Ops-Normal.org

Found this stunning video on FB. A lot of elbow grease has gone into that finish.

My first flight was a circuit around Castle Bromwich airfield in a DC3, it must have been about 1956. In those days of military tradition even small airfields had some level of Battle of Britain display. Not exactly the start of my RAF career but certainly a significant step.

Many years later I was in Cyprus and a brand new aircraft was being sent there for hot weather trials - the Jetstream. The Jetstream test aircraft arrived with two pilots (humour on) dressed in lightweight flying clothing with their charts printed on lightweight rice paper. Not too far behind was a DC3 with all the extra personnel, spare tyres, possibly spare engine, tools, general spares, etc etc. Made you wonder why they bothered with the Jetstream.

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What a beautifully restored aircraft, well filmed in an excellent video. Thanks for posting Stoneboat.

Caco

Stunning. Thank you.

boing wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 05, 2019 9:03 pm

In those days of military tradition even small airfields had some level of Battle of Britain display. Not exactly the start of my RAF career but certainly a significant step.

Many years later I was in Cyprus and a brand new aircraft was being sent there for hot weather trials -.

Snap. Probably a little earlier than 1956 but my friend a couple of doors away and more street wise said it was BoB Day and let's go to the see the show. I guess I was 8 or 9. One uncle had been killed when his aircraft crashed, the other was on Canberras. I had a full set aircraft recognition cards; found the Japanese ones the hardest.

Anyway we cycled 10 miles to RAF Hooton Park where a few hundred had gathered. This was a small RAuxAF unit and was not mounting a display. However not to miss an opportunity or disappointing the crowd they did their best. They obviously rigged up the tannoy system, probably a hang over from WW2, and ran a commentary.

The one thing I remember was they got a Shackleton just transiting to come and do a display. flexibility the key to air power. Couldn't happen today.

Then Cyprus:

Lovely place for warm weather trials, even in winter? I remember trials of the liquid cooled suit for Tornado. Or the Mind of transiting to Singapore for proper got trials. It had no kit installed though but electric heaters to simulate it.

My first flight was a circuit around Castle Bromwich airfield in a DC3...

I was 15 when I had my first ride in a DC-3. Later on, I flew the same airplane - for the same company - for probably a thousand hours, including a few hundred on skis.

Much MUCH less interaction than Stonboat, but still three (well 2 1/2) memorable interactions. The first (and only time I was aboard) was a Bahamas Air flight from Nassau to Freeport. It was particularly memorable for a huge air pocket which left a coffee cup shaped glob of coffee in mid-air for the split second it took gravity to assert itself and dump it in my lap.

Second time, I was in a tent, at a wedding in east Long Island where I heard a sound like no other, ever. Left my date and ran out of the tent and sure enough, it was PBA (Providence Boston Airlines) airliner, which had regular service to such places as Nantucket and Cape Cod.

Finally, I signed up to get into a WWII soldier uniform, complete with nametag of an actual participant of D Day and fly in a restored C-47 for an hour on the anniversary. Rained out.

The first time I flew in a DC-3 was in 1965 on a school trip from Portsmouth to Guernsey, and back again a week later, Channel Airways.

Twenty years later I flew in a Canadian one with a Starfighter nosecone from Cold Lake to Edmonton and back.

Never flew in a DC3/C47/Dakota, but once re-fuelled Monty's personal chariot when it stopped at Orange, 1958.

... it was PBA (Providence Boston Airlines) airliner, which had regular service to such places as Nantucket and Cape Cod.

Small world fin. A cousin of mine was the VP-Ops at PBA for awhile in the 1980's. (He left them for Joe Fuguere's Air New England.)

Fin in addition to slush and whiteout, ski flying the DC-3 occasionally awakened other gremlins, this one in the form of a check cable hung up on a bolt head in the nacelle. Not to worry though, a firm touchdown on the good side shook the gremlin loose, whereupon gravity asserted itself. (Not me by the way.)

Many years ago I read a book about the DC3/C47/Dakota.

Each chapter was a story of an amazing incident.

Can't remember its name

Far left in the background is a "3" reputed to have been that of General Douglas MacArthur's - his personal aircraft no less. The photo taken at Port Moresby airport in 1971 by self. Good times with BN2A's, Skyvans, Twotters, and a "3".

k3k3 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 07, 2019 5:16 pm

Twenty years later I flew in a Canadian one with a Starfighter nosecone from Cold Lake to Edmonton and back.

Snap! I was on Maple Flag with 208 Sqn Buccaneers and managed a couple of trips in the DC3 to Edmonton and back.

Snap! Maple Flag 1985.

Mine was 1981. Terrific detachment. Had the good fortune to remain for a further week to "tidy up" after the squadron had gone back to the UK.