My God... when I was 6 my dad, an Argentinian crop dust pilot died in a crash while working (in Argentina), he left behind a stack of big Douglas photos he got from them back in the 50's in Long Beach. I was born there, St Mary's Hospital. My mom passed them to me, I had the same one you have there in my bedroom... Incredible... They're all gone, I left to go back to the US, became a GI later a Crew Chief in the USAF, was sent to Alaska were I used to go to Fort Wainwright (from Eielson) to hang around with the water tanker crews, I got my hand on a C-97 and a beautiful DC-7 (Tanker 32) Thanks for your post!! Cheers from Normandy!
Thank you again canals22 and for sharing your stories. I like to collect them with attribution in my database--may call on you sometime. Sorry about your Dad's demise in the crop duster--hearing those sad stories always adds a small stain on my love for aviation. So you live in Normandy now? I've been there twice--had lunch as a guest at the Normandy Golf Club. JA Reed
I am sorry for your loss, may his memory be eternal @Yosemite-George81. God bless you! I am glad you got to work with the C-97 and DC-7, which are two of my favorite propliners
I started out at 26 flying Beech-18s single pilot freight, and DC-3s, and now a 767 Captain still moving freight. I'm only 50 now. I caught the tail end of this era as a kid, with not a lot of experience, but it sure made me a better pilot. A ton of work to move these old airplanes around. Thanks so much for posting this!
Thank you sir! Looks like you are one of the very few pilots with piston-propliner experience at the tail end. FYI I know another 767 freight pilot who just left Northern Air Cargo and is now with American, a few notches down on the seniority list, unfortunately. Thanks for watching. J.A. Reed
the wasp major is amazing piece of engineering, I've seen a couple of cut away examples on display and watching the cylinder banks cycle through is awe inspiring...
Watching Piston era propliners here is like a trip back to the time when Jets were still a thing of the future. Even after the first jetliners were introduced on international routes to Australia and further up into the Pacific, provincial routes were stiil serviced by DC - 3 Skyliners. Our house on the flight path to the civil airport at Rongatai, was a busy stretch of air space. Now that's all changed. The air routes are the same, aircraft flight frequency has increased to an almost unbroken line, and the drone from the piston engines has been replaced by a hushed exhaust noise from the four jet engines.😂
Yes, it was almost the same story here in the US--and where I live in the middle of the US in St. Louis. DC-3s and even TWA L-749 Connies until 1967, long after the 727-100s and DC-9s appeared! Thank you for watching! J.A. Reed
I've always been curious about why I could never find much about the DC-7. We studied the turbocompound engine in college in the early 1990's. I went thru Western Michigan University's aviation program and got all my certificates and ratings as a pilot there. The one thing I remembered about those engines is they attained the lowest brake specific fuel consumption of any engine ever devised by man, to my recollection.
You are correct--at altitude, they provided 20% more power without burning any more fuel. Well into the jet age, I think the aeronautical schools were teaching about the turbocompounds, as there was a possibility then that a graduate would run into one in the field. Thanks for watching! J.A. Reed
My god those engines are BEASTS. Even when channeled into my headphones via 1992-spec lo-fi audio, the transition on takeoff from calm repose to taut excited readiness to unrestrained roar had me grinning like a damn idiot. Kai’s calling off of the V speeds was equal parts vocal efficiency and unapologetic giddiness. I can’t even imagine what it was like to be there. I may have enjoyed this video a little bit.
Thanks for watching--I'm really glad you enjoy it! We were very lucky to get reasonable audio out of 1980s technology. I had a heck of a lot of fun re-releasing this video and adding a lot of informational content I did not have back then. J.A. Reed.
You did not come off as arrogant in the origin video. This is a fascinating transitional technology that deserves to be remembered. Thanks for sharing.
Well thanks for your kind words, good to hear that from you--I guess it may be I don't like seeing myself on the video screen. Glad you appreciated the old video and God Bless. J.A. Reed
This is another great historical aviation prop-liner video by AeroDinosaur! I thoroughly enjoyed watching this rock-solid account of this DC-7C’s Caribbean cargo and clandestine mercenary operations in Africa. In my opinion, this video deserves a Five-Star Rating!
Thank you for this and the sequential series of 3 . From times past we all learn . I retired from a 34 year airline career . All turbine equipment. My father started on overseas in 1955 as Captain on DC 6’s , Pacific operations based out of CYVR ( Canadian Pacific Airlines ) down to Australia and New Zealand via Hawaii and Fiji . The stories recounted revealed that it was a struggle at best . Navigation , range , weather systems, fatigue and the equipment. The 6 was followed by the Britannia 314 , plagued with its own unique set of issues plus the ones noted above . Then the skys cleared so to speak when the DC 8’s came on line . I have always wondered about the skill it took to operate a large round piston engine and have tried to study how they did what they did to get them across the large and empty deep blue of the Pacific . All alone so to speak . Thanks to your efforts I have a greater respect and understanding . Cheers RS , CYVR .
Thanks for watching and your kind comments and stories. Like you I have never fathomed the vast skills needed to fly a big propliner. So many things can go wrong FAST, while you are hurling 130,000 pounds through the air at 200 mph. Truly, a "Tiger on a Leash" as author Alvin Moscow titled his book on 1950s propliner crashes. J.A. Reed
Awesome video. Love the old Douglas propliners and I sure miss seeing them as I did when was a young boy growing up around corrosion corner with my father conducting business in keeping those R-2800’s and R-1830’s running. Thanks for adding another great video and always looking forward to seeing the next one. Frank C
Thanks, Frank, glad you enjoyed it! I've been a subscriber to your TH-cam channel for several years--love all your content as well! I don't know if you know this, but I have been in regular contact with Rob--we've been exchanging a lot of information and photos. Looks like he is starting a new life at American Airlines. It is a privilege to be in touch with a propliner family! Best regards, J.A. Reed
Thank you for this video. My Dad flew the 7C for Northwest and I got to ride in the cockpit with him a couple of times. Great memories of this airplane.
Thanks for checking us out and expressing your appreciation. I knew another Northwest -7C pilot, his name was Herb Roederer. No more kids riding in the cockpit like that anymore! J. A. Reed.
Love all the films you made.I use to see that DC-7C flying out of MIA.This is a epic treasure of the operation of the DC-7C.Thanks for putting this all together.
Thank you sir! I cannot tell you how much fun I have making these and glad you appreciate them! A lot of people like you have seen -9TA in action, so we thought we would add a little history that has been somewhat forgotten. JA Reed.
I still remember mid '60 on the radio in Brazil hearing commercial of Vasp and Varig brazilian airlines announcing their flights with DC 6-B prop airliners from Rio de Janeiro to Manaus, center of Brazilian Amazonia...
@@kkteutsch6416 I never heard advertisements on the radio, but at that same time in the '60's I remember blue-nacelled Delta DC-6s flying over my house in St. Louis on their way to Memphis and/or Atlanta.
Great video, loved all, wish I could have flown this beast...my 4 eng time was in a KC-135 water wagon, I remember 11,000 foot rolls on a 12,000 ft runway.
From what I am told, the water wagons were worse than a fully loaded DC-7C as far as takeoff roll! That must have been nerve-wracking for you every time. Thanks for watching, glad you liked it. All my best, J.A. Reed
Perth Western Australia was still receiving regular twice weekly DC6Bs passenger Services on mainline SAA South African Airways Joburg Perth Sydney Services in 1966 .
Yeah, I well remember being impressed as a boy when seeing that schedule in the timetable, but I don't think SAA ever operated the DC-6B. My plane-spotting recollection (in Salisbury) is of the DC-7B. I passengered from there to London in one in 1960, just before they were superseded by the B707-320. Its predecessor was the L-749A Connie, although SAA also had some DC-4s.
Thanks for watching and subscribing, and glad you enjoyed it. One of our main goals is to reach professional airline pilots (and other crew members) like you. My wife and I have flown Delta many times over the years and have always had a great experience. I guess Delta displaying an old DC-7B in Delta colors down there in Atlanta. I remember seeing those fly as a kid. J.A. Reed
You bet, glad you enjoyed it! We really had fun making it and re-introducing one of our old "best sellers." I'm bet I've watched it over 100 times in the last 30 years and never get tired of it. J.A. Reed.
I spent some time at MIA in the mid seventies photographing the propliners in the “corner “. I still follow Ralph Peterson’s Propliners Information Network. Great job, John!
Thank you for checking us out and for your welcome complement. Would like to see some of your '70s photos if you still have them. There no propliner guy in the world that has more knowledge on the subject than Mr. Petterson!
where have you been ...oh my goodness im glad i was recommended this channel and video..and i had to become a subscriber keep up great work greetings from australia.
Thanks for being a subscriber and for your compliments on our videos. You Australians have been light-years ahead of the rest of the world at consistent propliner and postwar warbird (eg. P2 Neptune) flying preservation. I don't know what's wrong with the rest of us. Keep it up! J.A. Reed
At the beginning of my aviation career Panam used to fly DC7C's into "our" home base until a new airport was built with runways suitable for jets. The few things I recall were- 1/ the massive oil leaks from the engines. On arrival the PAA maintenance crew had to lay drip trays under each engine and clip smaller trays on to the cowls where various drain pipes exited to keep the airport authority happy. Cleaners would swab the upper surface of the wings behind each engine to remove the oil slicks. There would be oil dripping off the horizontal tail and elevators behind the inboard engines. 2/ One day Panam brought their spare R3350 into our hangar to lift it out of its stand so they could reinstall parts robbed to service the aircraft. The size of the oil tank was stunning. I was used to a DC6's R2800's which had a 25 gal oil tank if I recall correctly. I asked the PAA guys how much oil it held. 54 gals was the reply. Next question was about oil consumption. Reply was " less than 4 gal/hr we don't even look. More than 4 gal/hr we try and find the leak. More than 6 gal/hr we replace the engine if no obvious leak found".
