on Rare Bear was off of a P3 its a multi engine plane with HUGE lift capacity for its time. Reno Air Races were a hot bed of innovation another plane took the props off of a Russian Bear Bomber it had counter rotating props some place I have a picture of it unreal to here both of these go by at full bore.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Gary,



That was a B-29 they pulled out of Iceland. The special was great. It showed the trials and tribulations of piecing this old warbird together after 50 years in the ice. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/b29-frozen.html

Those were the same engines that were used on the C-97. BIG hit the nail on the head on the excitement factor... I sure miss the sound of them ol' recips - especially the big-uns. Ridin' brakes on an engine run and throwin' some serious pitch to the props made her growl... Music... Sweet, sweet music. Also, the squeal of the brakes on taxi. If ya heard that noise on your Cummins you'd pull over and call for a tow ASAP. The C-97 had four five-gallon kegs under the flight engineer's instrument station, each with a manual pump to add oil to the respective engine in-flight.

My Dad was a Aviation Metalsmith but knew all kinds of the other skills people that it took to keep the planes flying. I use to go to work with him at Los Alamitos NAS he would take me over to a man named Charlie Chase he was an recip engine re-builder. I learn more from that man than any other in memory im sure that if the Navy would have caught me working ( with supervision of Charlie) on those engines that he and my Dad would STILL be in Leavenworth. Just being able to SEE what made them tick would have been enough but to torque cylinder heads and rod bolts was AN AMAZING treat for a kid.





Commander Schumacher was a Plane Captain on a C118 he saw my Dad and some other swabs put me on their shoulders and lift me up to close a compartment door on the wing one time and said Jerry (my Dad) you cant do that what if he got hurt? My Dad told him he's my kid and if he gets hurt its my doing!!!! later Commander Schumacher came to the shop where my Dad worked and got me took me out to the C118 the crew jumped in fired it up and taxied it down to the trim pad for an engine run up I sat where the flight engineer sat between the pilot and co pilot I got to push the throttles up on the motors. WHAT A DEAL THAT WAS!!!! I think that was one of the reasons that I was so into working on planes in the Air Force There were not time clocks it was a job and HAD TO BE DONE ASAP no matter the cost is how I figured it.







One of the A1 Skyraiders we worked on came back from a mission and was missing most of the flaps and part of the horizontal stab and 1 piston and cylinder missing completely beside the oil all over the place it didnt sound to bad like it had a slight engine miss A1's ran Wright R-3350 motors BIG A** POWER they could hang on the prop in a climb, the best feeling that I had in Viet Nam was to see both of our A1'S do their job they were that close that we could see what those planes and crew could do to make our work worthwhile SAVING OUR A**'S better than any hunk of iron to put on a chest when a mud Marine came in and said thanks to the pilots AND the GROUND CREW.

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

The F4U was a fantastic aircraft. I've had the experience of standing near one when he fired up the 18 jug PW Wasp. Nothing but brute power.

One BIG HONKIN' fan on that plane! Bet it kept the flys off the pilots on a hot tropical day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQxb-V-rZqA

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

Bawaaahh!!!

Found my old friends on the web - I'm sure I have some grease and oil from these babies on an old uniform piece in storage somewhere.

Pics thanks to the Goleta Air and Space Museum... http://www.air-and-space.com/Boeing C-97.htm

:{ I kissed 'em a final goodbye in Wiesbaden - And this is how they were treated when they came home!

EC-97Gs 52-2687 and 53-0306 in a partially disassembled state at MASDC on
December 18, 1979. They were built as KC-97G Stratotankers. The construction
number of 52-2687 is 16718. It was modified for photo-reconnaissance with a
20-foor focal length Big Bertha camera. The construction number of 53-0306 is
17088.

EC-97G 53-0106 on static display at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base airshow on
March 16, 1975, shortly after its retirement. Its construction number is 16888.
It was modified to fly cold-war ELINT missions over East Germany in the Berlin
air corridor. It carries an extra bulge under the fuselage between the main
landing gear.

 

[BIGNASTY]

This one always kind of impressed me :-laf



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra_khhzuFlE

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

This one always kind of impressed me :-laf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra_khhzuFlE

That's great for a big FIXED wing... How about a big ROTARY wing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ7pVjQ5Y5g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC2E8RJE3Jo


Extra shiney berries on this Marine!

 

[BLNRAY]

This one always kind of impressed me :-laf



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra_khhzuFlE

impressive move by an impressive plane,wqs a boom operator on KC-135Q in 1he early 70's,the molitary version of the 707,the 135 still flying today last new one was delivered to the air force in 1963,thats one hell of a long service life. another example of OLD GUYS RULE !

 

[BIGNASTY]

That's great for a big FIXED wing... How about a big ROTARY wing!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ7pVjQ5Y5g



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC2E8RJE3Jo





Extra shiney berries on this Marine!

Never liked the rotary wing toy's anything that flies is supposed to have forward movement AT ALL TIMES. When we went back to a regular base from the FAC air strip they would take us in a copter no doors live ammo JUST ABOVE trees whizzing by JUST GAVE ME A WEDGIE That was the only bad part of going to town.

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

Never liked the rotary wing toy's anything that flies is supposed to have forward movement AT ALL TIMES. When we went back to a regular base from the FAC air strip they would take us in a copter no doors live ammo JUST ABOVE trees whizzing by JUST GAVE ME A WEDGIE That was the only bad part of going to town.

