Being a gearhead and motorcycle enthusiast, I never fail to marvel at these big radial engines coming to life! They are a huge ballet of pistons, rods, and valvetrain doing their thing!
I was one of the last pilots to fly the dc-3 in scheduled passenger operations 1976-1979. i was also a DC-3 instructor and check airman for our commuter airline. I notice this DC-3 has Wright R-1820 9 cylinder engines, where most had the 14 cylinder Pratt & Whiney R-1830, as did mine. No deicing boots and no weather radar and a 4 piece windshield where mine had 2 panes. I flew 1,000 hours in the DC-3 and it helped get me to United Airlines where I flew for 29 years.
Well,the cowlings sport the P&W logo, so I don't know where the Wright engine idea came from,and the windscreen is definitely 2 piece,missing the small DV windows that were standard when the aeroplane was built.
Phenomenal video!!! Like you I have flown on this gorgeous lady several times. Both as passenger and a few times as flight attendant while working for Provincetown-Boston Airline/Naples Airlines Division as MIA Station Manager in the early 70'sn when she was N136PB. Even back then she was the highest time aircraft flying. She even made the trip from Aurora, OR to Normandy, France a couple of years ago for the D-Day celebrations. She is still going strong even at 84 years old! She is my favorite individual aircraft of all time.
I worked for the USPS ATO at Chicago Midway Airport in the early '70's . One of the mail planes was a C-47 flown by Basler Airlines. The loading of that plane was a nightly event, but it never became just routine. I used to love standing next to it when it started and watch the flames roll out of the exhaust pipes. My shift was at night, and when it would take off and fly over head you could see a steady blue flame from each exhaust pipe.
Always liked those beautiful P&W decals on the engine cowls. That sound is legendary and I understand that sound is the oldest continuing one of all reciprocating engined planes of the class. They are still being used in various places world wide.
Every once in a while, the rumble of those radials comes down from the sky. Yesterday we had a DC-3 and another aircraft I couldn't identify fly over Doylestown on their way to somewhere. They were clearly a flight of two. I never get tired of that antique sound.
I had the good fortune to fly round trip on a DC-3 in 1978 from Tampa International Airport to Marathon FL in the Florida Keys. A ride and an experience that I'll take to my grave. Oh what a glorious trip. Long live the "Gooney Bird".
Beautiful Aircraft, It was 1973 when I was in senior high school for technical aviation in Jakarta, I was trained for about one month in Indonesian Airforce to fix The C 47 which is DC 3 military version, what a memorable time. I'm 65 now.
I lived with this airplane during its time (10 years) in overhaul at Pearson Field, Vancouver, WA. It was parked at our museum there, once the wings went back on. Bob Irvine the owner at the time, flew Air Force F4's in Vietnam and a Hawker Hurricane that was restored by the Neil Rose, also at Pearson. Bob helped the new owner at Aurora airport ready the airplane for its participation in the D-Day re-enactment in England and France last year, and flew it as PIC. Unfortunately, Bob suffered a stroke recently, and is slowly recovering. I played a small role in recovering its passenger interior from a DC 3 donated by Hughes Airwest on display at the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry in Portland, and converting that airplane to its former C47 livery, now a gate guard at the Spruce Goose museum in Mcminnville, Oregon.
@@VMCAviationVideos I really don't know. That's a good question for the museum staff I suppose. I know some volunteers there who may be able to help. I'll look into it.
Back in 1985 I had the pleasure of flying in a Provincetown-Boston Airlines (PBA) DC-3 from Key west to Miami. Earlier that year I saw a Canadian Forces Dakota at a Charleston Air Force Base airshow.
A Venerable Timeless Bird. If some DC-3s are still flying today, 80 Years Later, Means only one thing: that Bird was way ahead of its time in the late 1930s !
I can tell you as one who has 1,600 hours flying DC3's the sound on Takeoff was ear splitting. Max Takeoff power & as soon as airbourne METO (Maximum Except Takeoff) then Climb Power.