Very interesting--thanks for sharing your experience--and interesting rules of thumb your mechanics came up with! When I went on those DC-7C trips I was given a uniform with a pressed white shirt. By the time we got back to Miami, it was covered with black oil blotches, as were the entire crew's uniforms! J.A. Reed
My observations were of an airplane that had just made a very long 2 sector flight from Hawaii to New Zealand via Fiji so by the time it arrived at my location it had been in the air for a long time and engine oil was everywhere. Finally ceased operations around 1965 when the new airport opened and B707's took over.
en stgo. de chile .. en su aeropuerto de cerrillos vi los panam. dc-7 c y comprobaba el llenado de combustible con personal y piloto controlando el nivel de combustible y aceite // los dc- 3 gastaban 9 litros de aceite en colombia VILLAVICENCIO )
Very cool! Grew up in Hollywood and had a buddy that drove a fuel truck for Tursair in the ‘70’s at MIA. Used to ride with him on night shift fueling piston heavies. Always loved them 3’s, 6’s and the Connies over in “the corner” on the 36th St. side. Good memories, the sound and smell of them! Thanks 👍👍
Thanks for your nice comment out of Brazil--you have great propliner legacies down there. I've never been down there, but it's #1 on my bucket list! J.A. Reed.
In a dark hanger at BFI Seattle I assisted the Argosy Travel Club do an evac on their DC7B under FAA observation. When the evacuation command was given the rear door was opened and myself and Bill Berg slid down a rope to the hanger floor. We each grabbed the canvas loops on a non inflatable slide that was hanging down from the cabin.. Once we got the slide stretched out the first passenger came down and when they landed on the floor they grabbed the additional loops sewn into the rubberized slide. Somehow we were able to get the passengers off in the allotted time and Argosy got their certificate, even more amazing was that no one was injured. This happened in 1971
Thanks for watching and sharing your memories. The "Travel Club" era ended in the mid- to late-1970s. Even though FAR Part 123 came into being in 1968 to support them, the FAA began cracking down on them and later crushed them as some of the travel clubs were acting like common carriers. Despite that, to my knowledge, travel clubs still had a near-perfect safety record with no fatalities. FAR Part 123 was stricken in 1981. J.A. Reed
Hi I am a big fan of prop airplanes in particular big piston engines,I think I saw the dc-7c since I live on the same radial the airplanes use when landing at San Juan intl PR,and since I was a kid I would watch military prop planes from c-124 ,c-121 Neptune's to name a few,keep the good work because to me this nostalgic,nothing like the plane of those long ago years,nice work,see you.
Thank you for your kind words, Rafael. It looks like we both kept our eyes on the sky as kids looking at big piston machines overhead. San Juan was sure a hotbed for that! All my best, J.A. Reed
My first airplane flight was on a National Airlines DC-7C from Miami International to Idlewild in NYC, renamed JFK. back in 1958. It was a great experience and I enjoyed the lounge at the rear of the plane. Thank you for the video...
Thanks for checking us out and for the nice compliment! That DC-7C hulk you saw at Gran Canaria has been there for years--I had no idea it was still there. I believe the leisure airline called Spantax was its last operator. JA Reed.
I agree! N869TA got close to the scrapyard several times throughout its life, but somehow escaped every time--until it could go no further after 40 years! J.A. Reed.
Much enjoyed this one, John, as always! I'd seen and heard your footage of the round trip before, but not with your 1990s presence to introduce it. And, as someone who grew up in Rhodesia but left some years before Jack Mallock acquired that aircraft, I found your present-day intro particularly fascinating. Evidently his outfit knew their stuff on maintenance, as did Trans Air Link at Miami in your day. Sad, though not surprising, that she ended up in the ill-fated former Belgian Congo. (My parents accommodated a Belgian refugee family from Katanga in 1960.)
Hi Chris, glad you have enjoyed this one, and thanks for your kind words. For me, it has been hard to re-invent the several "duty-free" round trips I did with TAL, but this time I had fun doing the today/yesterday contrast. It was fun to add so much new information that I gained over 30 years (did not know any of it in 1992 when the video was made). It is rewarding to hear from you and several others who lived in Rhodesia. One thing I really learned is that the world was (and is) so complex back then (and now)--that to make a "legal flight" to/from anywhere in Africa was (is) nearly impossible! You really can't blame Jack Malloch for any of that. Also, as you imply, you have to know how to maintain the DC-7C during every minute of operation or you won't fly very far. Thanks again and best regards. J.A. Reed
My first experince with a propliner was a school visit to the local airport to get a tour of two Carvair's. For a boy of 7 playing around the cargo compartment and climbing up to the cockpit was an adventure I have never forgotten.
Flew from Gatwick to Singapore in 1965 on a DC7 of Caledonian Airways, for an Air Force posting, all I remember of the flight was the huge amount of oil that had to be added to No. 2 engine at every stop.
I cannot imagine flying that far on a DC-7 even though the plane was made for it. It must have worn you out, but I guess you were a lot younger than me then. Thanks for watching! J.A. Reed
You haven't changed at all... 😙 Thanks for sharing... In the same era I toured small airports in the southern US too get a closeup look at those fantastic propliners of the past, now dedicated to freight services... the black deposits around the engine nacelles giving a hint of years of hard work...
Thanks for checking us out. I did change a little since 1992--I now have totally gray hair. I bet one of your stops in the south US was Griffin Georgia to see the ATL-98 Carvairs of Custom Air. Something I missed, but I did see them fly over St. Louis on auto parts runs. Unfortunately, they had a bad crash there in 1997. JA Reed.
It was good to see the British crossed the Atlantic non stop 8 Years prior to Lindberg, They also crossed the Atlantic first in a Jet Passenger aircraft (Comet) and first with a fighter Jet ( DH Vampire)
When I was a kid (make that teenager) I had the opportunity more than once to travel aboard a Northwest Orient Airlines Douglas DC-7CF. The power of those turbo-compound engines were SOMETHING!!
Like the previous commentor, I started out in B-18's and Dc-3's and I even did a very short stint as a copilot on a DC-6 at Trash Can out of Ypsianti. If I wasn't flying them, I was working on them at the time. I retired from the airlines, but I always was astounded by how little most pilots knew about what it takes to keep modern jets in the air, never mind these mechanical nightmares in the sky. For instance, my father was a B-36 crew chief and post service a mechanic for Capital/United airlines. He loved the DC-7 for the overtime pay. They ran them on transcons racing American for schedule reliability. It might be an old man story but he told me that after every trip, 5 or 6 jugs would have to be changed, He said he paid a good chunk of our house off on the overtime. Just a story as I have no idea if it's true, but it was fun to listen to. Almost forgot, love your videos, Thanks for taking the time to make them.
Thanks for watching our stuff and for your kind comments! Changing 5-6 jugs after every trip is something else--you cannot run an airline like that these days! That is a very interesting tidbit to say the least. Thanks again! J.A. Reed
I often wondered what it was we flew from Nairobi to South Africa in. Must have been about 1964. Always thought it must have been a DC-7, South African Airways, I think. Planes were always amazing to me as a child. Loved watching them whenever we went to the airport when we were living in Singapore, those beautiful DC-3s, noses reaching for the sky, amazing 707s, engines singing together. And all those mysterious what looked like other variants of the DC-3 on the military airfields in Malaya, nose wheels and four engines on some! What sacrilege. Of course, they were 6s, and 7s. We returned to England via Comet to Aden, Argosy to Kenya, then mystery plane to SA.
If it was a SAA DC-7 you flew on to South Africa, it was probably a DC-7B. Sounds like you flew on some diverse legacy aircraft types back in the day--I am a bit envious! Thanks for watching! J.A. Reed
Yes, it was all very thrilling for a child, well boys anyway. Fed-up with two sisters I asked my parents for a brother, and to call him Michael. They obliged! I remember watching paratroopers coming out of Beverleys, which of course I thought were huge back then. There's something about props, turbo or otherwise, that has always made me feel unbearably bored, and I remember that DC-7, or whatever it was, with it's big square windows, and slow moving scenery, being the worst ever. But I love them all, and am as appreciative as you are. Love your videos.@@AeroDinosaur
@@bluekachina6605 Thanks again for your nice words! The Beverly?--now that's a rare one! Never communicated with anyone who has seen or flown them until now! I've always liked the looks of that plane even though others would argue the point.
Thanks for showing this again, John. In the mid-80s, the cabin superchargers and air cycle machine (referred to as the "cooling turbine" ) were still fully functional, albeit not very effective (I'm told that it never was, even when new) on this ship. The "special cruise spark advance" was usable on all 4 eng's as well. I still have a full set of Douglas manuals for these airplanes if someone ever finds one and decides to restore it sometime. Have DAL flt. ops manuals for the B model, as well.
