DC-7C FREIGHT: From Corrosion Corner through the Caribbean and Back 1992 - Part 3 0f 3
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ค. 2024
- Part 3 of a 3 Part series featuring a two-day Caribbean cargo trip on the very last Douglas DC-7C in airline service, with cargo operator Trans-Air-Link, in March 1992. This heavy piston propliner was a key player in long-range, trans-oceanic passenger airline service in the late 1950's before the age of the jetliners. Most survivors lived out their few remaining years as converted freighters.
Our 2,200 mile route takes us from Miami to St. Maarten (SXM), then to St. Croix (STX), St. Thomas (STT), San Juan PR (SJU), Borinquen PR (BQN) and back to Miami. This Part 3 covers the crews' dealing with major hydraulic failure at Borinquen PR and then the final flight leg back to Miami.
This comprehensive full-audio footage is very rare, and will likely never be replicated, but we hope more such footage will surface from somewhere in the future. DC-7C's have long since disappeared from the skies.
Thanks for watching, and if you enjoy it please hit the "LIKE" and "SUBSCRIBE" buttons.
Authors, former aviation and Regulus Productions contacts, providers of current useful commentary and information, and those with business inquiries may reach me at:
John A. Reed
j.reed3930@sbcglobal.net - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
I'm a fellow dinosaur, worked corrosion corner from 1971 - 1984. Finally retired from a better place in 2016. Your video is great and brings back many memories,
Glad to help, thanks for watching! That's a long time you spent at Corrosion Corner. Preserving memories for us Dinosaurs is our main goal. Luckily our minds tend to preserve the more pleasant parts of our total experiences.
Wow it's been a long time since I've worked on that DC-7C. It was hard work maintaining that old bird, but it was also a lot fun. Thank you for recognizing me at the end of this video. Very well done!!!
Hi Ken--I was HOPING to hear from one of you TAL guys--you just made my day! I think I remember you standing on the tarmac under aircraft crew door of N870TA--you greeted me after we taxied to a stop at the conclusion of my earlier trip around the Duty Free Triangle in that DC-6A/C-118. Pilots were Joel Reeves, Edgar Alvarado and engineer Geno Gentile. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Hi John yep I believe that was me. Those videos really brought me back to those old days. I feel very fortunate I was able to work on and maintain such an old fleet of aircraft. Currently I work for Delta Air Lines as a Lead AMT. I’ve been with Delta for about 21 years and love it.
Take care and thank you for producing and making these videos.
@@krut29 Glad to see that your good "old days" at TAL morphed into decades of great "new days" at Delta. We fly Delta often, took them to Europe just before COVID--always a pleasant experience. I'll bet none of your peers ever worked on a DC-7--it would seem to me that you have a unique position there as being the last maintainer of a DC-7. I did see that the Delta museum in Atlanta got that DC-7B for static display that recently flew in from Arizona.
In 1994 I re-started my banking and business consulting career and retired from that in 2016. Since then, AeroDinosaur channel is where all that raw footage that had been sitting in my closet for years finds a home. Otherwise it would all eventually be lost or destroyed. Thanks again for watching, subscribing and reaching out!
Hi Ken,
Am curious about some of the systems on the DC-7s, compared with the jets that followed. Can I pick your brains, please?
Did the DC7s (and 6s, for that matter) have AC generators, or rely on inverters for AC electrics? I was wondering if the constant, high-pitch hum in the cockpit is in fact the AC electrical stuff. But the pitch sounds higher than 400Hz (to which I used to be very accustomed!).
On hydraulics, that O-ring seal from a DC-8-63 spares kit would presumably be designed for use in a 3000 psi system, using Skydrol fluid. What about the DC-7?
Thanks in advance...
I watched all 3 in order. Outstanding, as well as the captioning. It brings back rich memories as a kid in the 60's riding in United 6's and 7's, watching the engine starts and the exhuasts in flight. And the vibration! In 1967 United retired them and flying was never the same again. So antiseptic and sterile those jets.
