20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in

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boing
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20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in

#1 Post by boing » Wed Aug 10, 2016 3:11 am

20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in


http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/02/aviation/20-iconic-aircraft-vintage/

When the commercial airliner that you have most time in (the 727) becomes one of the "20 incredible vintage planes" it tells you something, I'm not quite sure what.

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Re: 20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in

#2 Post by 500N » Wed Aug 10, 2016 3:49 am

I could think of a heap of vintage aircraft I'd prefer to fly in than most of that lot.

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Re: 20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in

#3 Post by unifoxos » Wed Aug 10, 2016 6:48 am

I guess I must be an " incredible vintage pax" as I have flown in quite a few of them, one as recently as 2004 (though the article states that was the year it last saw service).

The only one I'd really like to fly in, and one of the half dozen that I'd call classic, is the DC3.
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Re: 20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in

#4 Post by 500N » Wed Aug 10, 2016 6:52 am

Agree, DC3 for me as well. I have flown in a few of them.

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Re: 20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in

#5 Post by Slasher » Wed Oct 05, 2016 8:39 am

It means you, like me, are getting old boing. :((

Out of that lot - only the 727. Flew it only for 1,000 hrs or so (as F/O) when it was the queen of the Oz domestic skies. Back then she had black smoke and raw grunt before the final indignation of having her engines poofterised.

[bbvideo=560,315]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gwel7Ulmrvs[/bbvideo]

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Re: 20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in

#6 Post by boing » Wed Oct 05, 2016 3:11 pm

Slasher,

I flew the 72 as flight engineer, first officer, captain and check pilot, loved it. A lot of pilots refer to their aircraft as "she" but to me the 27 wasn't a lady she was a mischievous high-spirited mare, just my type. A dream when you were on the ball but always ready to give you a red face if you got sloppy.

If somebody asked me if I would fly into Hell I would ask for the 747 if it was a social visit or the 727 if it was a quick and dirty job. Built like a tank and once you had some speed under you a delight to fly.

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Re: 20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in

#7 Post by 500N » Wed Oct 05, 2016 3:23 pm

Why does that look like a Tri star ?

They are different aircraft ?

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Re: 20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in

#8 Post by boing » Wed Oct 05, 2016 3:41 pm

I've got to add something here because it applies to the other thread about relying on automation. Later in the period I flew the 27 the electric aeroplanes were coming on-line. I was in a big company so you had pretty good options about how to plan your life and which aircraft you chose to fly. There was most absolutely a self-selection among the pilots, it was quite open, the doofii would openly say they wanted to fly the aircraft with computers while the hands-on types would say the chose the 27 because they wanted to fly not babysit. Most of the people I flew with and trained were excellent pilots. When things got tight with ATC and they needed a few favors to unlock the gridlock it was the 27s they turned to for help.

Two stories to show the different attitudes.

One day I walked into operations and there was a very noisy crowd around the noticeboard area with loud laughter and incredulous comments such as "No, I can't believe it !". A safety report had been posted about an Airbus incident where the aircraft became badly un-stabilised below 1000 feet. The captain reported that since the aircraft had become badly un-stabilised at 600 feet he engaged the autopilot to try to correct the situation. Good ammunition for a bunch of 72 guys.

Second story, the attitude on the 27 fleet was just so laid back. As a first officer I was exactly an hour late for check in on the first flight of a sequence, mistake on the time zone. I was flying with a lady flight engineer I had flown with for the previous trips in the month but the captain was called in on reserve so I did not know him. I arrived at operations a happy camper then immediately found out I was an hour late so into panic mode, grab flight bag and rush to the gate. All passengers boarded, gate area empty except agent waiting by an open door. Rush down the jetway, enter the cockpit at about one minute to pushback blurting apologies to the Captain. He says to save it for later, get on with the job. The flight engineer casually says to the captain "There you are, I told you he would be here on time".

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Re: 20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in

#9 Post by boing » Wed Oct 05, 2016 3:42 pm

500N

Only like a Morgan plus 4 versus a school bus. :)
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Re: 20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in

#10 Post by Slasher » Wed Oct 05, 2016 5:02 pm

Boing my first jet was the DC9-30. Basically we were a bunch of petrolheads... leather jacket Harley riders with the bitchpad occupied if you will. We F/Os only knew 2 speeds - zero and Vmo/Mmo. We set climb thrust and just left it there till TOD. The captains set crz EPR if they were in the mood.

When ATC SYD needed an arrival relief valve they picked on the 9s first. Mine was always "request you maintain high speed for sequencing". So... 10nm/300kt/idle thrust. On GS intercept full speedbrakes - 280kt slats - 270kt gear - 250kt flap 5 - etc etc. 500ft - in the slot, spun up, speedbrakes stowed. Voila!

727 was the "collar and tie" fleet...the Rolls Royce you could say where all 'T's were crossed and 'i's dotted. My first hi speed was greeted with "Er... Excuse me Mr bloody Slasher but at 10 miles you're supposed to be bug+80. What's this 300 knots *****?"

Needless to say I had to conform quickly but as one old fart in the left seat told me "if you master this machine efficiently and safely, you can handle anything the bastards throw at you in the future." He wasn't wrong!

The 747 was probably the easiest handling I'd ever flown - and Boeing certainly had got their act together when they built it. It could easily punch a hole a 10 foot thick concrete wall, pass through the worst that Hell had to offer, emerge the other end, then shake its head a bit and keep going.

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Re: 20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in

#11 Post by boing » Wed Oct 05, 2016 5:30 pm

Like the old RAF formation briefing joke.

"I'm lead, brief will be on Guard (243 emergency frequency), last one to 30,000 feet is a sissy."

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Re: 20 incredible vintage planes you can still fly in

#12 Post by Boac » Wed Oct 05, 2016 6:07 pm

"I'm lead, brief will be on Guard (243 emergency frequency), last one to 30,000 feet is a sissy."
not forgetting "last one in the bar afterwards buys the beers" :))

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