My pleasure--I thought it would be good to re-release our original video but add all the new information that we gathered on -9TA over the last 30 years. If I hear of someone with a serious intention (and ability) to restore a DC-7 I will put them in touch with you! The last guys with the EAL -7B did a great job, but as we mentioned, 1 blown engine put them away. Did you fly -9TA? J.A. Reed.
@@AeroDinosaur Hi, I always the DC-7s used the 28 cylinder corncob engines. BTY, I worked air freight (ground duty at Galena AFS, AK (long closed down F-4E Phantom II forward operating base). I flew, as a passenger, in a C-123 and a C-124 . I loved every minute flying in those planes. Thank you for posting your videos. Take care sir.
@@allen480 Thanks for watching--we enjoy making the videos. I guess Douglas thought the Turbo Compound was complex enough for the DC-7 compared to the 4360. Also, that's one thing I never did and will never get to do--ride in a C-124! All my best wishes, J.A. Reed.
I always go by the cowl flaps to determine if the Douglas propliner is a "seven" or a "six" (unless it's a "Seven Seas" in which case you can also go by the taller tail and longer wingspan). Nice re-release of your original DC-7C video, John and thanks for sharing!
You bet, Dan, great to hear from you, and glad we are staying in touch! Hope all is well. Yes, as you say, those two big fat cowl flaps on each side of a -7 cowling has always been the dead giveaway for me as well, along with those 4-blade props. I was watching your TWA L-1011 videos--love them--I flew them all the time between STL and the big 3 cities on the California coast. When they lowered those huge flaps on short final I could hardly contain myself, especially at night! And the characteristic smell of kerosene inside the cabin was pure Heaven for me! John
@@AeroDinosaur Hi John. I just got back from a trip to southern Africa a few weeks ago. I finally got a chance to fly on an A380 between Johannesburg and London-Heathrow (British Airways). The 10-hour flight was OK (huge main wing is what was so striking about the plane to me otherwise it was like any other modern widebody flight when flying "steerage" on the lower deck), but I found those L-1011 flights to be much more comfortable seat-wise over 30 years ago. The food was better on the BA flight (nothing like an English breakfast complete with Heinz beans). All is well with me, and I hope the same for you.
@@WAL_DC-6B Hey Dan, the only time I ever saw a 380 was me staring at one flying overhead while in Paris (just before covid). It just hung there. Hard to believe you found the L-1011 seats more comfortable 30 years later! Still, the kerosene smell in the cabin on L-1011 takeoff was unforgettable to me and I always looked forward to it. The first L-1011 I saw was in June 1972 at Lambert St. Louis, sitting in front of their maintenance hangar, a couple days before they put it into service--their very first one. Seems like yesterday as they say. Otherwise, I'm doing great for an old man and I am glad to hear you are too!
I grew up in Miami and spent many hours around “corrosion corner “ often getting rides on check flights in the back of the empty fuselages as a young kid I retired as a 777 captain but will never forget my time as a DC 6 engineer
Thanks for checking us out! Always glad to hear from Corrosion Corner crews that actually lived it (I just visited). Good that you broke out and worked your way up to the 777-- I understand that some worked up to the heavies there but others didn't. And then there were the retired pilots from majors like you who turned right around and flew propliners again at Corrosion Corner--but I'm sure all that was history by the time you retired. I flew with some older pilots down there that did just that. You might like our DC-6 West Indies Odyssey series on this AeroDinosaur channel. Thanks again. J.A. Reed
Brings back memories oiling the big round engines in sub freezing temperatures. Came out like thick maple syrup, cold on top those nacelles! Blew a jug in Gander, fun replacing it!
No food, no money, slept in airplane, just a buddies CC for Moosehead. I miss the navy life. On our way back from Europe. Dropped down to 5000 feet 145 kts on 3 2800's @@AeroDinosaur
I'll bet it was fun. TAL crews were the best and I enjoyed working with them. I suppose you must have helped them "fly out of" the piston age if you were with them in the mid-90s. J.A. Reed.
To be accurate, Jack Malloch was a Rhodesian. I remember a Super Constellation permanently parked tha Charles Prince Aerodrome, near Salisbury. It had landed there in the very early seventies. According to the story I heard, an engine fire on landing caused the plane to be deemed uneconomic to repair. I spend a lot of time with my brother exploring the plane. It had been a TWA aircraft. Eventually, somebody else got in and smashed up many of the cockpit instruments. It was scrapped in the late eighties or early nineties, but not before an enthusiast removed and restored one of the engines, as some kind of display piece. That was in the Herald, the national newspaper. I have a photo somewhere of my brother sitting on a wing tip tank. I was not brave enough to Walk out that far. The plane had 'Proud Mary` painted on the nose and seems to me to resemble the Super Constellation in your video at around the 7 or 8 minute mark. I wonder if that's the same plane? Thanks for your video!
Yes, you are quite correct--Rhodesian. He grew up and lived his life and made his mark in Rhodesia, but was born in South Africa (I guess I fixated on that) and was actually Scottish. Before he was born his family emigrated to South Africa from Scotland. I will make a note in the "corrections" section of my written description of this video. Thanks for watching and for your personal story about his Super Connie. That was one of his first 'heavy class' propliners that he "ran to zero" so to speak. I checked the photo at 7-8 minutes--can't see the registration (may have been wiped out), and I tried to match the paint job with other photos of Jack's Constellation. The problem is, he flew it in several different schemes, and I think at different times he may have leased 1-2 other Constellations. You may be able to shed more light on that. Thanks again! J.A. Reed
@@AeroDinosaur That's interesting. Thanks. My Scottish great-grandparents went to South Africa from Scotland to work on the mines. My great grandfather built power stations. They later went to Rhodesia. My gran was.born in South Africa and my dad in Zambia, though they retained strong links to the US through my American grandfather, who was an american mining exec. So, Malloch was a transplant.like my lot. On YT there's a great video about his Spitfire. I remember when he died. I was ten. I also remember the death of Douglas Bader not long afterwards, and I remember the shooting down of the two Viscounts very well. That was before either of these events. I recall the shock and fury. I later found a pair of viscounts abandoned with their wings cut off. Someone had attempted to repurpose them as a restaurant in some remote town outside Harare. There was a big pile of scrap. I recovered a control yoke and kept it. It had a non OEM button installed, below which was scratched, clearly by hand, IFF. I'm in Australia now. All my old bits are gone. I have tried to identify Proud Mary. The internet returneth nothing. It's as though the pre internet era just barely exists. Because of the political upheavals in Zimbabwe, it's lived history has been scattered to the winds. It's great to see your videos poking holes in the darkness of the world before the Web.
@@AeroDinosaur I'll be damned. I just had another look for Proud Mary. Look up Afro Continental Airways. There's a short Wiki page and the pic is of that plane in the same place as my brother, and I gained access to it. By that time the plans for the clubhouse had come to nought and the plane was fenced in. We got through a gap in the fence...One of the large fence posts had tilted away from the adjacent hangar,.leaving a small gap. A large box aircon had been installed in an overwing exit. The plane was basically empty, with some panels and debris in the cabin. Anyway, I was wrong about the colour scheme. When I get onto a proper computer I'll see if I can resolve the registration. Looks like VP WKJ. I'll let you know what I find!
@@AeroDinosaur I found it! A very complete account of the life and times of VP-WAW! Quite a story! There's a video in this! I was able to download the document. I'm sure you'll find it. I can't link it on my phone, unfortunately. It was delivered to Varig. Strange...I distinctly remember the faded TWA logo being visible under the old paint. Memory playing tricks? I seem to remember that quite well. Anyway, that's the plane. A gun runner!
@@yuglesstube Thanks for finding this. I found it and downloaded it. The blog is by Alan Brough who wrote the biography on Jack Malloch (I have the book and recommend it if you don't have it.) Lots of great detail on VP-WAW, cannot wait to go through it and see the video. The Super Connie slide I used does not appear to be the same plane (also it doesn't have tip tanks).
I got to fly on a United DC6B from upstate NY to DC in the late 60's Probably one of the last prop routes as United was using them on their secondary routes probably waiting for new jets to replace them.
Looks like you came close to making history. United's very last DC6B trip was a "puddle jump" operation from Salt Lake City to San Francisco, with stops at Ely NV, Elko NV, and Reno NV on February 28, 1970. Thanks for checking us out! J.A. Reed
Not really--by then the installation designs (and the engine) had been refined by the manufacturers far beyond the deplorable B-29 design. That said, the R-3350 Turbo Compound in the DC-7s and Constellations still had reliability and flaming problems--especially with the PRTs. J.A. Reed
I vividly remember DC-7B Super Snoopy! But I only wished I could be there. I actually talked to Clay Lacy about Super Snoopy when he was at an airshow near St. Louis in 1971. Thanks for watching! J.A. Reed
Thanks a million for the tip--as a result I checked and there it was. So, the Plane Logger website said it was "scrapped", but obviously not quite--it's still just "abandoned." Thanks for watching. Will make a note in the written description. JA Reed.