BIG, I agree with you 110%... Rotary winged thingys have the glide ratio of a rock... auto rotate is only as good as the operator. We got a surprise package from UNCLE while I was at Wiesbaden. UNCLE scooped up a couple of HH-53s from a sandy beach on some small island, holes, sand and all, tossed them into a C-5, and delivered them to our front door. When we heard we were getting a new aircraft we asked what it was... more corroded OV-10s that had been crated and sittin' on a dock in Nam for the past 6 months??? Aw, heck no. You're gettin' three HH-53s... Huh? Wazzat??? It's rotary winged aircraft. Wuzzat??? A helicopter... HUH!!!??? Wings that go 'round and 'round??? Yep. Anyone here qualified!!!??? Nope! All our wings remain perpindicular to the fuselage. Oh, and you have to put them together... Haaahaaahaahaa... S-U-R-E... (we did get a RAM team from Hill AFB to "assist" us in inserting tab A into slot B though).

 

[GCroyle]

This is the Constellation film over 45 minutes with Arthur Godfrey as host. Godfrey was a TV personality in the early days, we need older members to chime in on him. This film gets a slower start but finally Godfrey and the crew man the Constellation. Its a real glimpse of commercial avation in the '50's even to the point where Godfrey and the Flt Eng light up their Chesterfields and settle in. Takes some time to watch but its a hoot. At the end they do cut to just one engine. Also shows early instrument landing systems, really neat.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6VfkKjlhXs

 

[Mikey-KE7LBB]

I remember the sound of a few C-141's taking off and flying right over my house in Layton, UT when I was little http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiXh36n8weg At that age, the sound of C-5 taking off was a rare treat... (One that I would even ignore the ice-cream man for) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvNwiczJ69k (Takeoff at 1:45)



However... The B-52 is still my absolute favorite! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GZN6qlnNbg

 

[GCroyle]

Guys,



This is not so much about the Old Bird http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKBNw4kfwNM but its about a member of The Greatest Generation on a tribute flight.



WWII B-17 Pilots Last Flight.



Regards and thanks to you Mr. Marvin Skubick

 

[Tractorat]

My BIL's dad flew B17's in WWII. Maybe 20 years ago we took him to a big air show in Seattle down at Boeing field. They had the B17 out and flying. We were sitting in an open air cafe they had set out on the field. There was a big band playing 1940's music. Just as the band was playing In the Mood, the B17 pulled up and parked. His eyes were so wet, it was incredible. The sight brought tears to everyones eyes.

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

impressive move by an impressive plane,wqs a boom operator on KC-135Q in 1he early 70's,the molitary version of the 707,the 135 still flying today last new one was delivered to the air force in 1963,thats one hell of a long service life. another example of OLD GUYS RULE !

Hey BLNRAY, how early in the 70's? I was assigned to the 456th AMS AFCS shop @ Beale. Ever fly with a pilot, Captain Sullivan? I think his first name was Pete? Then there was Steve and Mike (can't remember their last names). All were my neighbors in an apartment complex in Linda. Or, run into a crew chief named Spencer Davis? Got a few rides on "maintenance" flights where the envelope was pushed a bit. Amazing aircraft for sure! As a "groundpounder" avionics type we got some time on the portable flight simulator in the rail car late at night after the flight crews were done, or after doing some maintenance on it. That was a blast - until "someone" throws in a huge crosswind (SURPRISE) just before touchdown... at least it was a botched landing that everyone could walk away from - which, I believe, is in the definition of a "good" landing. I think the biggest hazard was the steps getting into the rail car.
Decorated (bandages) Member of the "Royal Order of the Waffleheads"... (crowned many-a-time by them darned flight deck entry grates)

 

[BLNRAY]

Hey BLNRAY, how early in the 70's? I was assigned to the 456th AMS AFCS shop @ Beale. Ever fly with a pilot, Captain Sullivan? I think his first name was Pete? Then there was Steve and Mike (can't remember their last names). All were my neighbors in an apartment complex in Linda. Or, run into a crew chief named Spencer Davis? Got a few rides on "maintenance" flights where the envelope was pushed a bit. Amazing aircraft for sure! As a "groundpounder" avionics type we got some time on the portable flight simulator in the rail car late at night after the flight crews were done, or after doing some maintenance on it. That was a blast - until "someone" throws in a huge crosswind (SURPRISE) just before touchdown... at least it was a botched landing that everyone could walk away from - which, I believe, is in the definition of a "good" landing. I think the biggest hazard was the steps getting into the rail car.

Decorated (bandages) Member of the "Royal Order of the Waffleheads"... (crowned many-a-time by them darned flight deck entry grates)

was with the 306th ARS at Mccoy,fl,71&72 when mccoy closed we moved to Pease,assigned to the 34th ARS. did a lot of TDY with beale crews alover the world being the only 2 135Q tanker squdrons for the blackbirds. dont remamber alot of names,that was a long time ago

 

[Blu-meanie]

About 15 years ago I "forced" my FIL to visit the airshow here in Lincoln where they had a B17 and aB24. He was in N Africa and a sometime crew member on the 17. He reluctently went on the tour, and had a blast, posing with the waist guns he used back then and bsing with all the other WWII guys there. One little guy, was a ball turret gunner, posed for pictures by his old position. A tad too large to fit into it anymore. He's gone now, but it sure brought back memories for him. We tried to talk him into a flight, but he said he used to get paid for flying and wouldn't pay for one. I thought that they should have had free flights for the WWII guys.