We were doing recurrent training in the DC-3 that day. I was the pilot receiving training. Instructor gave me a call to abort as part of the training. When I did things correctly, he then (as prebreifed) had me power up and continue the take off.
I heard of a training flight of a DC-3, where on takeoff, the instructor demonstrated the increase in power when water injection was enabled. Both engines promptly EXPLODED, causing an 'unplanned landing' in a nearby river. Analysis of the crash, showed that ground crew had filled the water tanks with glycol instead.
You are right about the short exhaust and the flames at night, but that's not what's happening here. You can hear during engine startup that at least one cylinder on the right engine isn't firing. When you apply power during the takeoff run it blows un-burnt fuel through the exhaust and the fumes ignite outside the engine. You can also hear a momentary power loss when this happens. Probably the pilot countering the assymetric thrust. The pilot was probably well aware of the problem since this would normally have been a rejected takeoff.
I have seen this exact same DC-3 Used in many movies and shows, one example, that weird TV series called Grimm, The registration number in the show is the exact same, besides there being a G Instead Of an N
When I look at the engines driving the propellors, I have to think the engines motor mounts not only have to pull the airplanes hull forward, they have to be robust enough to withstand the engines tremendous torque. If the motor mount were to fail I would think that the engine would careen forward until it falls from the sky.
This is afterfire, not backfire. It is normal for this engine. I worked on many of them after tech school. Afterfire prevents backfire. It goes away once the throttles are reduced to climb power.
The best in-flight coffee I ever had was on a NASA C-47 out of Wallops Island! How I got there I don't remember but I was bumming space available hops. Probably to MacDill?
Eu achava legal ir ao aeroporto de Canavieiras, nos anos 50 aos 60, para ver os pousos e decolagens dos similares desse DC-3, da Cruzeiro do Sul procedentes do Rio de Janeiro com destino a Salvador, de onde retornava à tarde. Havia a Panair do Brasil, também,,que operava com aeronaves idênticas à do vídeo, cobrindo o mesmo percurso.
Here's the translation : I thought it was cool to go to Canavieiras airport, in the 50's to the 60's, to see the landings and takeoffs of similar ones of this DC-3, from Cruzeiro do Sul coming from Rio de Janeiro to Salvador, from where it returned in the afternoon. There was also Panair do Brasil, which operated with aircraft identical to the one in the video, covering the same route.
thank you for posting a piece of memorie. . i was about 3 or 4 years when we took a plane like this with my mother. i only remember that metalic aspect, the twin engines, and the rectangular windows. . but i don 't know exacly if it was the same plane. alaways i think that the tail was not on the ground, so may be a wheel was under the nose. . if someone can help me to find the wright plane (?) thanks. [Marseille -> Paris circa 1967]
No backfire there. Flames from the exhaust when he backed off power and reapplied it, but a backfire would be flames out the carby inlet, which there were not.
Yes that's exactly right. If anything you would have to call it an after-fire, but it wasn't dramatic enough to call it that even. Just normal slightly rich flame.
At 6:33 the plane begins to move. At 6:37, a mere 4 seconds later and with what looks like hardly any speed, the tail wheel is already off the ground. How is that even physically possible ? Is the balance such that there is virtually no weight on the tail ?
I was in the left seat that day. Paul was giving me some advanced training and scenarios. That was a simulated abort, when the action items were right and instant we continued the departure.
Being a gearhead and motorcycle enthusiast, I never fail to marvel at these big radial engines coming to life! They are a huge ballet of pistons, rods, and valvetrain doing their thing!
I was one of the last pilots to fly the
dc-3 in scheduled passenger operations 1976-1979. i was also a DC-3 instructor and check airman for our commuter airline. I notice this DC-3 has Wright R-1820 9 cylinder engines, where most had the 14 cylinder Pratt & Whiney R-1830, as did mine. No deicing boots and no weather radar and a 4 piece windshield where mine had 2 panes. I flew 1,000 hours in the DC-3 and it helped get me to United Airlines where I flew for 29 years.