Philip--I was told to look at the image a little more closely. Looks like that is a Vickers Viscount turboprop at Tshikapa and not a DC-7C. So, the mystery deepens. J.A. Reed
Ive loved propliners since I was 5 and saw AeroUnion’s majestic DC-4s and L-188/P3 waterbombers on the ramp at KCIC 7 while flying into Chico on a Jetstream 31, itself arguably a propliner, and learned about the DC-1/2/3 and the Curtis C-46, and then got into the majestic constellation at the airshow at KCMA, where for a time in the late 90s and early 2000s there were two Connies and a C-46 - propliner heaven. And I learned my mother’s family, including their cat, flew to California on a United DC-7 Mainliner. A relative was a manager with United and arranged for the Pert the Tomcat to travel in the flight deck, where apparently he got sick to the chagrin of the flight crew (United pilot uniforms if I recall were medium grey in 1957, so not the best color for concealing stains). In 96 I logged my first hour at the age of ten and a half in a Cessna 152 flying out of Chico and my flight instructor was a lovely professional female aviator who owned a beautiful 172 Skylark. We had to use a 152 from the FBO so my feet would reach the rudder pedals. I also love jets but did not go into flying professionally, so I have never flown one, but probably my favorite airliners are the early jetliners of the 1960s such as the 707, DC-8, Convair 880/990A, and the Vickers VC-10, and the trijets like the 727, Trident, Tu-154, et al, and the propliners of the 1950s, especially the big four engined ships like the DC-7C, DC-6B L1049 Super Connie, L1649 (Lufthansa had better hurry up and restore the L1649 Starliner they shipped over there) and the 377 Stratoliner which is sadly extinct except for one Guppy conversion, but there are some C-97s still around I think. And also the larger turboprop liners, such as the majestic Bristol Brittania, Lockheed L188, and the Vickers Vanguard, and there were some other earlier propliners like the HP42 which was slow but had, for the 1930s, what was truly a remarkable, an unblemished safety record, and other early British inter-war and post-war, and some interesting post-war French and Italian propliners, such as the SM83 and the Bregeut double decker, among others.
@AeroDinosaur you have earned a subscription from me, I love your channel, I have been looking for another channel along the lines of Ron Rogers’ channel, being an enthusiast of vintage aircraft. God bless you sir!
@@theleastofpilgrims3379 Thank you very much for your compliments, subscribing and sharing your stories--that makes it all worthwhile to us! Actual stories like yours are worth their weight in gold. We certainly welcome constructive criticism too! Great minds think alike--basically, you covered every aircraft that has caught my interest as well. J.A. Reed
Not yet, haven't been able to get up there yet but when I do I will first let you know! Would really like to see it based on what you have told me, but haven't traveled very far at all over the last several years.
You are quite correct! The DC-7 was a thorn in the side of the airlines compared to the reliable and economical DC-6. United dumped all their DC-7s long before retiring their last DC-6 in 1970. J. A. Reed
Can you help me to find out what happened to VP WAJ That my father was involved in purchasing I believe and from the records was registered to Air Trans Africa I.e. Jack Mallock? Regards Dave Ward
If it is a DC-7 you are talking about, much of Africa ran out of 100LL avgas in the late 1990s, grounding the big props there, including DC-7C -9TA. I have a book on Jack Malloch that traces a lot of his Affretair and Air Trans Africa fleet, so I'll check that and get back to you. J.A. Reed
Unfortunately, I have no information on the crew's whereabouts or careers after TAL. I have always been keeping my eyes and ears open about that, and have just made a note to let you know if I find out anything in that regard.
I used Google satellite to view the Tshikapa airport. I saw what appears to be a 7C right in a field in the center of the airport. Looks like it has the wing extensions. Take a look 👀
Yep, that's it--it's certainly not "scrapped" yet (as Plane Logger says), but it looks pretty close. Thanks for checking us out and bringing this to my attention! J.A. Reed
I checked it again a little more closely. That looks like a Vickers Viscount at Tshikapa, not a DC-7C much to my disappointment. So, back to square one.
@@AeroDinosaur I think you may be right. I compared both aircraft using overhead blueprint drawings and that aircraft looks more like the Vickers. Oh well 🤷🏼♂️
The only data I have on that is that capital outlay for a DC-7C in the 1980s was extremely low compared to turbines, and, that aside, company profit margins ranged from "thin" to "non-existent." That should tell us most of what we need to know about efficiency. Thanks for watching! JA Reed.
To me, the noise (low frequency), and vibration (minimal), of a piston engine is preferable to the annoying high frequency whistle of a jet. Round engines are amazing.
Imagine that. A lady copilot without all the fanfare but clearly qualified to be in the right seat. Multi engine ATP piston pounder endorsement is rare as hell even in the heyday of Pablo Escobar!
Yep, she was a top-notch professional like any other crew member and a really nice person. Even now, that's all that matters to me. Thanks for watching! J.A. Reed
Great subject matter, but unless the phonetic use of ‘S’ in fifties was different to today’s, ‘S’ is Sierra, not Sigma. Happy to be educated on what was what in the 50s and 60s.
You mentioned that your DC-7C could be in Tshikapa City in the Congo. Google Earth and a satellite view in Google Maps does show a 4 engine airliner at the airport parked in the off ramp area,. Perhaps this is your plane.
Yes, we sparked a lot of discussion on that Tshikapa City hulk visible from Google Earth, and even heard from one of the crewmen who had flown our DC-7C between the Congo and Angola. At first everyone thought it was our plane, but after careful inspection, everyone agreed that image was an abandoned Vickers Viscount turboprop. There are some people still trying to track down the final resting place (more probably, the "destruction place") of the DC-7C N869TA. Thanks for checking us out, and please let us know if you hear anything! J.A. Reed.
FYI The word Borinquén comes from the ancient Taino (Indigenous) Indians. It is the name they gave to the island before Spain and the United States assumed control. A person may refer to themselves or another as Boriqua, meaning they are Puerto Rican…¡ya tu sabe!
My dad Fine Agi flew into Uli AIr strip circa 1969 on this plane. stopping in Gander New Foundl land enroute Biafra to supply aid with caritas catholic charities
Great to hear from you! Always glad to hear from folks like you connected to that airlift--those crews like your dad were selfless! Caritas was a huge part of that. Thank you very much for watching! J.A. Reed
My God... when I was 6 my dad, an Argentinian crop dust pilot died in a crash while working (in Argentina), he left behind a stack of big Douglas photos he got from them back in the 50's in Long Beach. I was born there, St Mary's Hospital. My mom passed them to me, I had the same one you have there in my bedroom... Incredible... They're all gone, I left to go back to the US, became a GI later a Crew Chief in the USAF, was sent to Alaska were I used to go to Fort Wainwright (from Eielson) to hang around with the water tanker crews, I got my hand on a C-97 and a beautiful DC-7 (Tanker 32) Thanks for your post!! Cheers from Normandy!
Thank you again canals22 and for sharing your stories. I like to collect them with attribution in my database--may call on you sometime. Sorry about your Dad's demise in the crop duster--hearing those sad stories always adds a small stain on my love for aviation. So you live in Normandy now? I've been there twice--had lunch as a guest at the Normandy Golf Club. JA Reed
I am sorry for your loss, may his memory be eternal @Yosemite-George81. God bless you! I am glad you got to work with the C-97 and DC-7, which are two of my favorite propliners
I started out at 26 flying Beech-18s single pilot freight, and DC-3s, and now a 767 Captain still moving freight. I'm only 50 now. I caught the tail end of this era as a kid, with not a lot of experience, but it sure made me a better pilot. A ton of work to move these old airplanes around.
Thanks so much for posting this!
Thank you sir! Looks like you are one of the very few pilots with piston-propliner experience at the tail end. FYI I know another 767 freight pilot who just left Northern Air Cargo and is now with American, a few notches down on the seniority list, unfortunately. Thanks for watching. J.A. Reed
the wasp major is amazing piece of engineering, I've seen a couple of cut away examples on display and watching the cylinder banks cycle through is awe inspiring...
Watching Piston era propliners here is like a trip back to the time when Jets were still a thing of the future. Even after the first jetliners were introduced on international routes to Australia and further up into the Pacific, provincial routes were stiil serviced by DC - 3 Skyliners. Our house on the flight path to the civil airport at Rongatai, was a busy stretch of air space. Now that's all changed. The air routes are the same, aircraft flight frequency has increased to an almost unbroken line, and the drone from the piston engines has been replaced by a hushed exhaust noise from the four jet engines.😂
Yes, it was almost the same story here in the US--and where I live in the middle of the US in St. Louis. DC-3s and even TWA L-749 Connies until 1967, long after the 727-100s and DC-9s appeared! Thank you for watching! J.A. Reed
I've always been curious about why I could never find much about the DC-7. We studied the turbocompound engine in college in the early 1990's. I went thru Western Michigan University's aviation program and got all my certificates and ratings as a pilot there. The one thing I remembered about those engines is they attained the lowest brake specific fuel consumption of any engine ever devised by man, to my recollection.
You are correct--at altitude, they provided 20% more power without burning any more fuel. Well into the jet age, I think the aeronautical schools were teaching about the turbocompounds, as there was a possibility then that a graduate would run into one in the field. Thanks for watching! J.A. Reed
My god those engines are BEASTS. Even when channeled into my headphones via 1992-spec lo-fi audio, the transition on takeoff from calm repose to taut excited readiness to unrestrained roar had me grinning like a damn idiot. Kai’s calling off of the V speeds was equal parts vocal efficiency and unapologetic giddiness. I can’t even imagine what it was like to be there. I may have enjoyed this video a little bit.
