Aviation history

[Hawkmoon]

I just stumbled across a 3-part video series covering the discovery and restoration of THE C-47 aircraft that led the D-Day invasion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDNZ8_40U8

I'm not sure why, but it brought tears to my eyes.

[HankB]

When I went to Zambia in the early '90s, at one of the smaller airports I saw a couple of C-47s parked off the end of the runway that the Zambian Air Force was apparently still using. (From a couple of hundred yards away they looked intact, but I don't know if they were actually flyable.)

Back in the late '80s or early '90s I saw a lone C-47 overfly my home up in Minnesota - it sure seemed slow to me. Almost made me wonder how it could stay up at that speed. 

[WLJ]

Back in the late '80s or early '90s I saw a lone C-47 overfly my home up in Minnesota - it sure seemed slow to me. Almost made me wonder how it could stay up at that speed. 

See them fly in and out of the airports here from time to time. After getting used to seeing jets fly in and out all day long you almost start to wonder if you have time to leave and eat dinner and then come back later and watch it finish landing.   

[RocketMan]

Back in the late '80s or early '90s I saw a lone C-47 overfly my home up in Minnesota - it sure seemed slow to me. Almost made me wonder how it could stay up at that speed.

About that time frame when I was in the AZ Wing of the CAF, we used to fly our aircraft at slower than normal cruise speed (but not close to stall obviously) in order to baby the engines.  At that time, overhauls for the R-1820-97 in the B-17G ran about $20k a pop.  Repairs could be darn pricey, too, especially if you blew a jug.
I'd hate to think what an overhaul runs these days.

[230RN]

I've noticed that "slowness" when big piston bombers fly over.  I figure it must have something to do with the time it takes to traverse their own length when nearby coupled with the rumble-rumble, somehow.  Just weird.

I gather that after the war a large number of DC3s (C-47s) fell into civilian and commercial hands.  Arthur Godfrey was given one and he used to commute to Hawaii in it.  There was an incident where he buzzed a control tower and got in trouble.

I believe Senator Barry Goldwater had one, but I can't put my finger on a referent.  He was kind of a tech nut, owned an early IBM 1620 computer and was a ham radio operator.

[RoadKingLarry]

My late uncle used to tell the story of flying "over the hump" in a C-47 on the way to China during the war.
Said they got jumped by a couple of Zeros but they had an escort of P-51s that chased them off.
Told about the gun ports in the windows where they could stick their M1s out and shoot at the enemy planes.

[230RN]

I knew a guy who "flew the hump" and another one who was a tail gunner in a PBY  in the Pacific.  I always kicked myself for not pressing for details, but they were more of a business than personal relationship.  One guy I knew pretty well was in the Anzio offensive, but he didn't want to talk about it.  Later, I figured maybe that had something to do with the controversial bombing of the Monte Cassino monastery.*

     

My stepfather was also in WWII in Italy but we didn't talk much.  By the time he married my Mom, I was already starting my own life, so we never really BSed together.

Terry, 230RN

* https://www.britannica.com/topic/Battle-of-Monte-Cassino

[sumpnz]

The warbird museum by KSC I visited had a flying C-47.  Skydivers can still rent it.

[Boomhauer]

About that time frame when I was in the AZ Wing of the CAF, we used to fly our aircraft at slower than normal cruise speed (but not close to stall obviously) in order to baby the engines.  At that time, overhauls for the R-1820-97 in the B-17G ran about $20k a pop.  Repairs could be darn pricey, too, especially if you blew a jug.
I'd hate to think what an overhaul runs these days.

Hence the turboprop conversions for the DC-3s by Basler.

They also do a full rebuild and overhaul of the airframe during the conversion process. It is a significant update and life extension. We will have DC-3s flying at the 100 and quite possibly the 150 year mark.

[RocketMan]

Hence the turboprop conversions for the DC-3s by Basler.

They also do a full rebuild and overhaul of the airframe during the conversion process. It is a significant update and life extension. We will have DC-3s flying at the 100 and quite possibly the 150 year mark.

Those turbo conversions are pretty neat.  However, the sound of round engines is so much cooler.

[Hawkmoon]

Those turbo conversions are pretty neat.  However, the sound of round engines is so much cooler.

Agreed. The sound of a DC-3 with the twin radial engines is unmistakable, and always gets me feeling nostalgic.

[WLJ]

My late uncle used to tell the story of flying "over the hump" in a C-47 on the way to China during the war.
Said they got jumped by a couple of Zeros but they had an escort of P-51s that chased them off.
Told about the gun ports in the windows where they could stick their M1s out and shoot at the enemy planes.

More than likely Ki-43s  since that was a Japanese Army operational area and 43s were often reported as Zeros (A6M) since they do resemble each other somewhat and A6Ms were Navy.  Considering P-51s didn't start operating in the CBI theater until early 45 maybe even Ki-84s

[WLJ]

As a side note to that the Ki-61 was often reported as a Messerschmitt Bf-109 or as an Italian fighter in combat reports. The allied code name of Tony reflects the "Italian" fighter reports.