I was there, with a few friends, watching the amazing sight of all those wonderful old planes.
MY camera battery died, but thankishly, THIS one didn't -

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

Lots more stuff, but we tend to get blasé about it, seeing as how we only live half an hour away....

I always enjoy going to Duxford. Especially when they have some sort of fly-in. It’s been a few years. Will be around there in November and hope to stop by.
Love the DC-3/C-47. Thanks for the link

quote:

Originally posted by Sauer Kraut:
I always enjoy going to Duxford. Especially when they have some sort of fly-in. It’s been a few years. Will be around there in November and hope to stop by.
Love the DC-3/C-47. Thanks for the link

Fancy a meet-up?

 
Back in the 1960's, I used to fly on DC3s with Trans Texas Airways (later ultimately absorbed by Southwest). Short hops in TX, from TXK to DAL (Love Field), to AUS, and back. The first time I ever flew in a non-taildragger I was almost off balance getting to my seat.

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:

quote:

Originally posted by Sauer Kraut:
I always enjoy going to Duxford. Especially when they have some sort of fly-in. It’s been a few years. Will be around there in November and hope to stop by.
Love the DC-3/C-47. Thanks for the link

Fancy a meet-up?

That sounds great! Will email you

Thanks for the post. This just made it onto my bucket list!

Early in my Forest Service career our fire crew was flown from Roosevelt, UT over to the Wasatch Front for a large fire. We were a 20-person crew and I was the last onto the aircraft—a beautiful C-47 that belonged to the McCall Smokejumpers. There were 19 seats in this aircraft. The pilot saw me looking for a place to sit down and said, “Come on up front, I got a place for you.” I got to sit in the jump seat behind the pilot and co-pilot. As we crossed over the Wasatch Range we got into an electrical storm. I wondered how the others in the back were fairing, as we were bounced around pretty good. For me, up front, it was absolutely awesome! I could watch the storm over the shoulders of the flight crew, as well as above me, through the small windows overhead. Never forget it.

I won’t swear to it, but I think the McCall Smokejumpers still jump out of a C-47/DC-3. The engines have been changed out to turboprop, but it’s still as beautiful. You can see pictures if you do a search.

I have some roots which run back to Cambridge and Duxford is a closeby must. The Missus and I have been to Duxford several times over the years. The most memorable was in 1994. We stayed in the very very old Red Lion Pub which is within walking distance of the field. While we were perhaps the only folks there the empty rooms filled with aged American pilots who had bivouac'd there long before. These moments were the beginning days before the 50th anniversary of their D-Day flights, which they were there to commemorate. What auspicious and fortuitous timing that was. Cold chills and upright hackles upon hearing those engines crank and runnup on every visit.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:

I won’t swear to it, but I think the McCall Smokejumpers still jump out of a C-47/DC-3. The engines have been changed out to turboprop, but it’s still as beautiful. You can see pictures if you do a search.

The last of the USFS DC-3's was retired a few years ago. The round engine Dougs were phased out a while back and they were flying Basler conversions with Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67's.

The Pratt versions (turboptop) were a lot quieter, a lot smoother, with much better power response, and Basler stretched the fuselage and made a lot of improvements to old, tired airframes.

The DC-3 is one of the only airplanes I've ever flown that actually requires to people working together as a team to raise or lower the landing gear.