Thanks for watching--I'm really glad you enjoy it! We were very lucky to get reasonable audio out of 1980s technology. I had a heck of a lot of fun re-releasing this video and adding a lot of informational content I did not have back then. J.A. Reed.
You did not come off as arrogant in the origin video. This is a fascinating transitional technology that deserves to be remembered. Thanks for sharing.
Well thanks for your kind words, good to hear that from you--I guess it may be I don't like seeing myself on the video screen. Glad you appreciated the old video and God Bless. J.A. Reed
This is another great historical aviation prop-liner video by AeroDinosaur! I thoroughly enjoyed watching this rock-solid account of this DC-7C’s Caribbean cargo and clandestine mercenary operations in Africa. In my opinion, this video deserves a Five-Star Rating!
Wow thanks LetsFixItRight! Thanks a million for watching and doing the rating for us! J.A. Reed.
Sad end to a truly faithful workhorse. Great video. Thanks for sharing that wonderful footage.
Thanks! Glad you liked it. As the decades went on after shooting the video---to learn its fate was a bit of a downer. All my best, J.A. Reed
Thank you for this and the sequential series of 3 . From times past we all learn . I retired from a 34 year airline career . All turbine equipment. My father started on overseas in 1955 as Captain on DC 6’s , Pacific operations based out of CYVR ( Canadian Pacific Airlines ) down to Australia and New Zealand via Hawaii and Fiji . The stories recounted revealed that it was a struggle at best . Navigation , range , weather systems, fatigue and the equipment. The 6 was followed by the Britannia 314 , plagued with its own unique set of issues plus the ones noted above . Then the skys cleared so to speak when the DC 8’s came on line . I have always wondered about the skill it took to operate a large round piston engine and have tried to study how they did what they did to get them across the large and empty deep blue of the Pacific . All alone so to speak . Thanks to your efforts I have a greater respect and understanding . Cheers RS , CYVR .
Thanks for watching and your kind comments and stories. Like you I have never fathomed the vast skills needed to fly a big propliner. So many things can go wrong FAST, while you are hurling 130,000 pounds through the air at 200 mph. Truly, a "Tiger on a Leash" as author Alvin Moscow titled his book on 1950s propliner crashes. J.A. Reed
Awesome video. Love the old Douglas propliners and I sure miss seeing them as I did when was a young boy growing up around corrosion corner with my father conducting business in keeping those R-2800’s and R-1830’s running. Thanks for adding another great video and always looking forward to seeing the next one.
Frank C
Thanks, Frank, glad you enjoyed it! I've been a subscriber to your TH-cam channel for several years--love all your content as well! I don't know if you know this, but I have been in regular contact with Rob--we've been exchanging a lot of information and photos. Looks like he is starting a new life at American Airlines. It is a privilege to be in touch with a propliner family! Best regards, J.A. Reed
Thank you for this video. My Dad flew the 7C for Northwest and I got to ride in the cockpit with him a couple of times. Great memories of this airplane.
Thanks for checking us out and expressing your appreciation. I knew another Northwest -7C pilot, his name was Herb Roederer. No more kids riding in the cockpit like that anymore! J. A. Reed.
Somehow missed this one when it was posted. Totally unique, irreplaceable content. Fantastic watch as always.
Thank you sir--glad to hear from you again. Those were the days, glad we captured them! JA Reed.
Awesome. Great to see another AeroDinosaur video. Thanks John!
Thanks for watching and thanks for your great comment--I'll take it! JA Reed
Love all the films you made.I use to see that DC-7C flying out of MIA.This is a epic treasure of the operation of the DC-7C.Thanks for putting this all together.
Thank you sir! I cannot tell you how much fun I have making these and glad you appreciate them! A lot of people like you have seen -9TA in action, so we thought we would add a little history that has been somewhat forgotten. JA Reed.
I still remember mid '60 on the radio in Brazil hearing commercial of Vasp and Varig brazilian airlines announcing their flights with DC 6-B prop airliners from Rio de Janeiro to Manaus, center of Brazilian Amazonia...
@@kkteutsch6416 I never heard advertisements on the radio, but at that same time in the '60's I remember blue-nacelled Delta DC-6s flying over my house in St. Louis on their way to Memphis and/or Atlanta.
Awesome! I almost forgot about you. It’s worth the wait. Thanks for posting
El Guapo, great to hear from an old friend, glad you enjoyed this one! Thanks for staying in touch. JA Reed
Great video, loved all, wish I could have flown this beast...my 4 eng time was in a KC-135 water wagon, I remember 11,000 foot rolls on a 12,000 ft runway.
From what I am told, the water wagons were worse than a fully loaded DC-7C as far as takeoff roll! That must have been nerve-wracking for you every time. Thanks for watching, glad you liked it. All my best, J.A. Reed
Perth Western Australia was still receiving regular twice weekly DC6Bs passenger Services on mainline SAA South African Airways Joburg Perth Sydney Services in 1966 .
Thanks for the info! J.A. Reed
Yeah, I well remember being impressed as a boy when seeing that schedule in the timetable, but I don't think SAA ever operated the DC-6B. My plane-spotting recollection (in Salisbury) is of the DC-7B. I passengered from there to London in one in 1960, just before they were superseded by the B707-320. Its predecessor was the L-749A Connie, although SAA also had some DC-4s.
Love this content. Subscribed! I fly for delta and I love watching this old timer stuff.
Thanks for watching and subscribing, and glad you enjoyed it. One of our main goals is to reach professional airline pilots (and other crew members) like you. My wife and I have flown Delta many times over the years and have always had a great experience. I guess Delta displaying an old DC-7B in Delta colors down there in Atlanta. I remember seeing those fly as a kid. J.A. Reed
Very well put together.. Almost brings a tear .. Thank you for the memories
You bet, glad you enjoyed it! We really had fun making it and re-introducing one of our old "best sellers." I'm bet I've watched it over 100 times in the last 30 years and never get tired of it. J.A. Reed.
I spent some time at MIA in the mid seventies photographing the propliners in the “corner “. I still follow Ralph Peterson’s Propliners Information Network. Great job, John!
Thank you for checking us out and for your welcome complement. Would like to see some of your '70s photos if you still have them. There no propliner guy in the world that has more knowledge on the subject than Mr. Petterson!
where have you been ...oh my goodness im glad i was recommended this channel and video..and i had to become a subscriber keep up great work greetings from australia.
Thanks for being a subscriber and for your compliments on our videos. You Australians have been light-years ahead of the rest of the world at consistent propliner and postwar warbird (eg. P2 Neptune) flying preservation. I don't know what's wrong with the rest of us. Keep it up! J.A. Reed
At the beginning of my aviation career Panam used to fly DC7C's into "our" home base until a new airport was built with runways suitable for jets. The few things I recall were-
1/ the massive oil leaks from the engines. On arrival the PAA maintenance crew had to lay drip trays under each engine and clip smaller trays on to the cowls where various drain pipes exited to keep the airport authority happy. Cleaners would swab the upper surface of the wings behind each engine to remove the oil slicks. There would be oil dripping off the horizontal tail and elevators behind the inboard engines.
2/ One day Panam brought their spare R3350 into our hangar to lift it out of its stand so they could reinstall parts robbed to service the aircraft. The size of the oil tank was stunning. I was used to a DC6's R2800's which had a 25 gal oil tank if I recall correctly. I asked the PAA guys how much oil it held. 54 gals was the reply. Next question was about oil consumption. Reply was " less than 4 gal/hr we don't even look. More than 4 gal/hr we try and find the leak. More than 6 gal/hr we replace the engine if no obvious leak found".
Very interesting--thanks for sharing your experience--and interesting rules of thumb your mechanics came up with! When I went on those DC-7C trips I was given a uniform with a pressed white shirt. By the time we got back to Miami, it was covered with black oil blotches, as were the entire crew's uniforms! J.A. Reed
My observations were of an airplane that had just made a very long 2 sector flight from Hawaii to New Zealand via Fiji so by the time it arrived at my location it had been in the air for a long time and engine oil was everywhere. Finally ceased operations around 1965 when the new airport opened and B707's took over.
en stgo. de chile .. en su aeropuerto de cerrillos vi los panam. dc-7 c y comprobaba el llenado de combustible con personal y piloto controlando el nivel de combustible y aceite // los dc- 3 gastaban 9 litros de aceite en colombia VILLAVICENCIO )
Fantastic! An important historical record.
Thanks! Glad you liked it--thought we would add some neglected factual history of this airplane.
What a great video.
Thank you Trashhauler! We enjoyed making it! J.A. Reed
Very cool! Grew up in Hollywood and had a buddy that drove a fuel truck for Tursair in the ‘70’s at MIA. Used to ride with him on night shift fueling piston heavies. Always loved them 3’s, 6’s and the Connies over in “the corner” on the 36th St. side. Good memories, the sound and smell of them! Thanks 👍👍
Thank you very much and thanks for watching! Always glad to shake out the sometimes dormant memories of those who had "been there." J.A. Reed
Excellent content. Thanks for sharing your usual deep knowledge on those wonderful old birds. Cheers from Brazil ❤
Thanks for your nice comment out of Brazil--you have great propliner legacies down there. I've never been down there, but it's #1 on my bucket list! J.A. Reed.
