For Old Airplane Guys

[RP#62]

We like to ride out to municipal airports in the area to see what's parked on the ramp.  You just never know what you'll find, especially in this part of the country.  We were out the other day and ran across the C-119 that was used in the '04 remake of Flight of the Phoenix.

-RP

[Patrick]

Typical of Fairchild,  beautiful flying  and simple. Used them for close air support and evacuations.  National Warplane Museum also had one . They were rude, crude, noisy, vibrated, in other words, great airplane !

[scooperhsd]

Isn't that a PBY4 catalina behind that  ? (WWII seaplane used for long range recon )

[RP#62]

Isn't that a PBY4 catalina behind that  ? (WWII seaplane used for long range recon )

Yes it is, well close enough, that particular one is a PBY-5A.  My dad used to crew them during the war.  He was radioman and manned the aft gun.

-RP

[The emperor has no clothes]

Cool plane ! Cool post ! Even for "wannabe" old airplane guys. Who's company emblem is that ?

[baldo]

My Dad worked on those in the USMC. He was a pretty talented tinknocker.

A local lumber company here in Hyannis had one for years, flying all their stock to Nantucket every day.  I was watching it do it's pre-takeoff runup when the left PRT exploded...so much oil mist you couldn't see the engine.

It was a beast.

[The emperor has no clothes]

My Dad worked on those in the USMC. He was a pretty talented tinknocker.

A local lumber company here in Hyannis had one for years, flying all their stock to Nantucket every day.  I was watching it do it's pre-takeoff runup when the left PRT exploded...so much oil mist you couldn't see the engine.

It was a beast.

PRT ?

[old2soon]

       I remember something I saw on a public channel of building the Catalina. Seems they didn't have a tank big enough to test the new hulls as they were built. So they just flooded the inside and looked for the leaks on the outside. Simple quick and effective. Like the 119. Both the Cat and the 119 big round motors!   RIDE SAFE.

[RP#62]

My Dad worked on those in the USMC. He was a pretty talented tinknocker.

A local lumber company here in Hyannis had one for years, flying all their stock to Nantucket every day.  I was watching it do it's pre-takeoff runup when the left PRT exploded...so much oil mist you couldn't see the engine.

It was a beast.

PRT ?

Power Recovery Turbine.   I changed one on a connie once.  What a mess.  When you pull it out, its followed by several gallons of stinky black oil.
Exhaust gasses spin the turbine up and its coupled back to the crankshaft.  The R-3350 had three of them and if I remember correctly, each could contribute around 150 HP back to the engine rather than loose it in the exhaust (hence recovery turbine).

-RP

[baldo]

My Dad worked on those in the USMC. He was a pretty talented tinknocker.

A local lumber company here in Hyannis had one for years, flying all their stock to Nantucket every day.  I was watching it do it's pre-takeoff runup when the left PRT exploded...so much oil mist you couldn't see the engine.

It was a beast.

PRT ?

Power Recovery Turbine.   I changed one on a connie once.  What a mess.  When you pull it out, its followed by several gallons of stinky black oil.
Exhaust gasses spin the turbine up and its coupled back to the crankshaft.  The R-3350 had three of them and if I remember correctly, each could contribute around 150 HP back to the engine rather than loose it in the exhaust (hence recovery turbine).

-RP

Sorry for the acronym.

RP is exactly right. Loud noisy beast of an engine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_R-3350_Duplex-Cyclone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWj3oLjHEJY

[carolinarider09]

The only old aircraft pictures I personally have taken, all from the flight deck of the USS Wasp CVS-13 in 1969.

An S2E Grumman Tracker



A Willie Fudd Tracer

mybpstation station finder

And last but not least, Russian bomber of unknot type taken as he buzzed our ship after we used active sonar on a Russian sub.  I know its hard to see but its there.

[old2soon]

The only old aircraft pictures I personally have taken, all from the flight deck of the USS Wasp CVS-13 in 1969.

An S2E Grumman Tracker



A Willie Fudd Tracer

mybpstation station finder

And last but not least, Russian bomber of unknot type taken as he buzzed our ship after we used active sonar on a Russian sub.  I know its hard to see but its there.

                  My first fleet squadron-V S 23 embarked on U S S Yorktown CVS 10-flew the S 2 Ds & Es. We were flown over by Russian Bear bombers a couple of times. Figured out after my first cruise and before my 2nd cruise that the Bears did indeed carry some sort of ship killing missles. Still went up and out and did my job every day. Well I wuz a Lot younger then!  RIDE SAFE. Thanks for those pics. 

[carolinarider09]

The Wasp was an ASW ship in the sixties.  We had escorts and the S2Es could drop some weapons on subs but no real anti-aircraft defense (yes we had some 5" guns and machine guns, but). 

However, when we entered the Mediterranean Sea, we had to take on some fighter aircraft.  No pics of them.

And I did ge to do a Cat shot on a COD.  Pilot let me fly it for a few minutes before I made an error and the plane made a sudden change in altitude.

But I have told that story before.  Sorry for the repeat.   

[RP#62]

Cool plane ! Cool post ! Even for "wannabe" old airplane guys. Who's company emblem is that ?

That's the logo of the fictitious Amacore oil company from the movie.  You can see it at about the 1:01 mark in the movie opening below.  This was the airplane used for the flight scenes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAmAr_mI3EQ

-RP

[Jess from VA]

The body on that old C-119 looks just like a big honkin' airstream trailer.