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Post by jesse on Dec 18, 2008 11:26:48 GMT -5
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Post by aspen31 on Dec 18, 2008 13:15:11 GMT -5
Hi Jesse Hope you're doing well. I remember the Connies mostly followed by DC7s and 6s. Diego is close but it seems almost impossible to reproduce all the clanging backfiring, thumping and banging that went on before everything settled down. As ramp rats we often had trouble determining whether an engine was running or on fire -- the starts were that violent. Even some of the old turbo props were pretty spectacular. We saw the Britannias quite a lot (Rolls Royce Orpheus perhaps?). In those all four would start in sequence to low idle and then cycle up in unison by 400 or 500 RPM -- a really loud throaty roar from what I can remember. They were dogs -- sounded great but couldn't get out of their own way. Unfortunately never saw a B-36 start. We had them near us at Selfridge but just before my time -- if such a thing is possible. All the best! Warren
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Post by Maarten on Dec 19, 2008 8:59:30 GMT -5
Thanks Jesse, that is a brilliant piece of film. I have never seen B-36s in real life, but always thought they must be awesome. Now I'm really certain. The sound in real life must have been immense.
Warren, the Britannia (nicknamed 'The Whispering Giant') had 4 Bristol Proteus engines. I remember those aircraft very well.
Cheers, Maarten
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Post by eddiejez on Dec 19, 2008 10:13:11 GMT -5
are yes strategic air command , the first time i saw it I guess i was about 7 years old and totally besotted by it Ive not seen it in twenty years though must try to get it on DVD great film jesse ! all the best Edd
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Post by aspen31 on Dec 19, 2008 10:20:10 GMT -5
Hi Maarten I knew it was something Greek. These days the engine names are all a blur. We also saw the CC-106s (kind of a strictly military Canadian Britannia) and the odd Cl-44 -- Loftleider I think and they may had Tynes. Another military beast was the Argus -- a modified Britannia but having turbo compounds of some type. All I can recall about them was the NOISE! All the best. Warren
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Post by eddiejez on Dec 19, 2008 10:30:15 GMT -5
Hi yes the canadair Argus cl-28 or cp-107 had 4 wright r 3350 ea1 engines of 3400 hp was an anti submarine - maritime patrol plane there were about 30 of them made rgds Edd
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Post by Col7777 on Dec 19, 2008 10:52:05 GMT -5
I remember when I first started working on the ramp at Manchester EGCC, we used to get some prop jobs in, we had ear defenders supplied but they were more cosmetic than useful, the turbos were more ear piercing and I'm sure it was those that contributed to my partial deafness along with the other jets of course. I loved this video, I've watched it twice so far but I'll watch it again I'm sure, I like the big giants, thanks for posting Jesse.
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Post by Tom/CalClassic on Dec 19, 2008 11:20:40 GMT -5
I remember what they told Jimmy Stewart before the flight: "How long is it going to be?" "Not long, just one takeoff and one landing" Turned out it was nonstop to Alaska and back.
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Post by jesse on Dec 19, 2008 16:05:15 GMT -5
And poor June Alllison sat waiting all night in the car....When I was stationed at Tinker in the late 40s and 50s as a GCA operator, we used to get the B-36s up from Carswell for practice runs. It was amazing to watch those behemoths come down to DH, level off just above the runway and fly the length of it before they began their climb out. Never had one do a full stop landing.
Jesse
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Post by Tom/CalClassic on Dec 19, 2008 16:07:46 GMT -5
The concrete runways (and taxiways) might not have been strong enough for the behemoths!
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Post by dc6tryer on Dec 22, 2008 18:36:28 GMT -5
Hi,
Nice piece of film....Jimmy Stewart keeping aaahhh very aah quiet there.
It would be interesting to have that effect in FS9 where the airplane goes into the clouds, but I don't think that is possible, is it ?
Andy.
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Post by Col7777 on Dec 22, 2008 19:01:13 GMT -5
Sound=play utube Clip
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Post by dave mcqueen on Dec 23, 2008 0:02:45 GMT -5
I remember being about 6 years old laying on the backyard lawn with a few friends staring up into the sky seeing 3 massive contrails and barely able to pick out the unmistakable shapes of 3 B36s in formation passing over heading west to who knows where. We listened for the sound of the engines but they were too high up. It was the early 1950s in the "duck and cover" era when we used to have air raid drills at school and we would all make nervous jokes about what would happen to us when the Russians came to bomb San Francisco. Seeing those B36s somehow made us all feel a whole lot safer.
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Post by qxtoolman on Dec 23, 2008 0:46:26 GMT -5
I remember being about 6 years old laying on the backyard lawn with a few friends staring up into the sky seeing 3 massive contrails and barely able to pick out the unmistakable shapes of 3 B36s in formation passing over heading west to who knows where. We listened for the sound of the engines but they were too high up. It was the early 1950s in the "duck and cover" era when we used to have air raid drills at school and we would all make nervous jokes about what would happen to us when the Russians came to bomb San Francisco. Seeing those B36s somehow made us all feel a whole lot safer. As a former SAC Airman although not working on Bombers, but ICBMs, I will always remember the motto that was etched above the entrance to HQ. "Sleep Well Tonight! Because SAC is on Alert." I am sure I speak for anyone here who ever spent those endless hours of tedium, while being stuck in the bunker called the "Alert Pad", It was our privilege. Also in SAC you learned to be a light sleeper, because it was a shock to the system, when the alert horn went off at 2:15 am signaling the start of an ORI, drill. I think that part of the movie when Gen Hawks comes sneaking in with the DC-3, was pretty close to stuff they used to pull to catch you off guard during an ORI.
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Post by jesse on Dec 23, 2008 9:43:19 GMT -5
Yes, General Lemay was great at that sneaky stuff. In 1950, he pulled a sneaky on Castle Air Force Base at Merced, California. He and some of his ORI team made an unannounced visit to the field and declared the base closed. I had taken off from March Air Force Base enroute to Hamilton AFB with a stop planned for Castle. When I called Castle Tower for landing instructions, I was cleared to land because we were flying the 51st AACS Group B-25 and the tower came under our jurisdiction. The Base Ops had sent out a NOTAM to all that the base was closed. When we landed, we were met with what seemed to be a whole platoon of Air Police. They impounded the airplane, escorted us off the base and dumped us outside the gate on highway 99. We had to hitchhike back to Hamilton. When our Colonel got wind of what had happened; he called down to the AACS unit and had the tower shut down for an indefinite period for unscheduled maintenance. Lemay and his crew had to lay over for a couple of extra days because they could not get clearance for takeoff.
Lt. Wendall Woodruff and myself were flown down to Castle in the group C-47 and we flew the B-25 back to Hamilton with no further problems.
Jesse
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