The DC-3 flew much longer than that in scheduled passenger operations, just not with a major airline.
It has Pratt & Whitney emblems on the cowlings, and the cowlings look more like R-1830 to me?
Well,the cowlings sport the P&W logo, so I don't know where the Wright engine idea came from,and the windscreen is definitely 2 piece,missing the small DV windows that were standard when the aeroplane was built.
My dad was a C-47 mechanic in WW2.. He would have loved to have seen this. He often told me how safe they were.
My Dad was also a mechanic on these planes in Service. They are my
favorite Airplanes..
Phenomenal video!!! Like you I have flown on this gorgeous lady several times. Both as passenger and a few times as flight attendant while working for Provincetown-Boston Airline/Naples Airlines Division as MIA Station Manager in the early 70'sn when she was N136PB. Even back then she was the highest time aircraft flying. She even made the trip from Aurora, OR to Normandy, France a couple of years ago for the D-Day celebrations. She is still going strong even at 84 years old! She is my favorite individual aircraft of all time.
She is a beauty. I flew on her in April 1988 from Miami to Key West when she was Eastern Express N136PB.
I am from India. My first flight was in Dakota DC 3 in the year 1960. Was a great flight I still remember.
Wunderbar! The DC 3 Dakota, one of the most outstanding flying machines ever built.
The skytrain
I worked for the USPS ATO at Chicago Midway Airport in the early '70's . One of the mail planes was a C-47 flown by Basler Airlines. The loading of that plane was a nightly event, but it never became just routine. I used to love standing next to it when it started and watch the flames roll out of the exhaust pipes. My shift was at night, and when it would take off and fly over head you could see a steady blue flame from each exhaust pipe.
Nice, I miss the days when the DC-3 still was in the workforce
Always liked those beautiful P&W decals on the engine cowls. That sound is legendary and I understand that sound is the oldest continuing one of all reciprocating engined planes of the class. They are still being used in various places world wide.
Yes, nothing better than a radial engine.
Every once in a while, the rumble of those radials comes down from the sky. Yesterday we had a DC-3 and another aircraft I couldn't identify fly over Doylestown on their way to somewhere. They were clearly a flight of two. I never get tired of that antique sound.
Nothing compares to big radials singing in harmony 🎵🎶🥰
Wise words
I had the good fortune to fly round trip on a DC-3 in 1978 from Tampa International Airport to Marathon FL in the Florida Keys. A ride and an experience that I'll take to my grave. Oh what a glorious trip. Long live the "Gooney Bird".
I flew on a DC-3 from Miami to Marathon in the 80's
That's some great footage, what a stunning aircraft. Super cool you got to fly in this plane back in the 80's!
Well I'm just an amateur
Oh, what a beautiful full silver old bird!!
Yes I think so
Beautiful Aircraft, It was 1973 when I was in senior high school for technical aviation in Jakarta, I was trained for about one month in Indonesian Airforce to fix The C 47 which is DC 3 military version, what a memorable time. I'm 65 now.
You fixed the military version of that in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta
@@boeingbetty24jettonlousie85 Affirm!
No livery. Just polished aluminium. I love it!
What a lovely and slim looking bird! Gracious take off...
Wonderful video of this grande old Lady. N18121is one of the oldest DC-3’s still flying. Huge LIKE!
Flying strong since 1937
Why it's precisely LADY, not Gentleman?
It’s common knowledge that most aircraft, cars, ships etc are referred to as ‘she’ or ‘her’. That’s just how it works.
Woww spectacular! I love the engine sound when it started with full blast while take off!
I lived with this airplane during its time (10 years) in overhaul at Pearson Field, Vancouver, WA. It was parked at our museum there, once the wings went back on. Bob Irvine the owner at the time, flew Air Force F4's in Vietnam and a Hawker Hurricane that was restored by the Neil Rose, also at Pearson. Bob helped the new owner at Aurora airport ready the airplane for its participation in the D-Day re-enactment in England and France last year, and flew it as PIC. Unfortunately, Bob suffered a stroke recently, and is slowly recovering. I played a small role in recovering its passenger interior from a DC 3 donated by Hughes Airwest on display at the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry in Portland, and converting that airplane to its former C47 livery, now a gate guard at the Spruce Goose museum in Mcminnville, Oregon.