I'm really glad you enjoyed it and to receive your generous comments! Part of the fun for us is stirring up those old memories--thanks for sharing your recollections and sentiments--very similar to mine. Best regards, JA Reed.
On the back straight of this amazing trip now and have enjoyed every second being with these great people.
Its never too late to say goodbye to something as great as T.A.L.
I have relived that trip at least 100 times since filming it 31 years ago, and I never tire of it! I agree with you 100%. I miss the crew and always wonder where they are today. I have recently heard from some of the former (and younger) TAL ground people who assisted me back then. Thanks! J. A. Reed
@@AeroDinosaur J.A. hehe thats surely an immortal spirit of adventure attitude so theres little wonder fans can feel that sense of the place :)
Its a triumph - thank you for doing this Dear Mr J.A. REED
@@cameroncameron2826 You bet! Thanks for your complementary words--it makes it all worthwhile. J.A. Reed
Absolutely fantastic - a real credit to you. Loved every minute of it. Priceless airliner history.
Andy thanks for you nice comment, glad you enjoyed our DC-7C series! That makes it all worthwhile for us.
Excellent,absolutely EXCELLENT.
You bring back many wonderful,memories .My Mom,brothers and I flew on NORTHWEST AIRLINES with the DC-6s.
However, I really loved flying with CAPITAL AIRLINES . . . their VICKERS VISCOUNT turbo props. That "whine" those turbo props produced was MUSIC to my ears.
In 1977 I worked with ZANTOP AIRLINES at WILLOW RUN AIRPORT loading DC-3s , DC-6s,Electras ,Convairs, and D-C8s.
Auto-Air and Kalitta Airlines were neighbors.
Thank you for your wonderful Aviation Production.
Glad you liked this and thanks for your background stories. I remember all your Willow Run aircraft overnighting here at St. Louis International, including Zantop, Trans Continental and Universal. In the late 1970's we had four auto assembly plants here. Now just one. I like hearing from people who lived it, the main reason we put these out!
Oh man that view of Miami Beach and the Biscayne Bay Islands was cool. I was flying my ultralight around there back in 92 :-)
Absolutely fascinating. Many thanks for sharing.
You bet and thanks for checking us out, your positive comment, and for watching! All my best, J.A. Reed
This is beautiful from begining to end ! Human beings and machines at their simplest yet most inspiring, including the brain and the sincerity of the photographer/director.I have lived through similar experiences and your movie has revived them. Thank you !
Thanks for your nice complement, glad to help bring back those memories. Reviving my old footage for the film did the same for me!
Thanks for another unique, irreplaceable record of a big-piston operation, John - albeit in the late autumn of their era. I took time out after binging on your great documentaries of the DC-6, the short and long Connies, and the Save a Connie.
My only pax ride on a Seven was with SAA on a DC-7B (also with saddle tanks) from Salisbury to Heathrow in 1960, via Nairobi, Khartoum and Ciampino. At one of those stops we hit a tech delay, so the whole journey took an excruciating 29 hours.
Later, as a pilot, I missed all the DAC products between the Three - in its C-47 iteration - and the DC-10-30. Sadly, a charter predecessor of the airline that provided me with most of my career employment had lost a DC-7C soon after take-off at Douala in 1962, apparently the most fatal accident in DC-7 history.
Hey Chris, glad you are enjoying our heavy propliner stuff. Thanks a million for watching. It's either post them or let all the footage rot in my closet. That saddle-tanked -7B you rode on was a rarity, and pretty much my favorite version of the -7 from a visual perspective. One of our goals is reaching people like you who rode or flew them. You are right, flying on propliners from almost any perspective is an excruciating experience. Salisbury to Heathrow was certainly a rough one! From your comments I guess you must have flown the MD-80/90 series or MD-11. Thanks again!