Just checked out your channel on Brazilian trucks--very cool. You just got a new subscriber! J.A. Reed.
I took my first plane ride at 14 days old on a Delta DC-7 mom worked for DL. I still remember my last DC-7 ride 1963. I loved the props!
Looks like you beat me! I took my first DC-7 ride 29 years later than your last ride. Thanks for watching! JA Reed
A trully moving video of a by gone era... Thanks so much for sharing.
You bet, it is a ton of fun making these videos and even more fun when people like you appreciate it. Best regards, JA Reed.
In a dark hanger at BFI Seattle I assisted the Argosy Travel Club do an evac on their DC7B under FAA observation. When the evacuation command was given the rear door was opened and myself and Bill Berg slid down a rope to the hanger floor. We each grabbed the canvas loops on a non inflatable slide that was hanging down from the cabin.. Once we got the slide stretched out the first passenger came down and when they landed on the floor they grabbed the additional loops sewn into the rubberized slide. Somehow we were able to get the passengers off in the allotted time and Argosy got their certificate, even more amazing was that no one was injured. This happened in 1971
Thanks for watching and sharing your memories. The "Travel Club" era ended in the mid- to late-1970s. Even though FAR Part 123 came into being in 1968 to support them, the FAA began cracking down on them and later crushed them as some of the travel clubs were acting like common carriers. Despite that, to my knowledge, travel clubs still had a near-perfect safety record with no fatalities. FAR Part 123 was stricken in 1981. J.A. Reed
Hi I am a big fan of prop airplanes in particular big piston engines,I think I saw the dc-7c since I live on the same radial the airplanes use when landing at San Juan intl PR,and since I was a kid I would watch military prop planes from c-124 ,c-121 Neptune's to name a few,keep the good work because to me this nostalgic,nothing like the plane of those long ago years,nice work,see you.
Thank you for your kind words, Rafael. It looks like we both kept our eyes on the sky as kids looking at big piston machines overhead. San Juan was sure a hotbed for that! All my best, J.A. Reed
I flew for Trans Air Link in the mid-1990s. Fun times.
My first airplane flight was on a National Airlines DC-7C from Miami International to Idlewild in NYC, renamed JFK. back in 1958.
It was a great experience and I enjoyed the lounge at the rear of the plane.
Thank you for the video...
Thanks for checking us out and for your nice comment. Unfortunately, on my DC-7 rides in 1992, there was no lounge in the back! J.A. Reed
National didn't fly the 7C, they flew the 7B !
Excellent! We saw a DC7 parked up at Gran Canaria the other day.
Thanks for checking us out and for the nice compliment! That DC-7C hulk you saw at Gran Canaria has been there for years--I had no idea it was still there. I believe the leisure airline called Spantax was its last operator. JA Reed.
A great adventure, a great plane! How it had such a long life with those troublesome turbo compounds is amazing.
I agree! N869TA got close to the scrapyard several times throughout its life, but somehow escaped every time--until it could go no further after 40 years! J.A. Reed.
Much enjoyed this one, John, as always! I'd seen and heard your footage of the round trip before, but not with your 1990s presence to introduce it. And, as someone who grew up in Rhodesia but left some years before Jack Mallock acquired that aircraft, I found your present-day intro particularly fascinating. Evidently his outfit knew their stuff on maintenance, as did Trans Air Link at Miami in your day. Sad, though not surprising, that she ended up in the ill-fated former Belgian Congo. (My parents accommodated a Belgian refugee family from Katanga in 1960.)
Hi Chris, glad you have enjoyed this one, and thanks for your kind words. For me, it has been hard to re-invent the several "duty-free" round trips I did with TAL, but this time I had fun doing the today/yesterday contrast. It was fun to add so much new information that I gained over 30 years (did not know any of it in 1992 when the video was made). It is rewarding to hear from you and several others who lived in Rhodesia. One thing I really learned is that the world was (and is) so complex back then (and now)--that to make a "legal flight" to/from anywhere in Africa was (is) nearly impossible! You really can't blame Jack Malloch for any of that. Also, as you imply, you have to know how to maintain the DC-7C during every minute of operation or you won't fly very far. Thanks again and best regards. J.A. Reed
Propliners are an amazing look into evolving technology. Every bit worthy of interest.
Agreed! You won't find me arguing with you about that! J.A. Reed
My first experince with a propliner was a school visit to the local airport to get a tour of two Carvair's. For a boy of 7 playing around the cargo compartment and climbing up to the cockpit was an adventure I have never forgotten.
Was that at Griffin, Georgia? If so, one of them experienced a fatal takeoff crash there (April 1997) after you saw them. J. A. Reed
Flew from Gatwick to Singapore in 1965 on a DC7 of Caledonian Airways, for an Air Force posting, all I remember of the flight was the huge amount of oil that had to be added to No. 2 engine at every stop.
I cannot imagine flying that far on a DC-7 even though the plane was made for it. It must have worn you out, but I guess you were a lot younger than me then. Thanks for watching! J.A. Reed
You haven't changed at all... 😙 Thanks for sharing... In the same era I toured small airports in the southern US too get a closeup look at those fantastic propliners of the past, now dedicated to freight services... the black deposits around the engine nacelles giving a hint of years of hard work...
Thanks for checking us out. I did change a little since 1992--I now have totally gray hair. I bet one of your stops in the south US was Griffin Georgia to see the ATL-98 Carvairs of Custom Air. Something I missed, but I did see them fly over St. Louis on auto parts runs. Unfortunately, they had a bad crash there in 1997. JA Reed.
It was good to see the British crossed the Atlantic non stop 8 Years prior to Lindberg, They also crossed the Atlantic first in a Jet Passenger aircraft (Comet) and first with a fighter Jet ( DH Vampire)
You are correct on all counts! Lindbergh was just the first to do the crossing west-to-east solo. Easier than east-to-west if you are going solo.
A bygone era which you've captured. Hat tip sir.
We'll take the hat tip, thanks a million for watching! Had a blast doing it and it means everything to us that you enjoyed it. J. A. Reed
...I've seen this DC-7 comming in on 3 engines into San Juan back around 1987...
Wow, lucky for me, we kept all 4 running when I was flying in it. Thanks again!
Awesome! Thanks. I’ll check out your other videos.
Thank you, sir. We enjoy making them. Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it!
When I was a kid (make that teenager) I had the opportunity more than once to travel aboard a Northwest Orient Airlines Douglas DC-7CF. The power of those turbo-compound engines were SOMETHING!!
I know the feeling! Thanks for watching! J.A. Reed
Like the previous commentor, I started out in B-18's and Dc-3's and I even did a very short stint as a copilot on a DC-6 at Trash Can out of Ypsianti. If I wasn't flying them, I was working on them at the time. I retired from the airlines, but I always was astounded by how little most pilots knew about what it takes to keep modern jets in the air, never mind these mechanical nightmares in the sky. For instance, my father was a B-36 crew chief and post service a mechanic for Capital/United airlines. He loved the DC-7 for the overtime pay. They ran them on transcons racing American for schedule reliability. It might be an old man story but he told me that after every trip, 5 or 6 jugs would have to be changed, He said he paid a good chunk of our house off on the overtime.
Just a story as I have no idea if it's true, but it was fun to listen to.
Almost forgot, love your videos, Thanks for taking the time to make them.
Thanks for watching our stuff and for your kind comments! Changing 5-6 jugs after every trip is something else--you cannot run an airline like that these days! That is a very interesting tidbit to say the least. Thanks again! J.A. Reed
I often wondered what it was we flew from Nairobi to South Africa in. Must have been about 1964. Always thought it must have been a DC-7, South African Airways, I think. Planes were always amazing to me as a child. Loved watching them whenever we went to the airport when we were living in Singapore, those beautiful DC-3s, noses reaching for the sky, amazing 707s, engines singing together. And all those mysterious what looked like other variants of the DC-3 on the military airfields in Malaya, nose wheels and four engines on some! What sacrilege. Of course, they were 6s, and 7s. We returned to England via Comet to Aden, Argosy to Kenya, then mystery plane to SA.
If it was a SAA DC-7 you flew on to South Africa, it was probably a DC-7B. Sounds like you flew on some diverse legacy aircraft types back in the day--I am a bit envious! Thanks for watching! J.A. Reed
Yes, it was all very thrilling for a child, well boys anyway. Fed-up with two sisters I asked my parents for a brother, and to call him Michael. They obliged! I remember watching paratroopers coming out of Beverleys, which of course I thought were huge back then. There's something about props, turbo or otherwise, that has always made me feel unbearably bored, and I remember that DC-7, or whatever it was, with it's big square windows, and slow moving scenery, being the worst ever. But I love them all, and am as appreciative as you are. Love your videos.@@AeroDinosaur
@@bluekachina6605 Thanks again for your nice words! The Beverly?--now that's a rare one! Never communicated with anyone who has seen or flown them until now! I've always liked the looks of that plane even though others would argue the point.
Thanks for showing this again, John. In the mid-80s, the cabin superchargers and air cycle machine (referred to as the "cooling turbine" ) were still fully functional, albeit not very effective (I'm told that it never was, even when new) on this ship. The "special cruise spark advance" was usable on all 4 eng's as well. I still have a full set of Douglas manuals for these airplanes if someone ever finds one and decides to restore it sometime. Have DAL flt. ops manuals for the B model, as well.