Thanks for background infos Tom, very much appreciated. What is the registration of the Gate Guard DC-3 at the Spruce Goose museum?
@@VMCAviationVideos I really don't know. That's a good question for the museum staff I suppose. I know some volunteers there who may be able to help. I'll look into it.
@@tomclark6271 Thanks
How I love the sound of the radial engines
The best sound ever👍
No hay mejor cosa que escuchar el sonido de sus motores..Los amo.
Yes!
Que nostalgia ver volar a estos hermosos aviones fieles y eternos compañeros.
The DC-3 was a beautiful aircraft.
It still is👍
Excellent, really like the pilot running up to full power while keeping the brakes on
👍
Linda aeronave . Eu voei no ano de 1975 de São Paulo para Academia da força aérea na cidade de Pirassununga 👏👏👏👏👍🇺🇸.
Back in 1985 I had the pleasure of flying in a Provincetown-Boston Airlines (PBA) DC-3 from Key west to Miami. Earlier that year I saw a Canadian Forces Dakota at a Charleston Air Force Base airshow.
Wow, the DC-3 is beautiful, especially this shiny silver type.
I was in the left seat of that plane that day doing. We were doing some great training with Paul of Aerometal International.
I meet Paul, what a great guy. What did you guys practice on take-off when the engine "backfired"?
It lifted off so easily and gracefully.
aahhh the beautiful sound of those 1830's-92 on start can't be compared....😋👍
A very reliable tough aircraft.
A Venerable Timeless Bird. If some DC-3s are still flying today, 80 Years Later, Means only one thing: that Bird was way ahead of its time in the late 1930s !
Yes, and the DC-3 is my all time favourite aircraft.
It looked like the power was reduced and the backfire occurred when he went back to takeoff power.
You are correct
which happens when power is reduced. Often you can hear some backfiring on propliners when power is reduced or on approach.
You think so, I tend to think he ran it rich on take off and the motor blew off the rest of the fuel...
I can tell you as one who has 1,600 hours flying DC3's the sound on Takeoff was ear splitting.
Max Takeoff power & as soon as airbourne METO (Maximum Except Takeoff) then Climb Power.
We were doing recurrent training in the DC-3 that day. I was the pilot receiving training. Instructor gave me a call to abort as part of the training. When I did things correctly, he then (as prebreifed) had me power up and continue the take off.
DC-3 eram os aviões usados pela Força Aérea Brasileira nos anos 70, voavam entre as cidades da amazônia.
Ir was almost a glider with two 1200 HP engines. Very safe and dependable aircraft.
Ya que buen avión fue muy padre volaron
Fue un orgullo volarlo
That is one beautiful DC3
Yes it is!
Amazing to see one flying.
Amazing, the aircraft's take off run is almost horizontal, the rar wheel loose ground contact very early during roll.
Very nice footage! I guess it's nothing serious to have engine backfiring like this. And it looks so cool!
Thanks for watching the video!
What a beautiful aircraft she is! THUMBS UP :)
Saudades...amo esses DC3
Love the radial sound!!!
Yes me too!
Eighty years and continue to fligth ¡¡¡¡ Amazing¡¡¡¡¡
Wow! Beautiful big old bird! Have always admired these aircraft. So utilitarian. I don't understand why they don't still build them.
Beautiful aircraft, great sound!
Indeed it is!
That was very, very nice to watch! Great looking aircraft! :)
Thanks for watching the video
I heard of a training flight of a DC-3, where on takeoff, the instructor demonstrated the increase in power when water injection was enabled. Both engines promptly EXPLODED, causing an 'unplanned landing' in a nearby river. Analysis of the crash, showed that ground crew had filled the water tanks with glycol instead.