@@AeroDinosaur Excruciating by today's standards, John? As a boy in the 'Fifties, awe-inspiring! Wish I could remember the stated reason for that DC-7 delay. Also passengered on L749A, DC-6B and C-4 on those African routes.
Sorry to confuse re my pilot stints on Douglas types. I only did the C-47 (500 hrs P2) and, years later, fewer than a 1000 hrs P1 on the DC-10-30, while waiting for the A320 to emerge. (I preferred short-haul, for family reasons.)
Do you ever post on PPRuNe?
@@chrisscott4896 Thanks for your reply and info on your type experience as pilot and on African routes--always interesting to me! The largest plane I ever checked out in is the little Cessna 182 Turbo RG. A hundred or so hours in that. FYI: Have not posted on PPRuNe, just TH-cam. Thanks again!
@@AeroDinosaur There used to be an articulate guy who posted on PPRuNe as 411A. (I think he owned a Cessna 411A.) Didn't suffer fools, as they say, but very knowledgeable. At some point in his career he'd been a co-pilot on a Guppy, and he had some interesting observations about the R-4350, in addition to lots of other stuff. RIP. There's a lot of good stuff posted in the AH&N and Tech Log forums of PPRuNe.
John, I was very lucky and privileged to get sponsored as a pilot cadet by an independent airline and to stay in continuous employment for 35 years, despite being technically redundant two or three times. I've the greatest respect for those who had at least as much talent and enthusiasm but were less fortunate in place or timing.
@@chrisscott4896 Thanks, that all sounds pretty interesting and I'll be sure to check it out on PPRuNe. I'm surprised you did 35 years straight without furlough!
Thank you so much for making this unique footage available. This series gives a priceless perspective of these great airliners in operation. It's a long time since I've come across something that's kept me so intensely glued to the screen as this did. This is epic!
Wow, thanks! Means a lot to me that we seem to be accomplishing what we intended. All my best to you!
Thank you for sharing, brings back memory of my childhood flying with my dad in DC-7B,s (Osterman Aero/Internord Sweden), and DC-7C,s (ARCO Sweden) in the late sixties and seventies. He also flew DC-7B in the Biafra airlift for the Swedish Red Cross :)
I'm a serious admirer of all the crews that flew in the Biafra airlift and have always cherished the couple of books I've collected on this unique subject. Great to hear from you and glad to have been able to bring some of the past experiences of you and your dad back to the surface.
Loved this!Have just watched this a second time all the way through!Great❤😎👍!
Twice is good, Melvyn! I am a multiple watcher too--Guess you had to carve out a little time for that. Thanks a million for your continued support!
It was worth it!Nice and relaxing to watch.My pleasure😎👍!
WOW! What a great job. I was with Southern Air Transport (located next door) during that time period. Whenever I was in KMIA to pickup a flight or returning from one., I would always walk out on the ramp (at least as far as allowed) and watch the activity of TAL. A big KUDOS to those crew's. They worked their butts off. I also happened to be in KMIA the day that the other (non TAL) Dc-7 when down off the beach. Thanks for sharing. Loved it.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment--it means lots to us that you enjoyed it. I remember the SAT jets right there on ramp. Speaking of working their tails off, I never felt so much fatigue in my life working with them over the 3 days on that DC-7C project--either before or since. During the first part of the project we ran hard 40 hours straight (without even a meal), until we got to "crash" at Borinquen.
@@AeroDinosaur Terrible weight loss program :) We too had our heavy days (delays, mechanicals etc.) but I do not recall such a brutal trip as you experienced. Again..........KUDOS!
Wonderful video, I remember when TAL flew to MHTG (TGU) many times DC-6 ops and DC-7, always managed to escape my office to watch, the Landings and TKOFs ...Thanks for sharing
Thanks, Roland, glad you enjoyed it. I understand MHTG was known for its sometimes spectacular accidents, including overloaded DC-6's, etc.
A really valuable and nicely documented history. Thanks for taking the time to make and upload these episodes.