My pleasure--I thought it would be good to re-release our original video but add all the new information that we gathered on -9TA over the last 30 years. If I hear of someone with a serious intention (and ability) to restore a DC-7 I will put them in touch with you! The last guys with the EAL -7B did a great job, but as we mentioned, 1 blown engine put them away. Did you fly -9TA? J.A. Reed.
Love those old propliners. I mean , I just love aviation in general but anything with a prop and multiple engines is special.
El Guapo--Me too man! Anything with wings, but especially those with big engines hanging from them! JA Reed
@@AeroDinosaur Hi, I always the DC-7s used the 28 cylinder corncob engines. BTY, I worked air freight (ground duty at Galena AFS, AK (long closed down F-4E Phantom II forward operating base). I flew, as a passenger, in a C-123 and a C-124 . I loved every minute flying in those planes. Thank you for posting your videos. Take care sir.
@@allen480 Thanks for watching--we enjoy making the videos. I guess Douglas thought the Turbo Compound was complex enough for the DC-7 compared to the 4360. Also, that's one thing I never did and will never get to do--ride in a C-124! All my best wishes, J.A. Reed.
I always go by the cowl flaps to determine if the Douglas propliner is a "seven" or a "six" (unless it's a "Seven Seas" in which case you can also go by the taller tail and longer wingspan). Nice re-release of your original DC-7C video, John and thanks for sharing!
You bet, Dan, great to hear from you, and glad we are staying in touch! Hope all is well. Yes, as you say, those two big fat cowl flaps on each side of a -7 cowling has always been the dead giveaway for me as well, along with those 4-blade props. I was watching your TWA L-1011 videos--love them--I flew them all the time between STL and the big 3 cities on the California coast. When they lowered those huge flaps on short final I could hardly contain myself, especially at night! And the characteristic smell of kerosene inside the cabin was pure Heaven for me! John
@@AeroDinosaur Hi John. I just got back from a trip to southern Africa a few weeks ago. I finally got a chance to fly on an A380 between Johannesburg and London-Heathrow (British Airways). The 10-hour flight was OK (huge main wing is what was so striking about the plane to me otherwise it was like any other modern widebody flight when flying "steerage" on the lower deck), but I found those L-1011 flights to be much more comfortable seat-wise over 30 years ago. The food was better on the BA flight (nothing like an English breakfast complete with Heinz beans). All is well with me, and I hope the same for you.
@@WAL_DC-6B Hey Dan, the only time I ever saw a 380 was me staring at one flying overhead while in Paris (just before covid). It just hung there. Hard to believe you found the L-1011 seats more comfortable 30 years later! Still, the kerosene smell in the cabin on L-1011 takeoff was unforgettable to me and I always looked forward to it. The first L-1011 I saw was in June 1972 at Lambert St. Louis, sitting in front of their maintenance hangar, a couple days before they put it into service--their very first one. Seems like yesterday as they say. Otherwise, I'm doing great for an old man and I am glad to hear you are too!
I grew up in Miami and spent many hours around “corrosion corner “ often getting rides on check flights in the back of the empty fuselages as a young kid I retired as a 777 captain but will never forget my time as a DC 6 engineer
Thanks for checking us out! Always glad to hear from Corrosion Corner crews that actually lived it (I just visited). Good that you broke out and worked your way up to the 777--
I understand that some worked up to the heavies there but others didn't. And then there were the retired pilots from majors like you who turned right around and flew propliners again at Corrosion Corner--but I'm sure all that was history by the time you retired. I flew with some older pilots down there that did just that. You might like our DC-6 West Indies Odyssey series on this AeroDinosaur channel. Thanks again. J.A. Reed
Brings back memories oiling the big round engines in sub freezing temperatures. Came out like thick maple syrup, cold on top those nacelles! Blew a jug in Gander, fun replacing it!
Glad to bring back some (fond?) memories-. I can hardly think of anything worse than changing a jug on the tarmac at Gander! All my best, J.A. Reed
No food, no money, slept in airplane, just a buddies CC for Moosehead. I miss the navy life. On our way back from Europe.
Dropped down to 5000 feet 145 kts on 3 2800's @@AeroDinosaur
I'll bet it was fun. TAL crews were the best and I enjoyed working with them. I suppose you must have helped them "fly out of" the piston age if you were with them in the mid-90s. J.A. Reed.
Flew BOAC DC7C several times in the mid 50's
on the North Atlantic LHR/IDL
Any way you look at it a DC-7C ocean crossing was not an easy task for any passenger by today's standards--as much as I love that airplane! J.A. Reed
To be accurate, Jack Malloch was a Rhodesian.
I remember a Super Constellation permanently parked tha Charles Prince Aerodrome, near Salisbury.
It had landed there in the very early seventies.
According to the story I heard, an engine fire on landing caused the plane to be deemed uneconomic to repair.
I spend a lot of time with my brother exploring the plane.
It had been a TWA aircraft.
Eventually, somebody else got in and smashed up many of the cockpit instruments.
It was scrapped in the late eighties or early nineties, but not before an enthusiast removed and restored one of the engines, as some kind of display piece. That was in the Herald, the national newspaper.
I have a photo somewhere of my brother sitting on a wing tip tank. I was not brave enough to Walk out that far.
The plane had 'Proud Mary` painted on the nose and seems to me to resemble the Super Constellation in your video at around the 7 or 8 minute mark. I wonder if that's the same plane?
Thanks for your video!
Yes, you are quite correct--Rhodesian. He grew up and lived his life and made his mark in Rhodesia, but was born in South Africa (I guess I fixated on that) and was actually Scottish. Before he was born his family emigrated to South Africa from Scotland. I will make a note in the "corrections" section of my written description of this video. Thanks for watching and for your personal story about his Super Connie. That was one of his first 'heavy class' propliners that he "ran to zero" so to speak. I checked the photo at 7-8 minutes--can't see the registration (may have been wiped out), and I tried to match the paint job with other photos of Jack's Constellation. The problem is, he flew it in several different schemes, and I think at different times he may have leased 1-2 other Constellations. You may be able to shed more light on that. Thanks again! J.A. Reed
@@AeroDinosaur That's interesting. Thanks. My Scottish great-grandparents went to South Africa from Scotland to work on the mines. My great grandfather built power stations. They later went to Rhodesia. My gran was.born in South Africa and my dad in Zambia, though they retained strong links to the US through my American grandfather, who was an american mining exec.
So, Malloch was a transplant.like my lot.
On YT there's a great video about his Spitfire.
I remember when he died. I was ten. I also remember the death of Douglas Bader not long afterwards, and I remember the shooting down of the two Viscounts very well. That was before either of these events. I recall the shock and fury. I later found a pair of viscounts abandoned with their wings cut off. Someone had attempted to repurpose them as a restaurant in some remote town outside Harare.
There was a big pile of scrap. I recovered a control yoke and kept it. It had a non OEM button installed, below which was scratched, clearly by hand, IFF.
I'm in Australia now. All my old bits are gone.
I have tried to identify Proud Mary. The internet returneth nothing. It's as though the pre internet era just barely exists.
Because of the political upheavals in Zimbabwe, it's lived history has been scattered to the winds.
It's great to see your videos poking holes in the darkness of the world before the Web.
@@AeroDinosaur I'll be damned. I just had another look for Proud Mary. Look up Afro Continental Airways. There's a short Wiki page and the pic is of that plane in the same place as my brother, and I gained access to it.
By that time the plans for the clubhouse had come to nought and the plane was fenced in. We got through a gap in the fence...One of the large fence posts had tilted away from the adjacent hangar,.leaving a small gap.
A large box aircon had been installed in an overwing exit. The plane was basically empty, with some panels and debris in the cabin.
Anyway, I was wrong about the colour scheme. When I get onto a proper computer I'll see if I can resolve the registration. Looks like VP WKJ.
I'll let you know what I find!
@@AeroDinosaur I found it! A very complete account of the life and times of VP-WAW! Quite a story! There's a video in this!
I was able to download the document. I'm sure you'll find it. I can't link it on my phone, unfortunately.
It was delivered to Varig. Strange...I distinctly remember the faded TWA logo being visible under the old paint. Memory playing tricks? I seem to remember that quite well.
Anyway, that's the plane. A gun runner!
@@yuglesstube Thanks for finding this. I found it and downloaded it. The blog is by Alan Brough who wrote the biography on Jack Malloch (I have the book and recommend it if you don't have it.) Lots of great detail on VP-WAW, cannot wait to go through it and see the video. The Super Connie slide I used does not appear to be the same plane (also it doesn't have tip tanks).
I got to fly on a United DC6B from upstate NY to DC in the late 60's
Probably one of the last prop routes as United was using them on their secondary routes probably waiting for new jets to replace them.
Looks like you came close to making history. United's very last DC6B trip was a "puddle jump" operation from Salt Lake City to San Francisco, with stops at Ely NV, Elko NV, and Reno NV on February 28, 1970. Thanks for checking us out! J.A. Reed
Didn't this DC7 engine configuration have a problem with overheating due to the narrow nacelle design.