Must have been a Wright Cyclone powered DC-3. The P&W R1830 did not have water injection.
That was an Avro 748 not a DC-3
Gosto muito de ver os velhos aviões na ativa.que maravilha.
Realmente........e nestas máquinas a gente voava..... nas novas operamos sistemas..... não é a mesma emoção.
The right engine didn't "backfire"; those old radial engines were always belching fire because of short exhaust pipe. More noticeable at night. :-)
You are right about the short exhaust and the flames at night, but that's not what's happening here. You can hear during engine startup that at least one cylinder on the right engine isn't firing. When you apply power during the takeoff run it blows un-burnt fuel through the exhaust and the fumes ignite outside the engine. You can also hear a momentary power loss when this happens. Probably the pilot countering the assymetric thrust. The pilot was probably well aware of the problem since this would normally have been a rejected takeoff.
@@tomasbengtsson5157 yeah, when I saw it, I tought that would be a RTO situation, but they proceeded to takeoff anyway!
For me it’s the reason that the pilot forgot to feather the right prop just before the roll it’s true
Excellent. Thanks.
You are welcome!
yo vole en varias oportunidades en Douglas DC3..Y es un vuelo fantastico ... saludos desde Agentina
👍
I have seen this exact same DC-3 Used in many movies and shows, one example, that weird TV series called Grimm, The registration number in the show is the exact same, besides there being a G Instead Of an N
Thank you for showing.
My pleasure
...there she is,'the Queen of the Skies' with no make up...l luv it...
Beautiful old workhorse, way way back this was what the Navy transport squadrons flew.
Such a beautiful aircraft...!
Yes it is
When I look at the engines driving the propellors, I have to think the engines motor mounts not only have to pull the airplanes hull forward, they have to be robust enough to withstand the engines tremendous torque. If the motor mount were to fail I would think that the engine would careen forward until it falls from the sky.
I think those Dc 3's are those went in Normandy during D-Days or maybe similar .
What a great take off with experience pilots and beautiful old maintain aircraft .
My favourite. aeroplane.
Couldn't agree more!
Crystal clear images - thanks for sharing.
Thanks for Watching!
This is afterfire, not backfire. It is normal for this engine. I worked on many of them after tech school. Afterfire prevents backfire. It goes away once the throttles are reduced to climb power.
The best in-flight coffee I ever had was on a NASA C-47 out of Wallops Island! How I got there I don't remember but I was bumming space available hops. Probably to MacDill?
Good video 🛩️Thankyou 🛫
Eu achava legal ir ao aeroporto de Canavieiras, nos anos 50 aos 60, para ver os pousos e decolagens dos similares desse DC-3, da Cruzeiro do Sul procedentes do Rio de Janeiro com destino a Salvador, de onde retornava à tarde. Havia a Panair do Brasil, também,,que operava com aeronaves idênticas à do vídeo, cobrindo o mesmo percurso.
Google translation:
Here's the translation : I thought it was cool to go to Canavieiras airport, in the 50's to the 60's, to see the landings and takeoffs of similar ones of this DC-3, from Cruzeiro do Sul coming from Rio de Janeiro to Salvador, from where it returned in the afternoon. There was also Panair do Brasil, which operated with aircraft identical to the one in the video, covering the same route.
what a nice shiney aircraft - thanks for sharing
Well maintain by Aerometal International in Aurora OR
thank you for posting a piece of memorie. . i was about 3 or 4 years when we took a plane like this with my mother. i only remember that metalic aspect, the twin engines, and the rectangular windows. . but i don 't know exacly if it was the same plane. alaways i think that the tail was not on the ground, so may be a wheel was under the nose. . if someone can help me to find the wright plane (?) thanks.
[Marseille -> Paris circa 1967]
Thanks for watching the video!
Convair 340?
This is flying! Amazing!
I love the old piston airplanes
No backfire there. Flames from the exhaust when he backed off power and reapplied it, but a backfire would be flames out the carby inlet, which there were not.
Yes that's exactly right. If anything you would have to call it an after-fire, but it wasn't dramatic enough to call it that even. Just normal slightly rich flame.