Hey Mark, thanks, it is our pleasure. We're extremely glad that you were able to enjoy this! Nothing but fun for me.
@@JARREGULUS Hi John, Nice to see the likes of Buffalo Airways etc are keeping piston-engined aircraft flying, I know its not always the "greenest" of power (leaded fuel!) but piston engines invoke a passion that turbines cant match! Did you catch the Plane Savers series on TH-cam during 2019?
@@markdavis2475 You know me! Sure did!
Thanks for posting this video series of your trip. I had two tours at CGAS Borinquen. I flew into all of those islands and then some. I was there at BQN when you visited. It was fun watching all of the air freighters come in and leave. There was TAL, Tradewinds, some Connie's and some DC-3's that would run from BQN to Santo Domingo. I remember watching them take off early in the morning while it was still dark. I would sit on the ramp and watch these old planes roar down the runway with flames coming out of the glowing stacks. Some great memories of days gone by.
Many thanks for your nice comment! I share those very same memories you describe down there, and to provide an avenue for people to re-live them, in some small way, is my main goal. You've obviously spent a lot more time down there than me, but I do have a few more related uploads coming in the future. I saw a lot of USCG C-130's operating out of BQN. Was that the plane you flew?
These guys are heroes to me.
You and me both for sure!
Yes they really are this fan agrees.
Wonderful video series...!!!
Thanks, we enjoyed doing it so we're glad you enjoyed it too!
I love the old radial.piaton prop-liners. I would have loved to have been a mechanic and learned how to. work on those engines. Or I would have loved to have been a pilot back then and been flying those prop-liners. As a kid I remember seeing and hearing many of them rumbling into and out of the 2 nearby major airports. Jets were coming on the scene and living near a major airport I recall and I intresting mix of the new jets , turboprop, and piston airliners coming in to and out of the local.airports
Sorry--I seemed to have overlooked your comment of a couple months ago--just now saw it. Like you I wish I could have worked on and piloted them too. I guess I was lucky enough to do the second best thing. Thank you very much for watching!
These videos showed up on my recommended list just a week or so ago. Brought back fond memories of my first airplane ride in an AA DC-7 in 1959. Stewardess brought me to the cockpit to sit for a while. I was in awe, which I remain to this day.
Last I visited them Smithsonian, there was a DC-7 nose section on display with AA markings - I wondered, while so very unlikely, is that the one I sat in?
Thank You for posting!
You bet. Glad we could help bring back some of those memories. No more taking kids into the cockpit! Thank you very much for watching. JA Reed.
I must say,l really enjoyed this.Totally absorbed all the way through. A great production!Shame TAL ceased ops a few later,and so sad to hear that the DC-7C died in Africa.
Yep!Great job😎👌!
Thanks Melvyn, makes it totally worthwhile for us! Glad you liked.
@@AeroDinosaur My pleasure mate👍!
Thanks!
Our pleasure! JA Reed.
Excellent series of films. Sorry you did not get to go to Jamaica, as they looked a great crew to fly with
The crew was top notch, but perhaps all the better that we got bumped from the Jamaica trip--we were exhausted. Glad you enjoyed the series--thanks!
I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed a series as much as this and many many thanks!
This is flying I relate to... Guess I’m old lol 😁
What type 310 does your vid partner have?
Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed the series! My video partner Doug Teel had a 1957 Cessna 310B straight tail. He flew it through most of the decade of the '80's and it had been previously owned (and flown) by famed attorney F. Lee Bailey. We recently checked the FAA registry and it is still happily flying in California with a really nice paint job--looks brand new.
Hi, Just wondering if any of these DC-7C's are former NWA planes. I know some of their 7"s had cargo doors and NWA flew them as combi aircraft. There was a NWA DC-7 that sat at Alexandria Mn. for about 20 years and then bought by T&G aviation and put back in the air. They later sold it and is written off on a runway overrun when it lost a engine on takeoff..1991ish...
Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. FYI the single DC-7CF we feature in this series is N869TA was never with Northwest. It started its life in the late 1950's with KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) and was converted to a freighter by them in the early 1960's. As time went on it flew with smaller freight companies starting with Aer Turas (Ireland), then Jack Malloch of Salisbury, Rhodesia where it participated in the Biafran Airlift in 1969-70, then Affretair in Africa, LaMancha Air and then Million Air both in Miami, and finally TAL in 1985. Hope this helps!
what's that annoying sound near the camera? Does this model have some kind of avionics cooling blower here?
I agree, that is annoying noise but a fact of life in a DC-6 or DC-7. The huge avionics stacks, complete with hot 1950's transistors, was right where I was, just behind the flight deck. It fills the whole area with the noise--fans, inverters, the works. I'm not qualified to opine on exactly what is making all the noise--but after having flown in DC-6's, DC-7's and Constellations I can only tell you that they all did it.
@@AeroDinosaur I stood at that place in the modernized Six of Red Bull, and there was no noise, and I cannot recall any in the Super Connie. Maybe it was particular to the Seven.
@@PeterNGloor You´ve asked a question and received a straight answer. If you use earphones AND the aircraft has been "modernized" by Red Bull would you expect to percieve high-pitched noises? Have you even been in the apron of an executive airfield at rush hour? THAT is annoying noise. And a cheer for all dinosaurs and piston junkies.
I thought you said they were reputable.
Thanks for watching. I'm not sure how to respond to your comment other than the standard duty time from Miami to the Borinquen layover was around 14-15 hours, leaving enough time for the 8 hour required rest period then in force (the FAA rules then were silent on how much of that had to be "sleep"). Also my times posted in the captions may be off a bit, my trip was nearly 30 years ago so don't rely on my deteriorating memory for your calculations. I can tell you the duty time between St. Croix and Borinquen, including the several hours maintenance delay at San Juan was not the 15 hours you calculated (that would have brought us into Borinquen at 4:00 AM the next day), it was more like 9 hours. Obviously things did not go as planned causing a bust in the 8 hour rest requirement. That's not to say that the San Juan delay wasn't fatigue inducing. It very much was.
TAL had an impeccable and open relationship with the FAA Miami District. The District viewed all the video productions I released back then and even gave feedback to TAL. TAL shared all of it with me, and always invited me back for more filming. While the District did find a few "little issues" they never commented on the duty time on my DC-7 trip. With otherwise compliant operators, the Miami District was lenient when it came to incremental infractions caused by the very common maintenance delay's on old piston freighters.
@@AeroDinosaur I started flying freight in 1978 in old airplanes and yes there were long days but we would never have left an airport if we couldn't make the destination within the 14 hour duty limit. My other point is the signoff in the log book for the hydraulic leak. O ring part # " kind of looked like it fit". Yes it worked out but! As i recall Eastern almost lost flt # 855 by accidentally getting the wrong O rings on all three engine chip detectors or some such.
As i said, I was a freight dog before my eventual job and I understand the pressure folks face to get the job done.
Thank you for publishing this stuff, it's great to see the old birds fly. Wish I could have afforded a movie camera when I was flying them.
@@jakejacobs7584 Thanks for all your good info. I know that our mechanical delay at San Juan put us well past the 14 hours. As far as the O-ring goes, not sure if anyone signed off on the improvisation, did not see any 3rd party looking at the work. Maybe the FE could have as he was also A&P, but maybe that wasn't legal if he signs off on his own flight. He got the correct size O-ring and plan view, but "standard round" instead of "special square" profile, and they tested extensively for leaks as is portrayed in the video. Yes, who knows what could have happened over the ocean. If you decide to reply again, I'd be interested in who you flew freight with and what old equipment.
@@AeroDinosaur Would enjoy that
" КОНЦЕПЦІЯ "ГВІН-ПІН" !..."
Turnover at this outfit must have been substantial.