Not really--by then the installation designs (and the engine) had been refined by the manufacturers far beyond the deplorable B-29 design. That said, the R-3350 Turbo Compound in the DC-7s and Constellations still had reliability and flaming problems--especially with the PRTs. J.A. Reed
Clay Lacy raced a DC7 at Mojavi in 1970. I was there.
I vividly remember DC-7B Super Snoopy! But I only wished I could be there. I actually talked to Clay Lacy about Super Snoopy when he was at an airshow near St. Louis in 1971. Thanks for watching! J.A. Reed
It can be seen on Google earth at tshikapa airfield.
Thanks a million for the tip--as a result I checked and there it was. So, the Plane Logger website said it was "scrapped", but obviously not quite--it's still just "abandoned." Thanks for watching. Will make a note in the written description. JA Reed.
Philip--I was told to look at the image a little more closely. Looks like that is a Vickers Viscount turboprop at Tshikapa and not a DC-7C. So, the mystery deepens. J.A. Reed
@@AeroDinosaur ah well ! onwards and upwards !
Yes it's a viscount, pictures of it online
@@philipbrown2628 Ah yes, what else can we do!
Ive loved propliners since I was 5 and saw AeroUnion’s majestic DC-4s and L-188/P3 waterbombers on the ramp at KCIC 7 while flying into Chico on a Jetstream 31, itself arguably a propliner, and learned about the DC-1/2/3 and the Curtis C-46, and then got into the majestic constellation at the airshow at KCMA, where for a time in the late 90s and early 2000s there were two Connies and a C-46 - propliner heaven. And I learned my mother’s family, including their cat, flew to California on a United DC-7 Mainliner. A relative was a manager with United and arranged for the Pert the Tomcat to travel in the flight deck, where apparently he got sick to the chagrin of the flight crew (United pilot uniforms if I recall were medium grey in 1957, so not the best color for concealing stains). In 96 I logged my first hour at the age of ten and a half in a Cessna 152 flying out of Chico and my flight instructor was a lovely professional female aviator who owned a beautiful 172 Skylark. We had to use a 152 from the FBO so my feet would reach the rudder pedals. I also love jets but did not go into flying professionally, so I have never flown one, but probably my favorite airliners are the early jetliners of the 1960s such as the 707, DC-8, Convair 880/990A, and the Vickers VC-10, and the trijets like the 727, Trident, Tu-154, et al, and the propliners of the 1950s, especially the big four engined ships like the DC-7C, DC-6B L1049 Super Connie, L1649 (Lufthansa had better hurry up and restore the L1649 Starliner they shipped over there) and the 377 Stratoliner which is sadly extinct except for one Guppy conversion, but there are some C-97s still around I think. And also the larger turboprop liners, such as the majestic Bristol Brittania, Lockheed L188, and the Vickers Vanguard, and there were some other earlier propliners like the HP42 which was slow but had, for the 1930s, what was truly a remarkable, an unblemished safety record, and other early British inter-war and post-war, and some interesting post-war French and Italian propliners, such as the SM83 and the Bregeut double decker, among others.
@AeroDinosaur you have earned a subscription from me, I love your channel, I have been looking for another channel along the lines of Ron Rogers’ channel, being an enthusiast of vintage aircraft. God bless you sir!
@@theleastofpilgrims3379 Thank you very much for your compliments, subscribing and sharing your stories--that makes it all worthwhile to us! Actual stories like yours are worth their weight in gold. We certainly welcome constructive criticism too! Great minds think alike--basically, you covered every aircraft that has caught my interest as well. J.A. Reed
Have you had a chance to get over here and see our WAAAM museum in Hood River Oregon yet? It’s a pretty special place.
Not yet, haven't been able to get up there yet but when I do I will first let you know! Would really like to see it based on what you have told me, but haven't traveled very far at all over the last several years.
@@AeroDinosaur Yeah I don’t travel much anymore either
I love this!!
Me too after all these years. Thanks for watching!
United could not get rid of DC-7’s fast enough but kept DC-6’s in service well into the seventies. The reason? The parts recovery turbines
You are quite correct! The DC-7 was a thorn in the side of the airlines compared to the reliable and economical DC-6. United dumped all their DC-7s long before retiring their last DC-6 in 1970. J. A. Reed
Can you help me to find out what happened to VP WAJ That my father was involved in purchasing I believe and from the records was registered to Air Trans Africa I.e. Jack Mallock?
Regards
Dave Ward
If it is a DC-7 you are talking about, much of Africa ran out of 100LL avgas in the late 1990s, grounding the big props there, including DC-7C -9TA. I have a book on Jack Malloch that traces a lot of his Affretair and Air Trans Africa fleet, so I'll check that and get back to you. J.A. Reed
Whatever became of FO Ky Adeduje? I've Googled her name and have come up with nothing. I'm really curious as to how her life in aviation turned out.
Unfortunately, I have no information on the crew's whereabouts or careers after TAL. I have always been keeping my eyes and ears open about that, and have just made a note to let you know if I find out anything in that regard.
do you have any info on a Peter Arnoldy who was flying these a/c?
Sorry, I don't. Do you know who he flew them for and in what time frame?
Its amazing how all the the hard work and sacrifice comes too nothing and passes too history without fan fair or recognition
They used to call those power recovery turbines "parts recovery turbines" .
Dad was a Swissair employee. We all have vivid memories of Idlewild-Zurich flights with stops in Gander and Shannon.
I used Google satellite to view the Tshikapa airport. I saw what appears to be a 7C right in a field in the center of the airport. Looks like it has the wing extensions. Take a look 👀
Yep, that's it--it's certainly not "scrapped" yet (as Plane Logger says), but it looks pretty close. Thanks for checking us out and bringing this to my attention! J.A. Reed
I checked it again a little more closely. That looks like a Vickers Viscount at Tshikapa, not a DC-7C much to my disappointment. So, back to square one.
@@AeroDinosaur I think you may be right. I compared both aircraft using overhead blueprint drawings and that aircraft looks more like the Vickers. Oh well 🤷🏼♂️
@@yobringitondown5565 Image is a bit fuzzy, but that is a Viscount! Thanks for confirming.
I wish all of us propliner enthusiasts could save N777EA. Look er’ up. Last 7C ever made, in pristine condition sitting in AZ
Where in AZ?
@@davef.2329 Goodyear Air Park according to a Google search.
Ralph Petterson , spell check got me.
Got it! Thanks.
Any data on efficiency as cargo transporter 😅
The only data I have on that is that capital outlay for a DC-7C in the 1980s was extremely low compared to turbines, and, that aside, company profit margins ranged from "thin" to "non-existent." That should tell us most of what we need to know about efficiency. Thanks for watching! JA Reed.
Now, we miss the 747, 727, DC-10, DC-8 and of course the 707.
Yes, time "flies" for sure. I remember when each of those jets you mentioned was introduced. Now they are antiques. Thanks for watching! J.A. Reed.
I can not imagine the fatigue that those pilots must endure with the vibration and noise compared To jets.
To me, the noise (low frequency), and vibration (minimal), of a piston engine is preferable to the annoying high frequency whistle of a jet. Round engines are amazing.
Imagine that. A lady copilot without all the fanfare but clearly qualified to be in the right seat.
Multi engine ATP piston pounder endorsement is rare as hell even in the heyday of Pablo Escobar!
Yep, she was a top-notch professional like any other crew member and a really nice person. Even now, that's all that matters to me. Thanks for watching! J.A. Reed
Great subject matter, but unless the phonetic use of ‘S’ in fifties was different to today’s, ‘S’ is Sierra, not Sigma.
Happy to be educated on what was what in the 50s and 60s.
Thanks--good catch. As a former pilot, I should have caught that dumb oversight--my bad. I will mention the error in the written description. JA Reed
You mentioned that your DC-7C could be in Tshikapa City in the Congo. Google Earth and a satellite view in Google Maps does show a 4 engine airliner at the airport parked in the off ramp area,. Perhaps this is your plane.
Yes, we sparked a lot of discussion on that Tshikapa City hulk visible from Google Earth, and even heard from one of the crewmen who had flown our DC-7C between the Congo and Angola. At first everyone thought it was our plane, but after careful inspection, everyone agreed that image was an abandoned Vickers Viscount turboprop. There are some people still trying to track down the final resting place (more probably, the "destruction place") of the DC-7C N869TA. Thanks for checking us out, and please let us know if you hear anything! J.A. Reed.
Barenken? 😂 Agaudia Borinquén 🇵🇷
FYI The word Borinquén comes from the ancient Taino (Indigenous) Indians. It is the name they gave to the island before Spain and the United States assumed control. A person may refer to themselves or another as Boriqua, meaning they are Puerto Rican…¡ya tu sabe!
Delta Siera India
Thanks for watching. That silly error was pointed out several times previously. Check the comments section.
🥰
My dad Fine Agi flew into Uli AIr strip circa 1969 on this plane.
stopping in Gander New Foundl land enroute Biafra to supply aid with caritas catholic charities
Great to hear from you! Always glad to hear from folks like you connected to that airlift--those crews like your dad were selfless! Caritas was a huge part of that. Thank you very much for watching! J.A. Reed
🇪🇸 ESPAÑOL 🇪🇸
Sierra not sigma
I know, I have been called out on that stupid oversight several times. Inexcusable for a former pilot--sorry.
The turbocompound engines were powerful - for about 15-minutes! LMAO
Will go down in history as the least reliable engines ever!