Fantastic catch
Thanks for watching
@@VMCAviationVideos always
Le DC-3, mon avion préféré ! 💝
Good afternoon to all from SE Louisiana 29 Apr 22.
My days in the Rhodesian army. That sound. ..
Did you fly the DC-3 in the Rhodesian army?
@@VMCAviationVideos no I was in the military para division. .
The greatest moveable object created by man and who would disagree?
Wow amazing video of a legendary plane!
Yes I agree, the DC-3 is a legendary airplane
Nice take off!
I don't know nothing about engines, i am curious. Why it sounds like it wants to turn off?
It was a training flight, so my guess is they simulated an engine failure on takeoff
N18121 c/n 1997 is the highest time DC-3 in the world. Over 90,0000 hours.
Yup, and I flew in it April 6th 1988 when she was flying for Eastern Express as N136PB
Flames coming out of the exhaust is not backfiring. Backfiring is when the flame shoots back into the intake
You are correct of course, but it is common usage to call what we saw backfiring.
Technically, it's sometimes referred to as an "afterfire" but most people have never heard that term... 🙂
Was the backfire the result of backing off the power, to me it sounded like it?
The pilot turn off magnetos (ignition)? To test somenthing. Result is exhaust backfire
👍
At 6:33 the plane begins to move. At 6:37, a mere 4 seconds later and with what looks like hardly any speed, the tail wheel is already off the ground. How is that even physically possible ? Is the balance such that there is virtually no weight on the tail ?
Propwash helps lifting the tail
Additionally there may have been few if any Pax or cargo on board making the tail very light.
I was the left seat pilot that day. We were very light doing training and currency.
Very cool video, greetings from Germany :-)
Thanks, und Gruss aus Kanada!
Gorgeous!!!😆😁👍
Thank you! 😊
superb catch
Thanks!
Ancient style But still Very Impressionable Plane 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🙏❤️
Outstanding catch mate!
Thank You!
Lindo..lindo..lindo. ao meu ver é a aeronave mais completa em aerodinamica.
Andei nele umas 4 vezes , em Angola, e na Guiné Bissau , ...xauuu :)
Thanks
Danke !!!!!!
👍
The old girl was juet clearing her throat... that little backfire.. 😅😊
interesting that up until minute 6:42 the engines sound perfectly normal.
It was a training flight, I guess they did a simulated rejected take off
6:36離陸の音が好き
yes it did fire and power was lower but the pilot think the runway was almost the end of it and full power
DC3 C47 CURTIS COMANDER EXCELENTES AVIÕES DA ÉPOCA AINDA HOJE TEM VÁRIOS EM OPERAÇÃO.
awsome coverage.. three engine aircraft.. great duty done
Where is the third one?
Not a backfire. BACKfire fires BACKWARDS through intake manifold. This was - if anything - an afterfire.
Thanks!
@@VMCAviationVideos No sweat - common error...
Yeah, I saw that too. Backfire is a really big deal with these stromberg pressure carbs.
The Dak will live forever.....Boeing should scrap the 737 Max, and build something as reliable as the DC-3 !.
The 737 MAX will be a great reliable aircraft once they are flying again
Someone told me, they carry extra fuels barrel hand pump as needed, in the back seat, is that right?
If they need to, they could.
Just wonderfull...
Excelente recuerdo de esta aeronove.
👍
I road in thins a lot in 1958. Cold as hell going to. Ice land. Loll.
Great shot of this classic bird! That was weird at 0:47🤔
What was weird?
@@VMCAviationVideos the sudden power cut
@@DOMINICAAVIATION - Ahh OK, you mean at 6:47 and not 0:47. It was a training flight, so my guess is they simulated something.
@@VMCAviationVideos yeah. Oh
Maybe a mag switch-over was done for some reason?
I was in the left seat that day. Paul was giving me some advanced training and scenarios. That was a simulated abort, when the action items were right and instant we continued the departure.
Un bel avion tout simplement.