I flew on a plane just like Sentimental Journey,
Just like this one?:
azcaf.org
When I was stationed at NAS Brunswick I used to catch a P-3 Orion to fly over to NAS Bermuda for a few weeks during the summer. I'd usually be able to catch a P-3 on the return trip too, either that or perhaps a C-12 which is a twin turboprop.....both alright to fly in. The last time I came back from Bermuda the only flight I could get was on the NASB's base bird, which was a 1950s vintage DC-4 like this one:
Before I tell of my flight I should tell you that one of the friends that I was staying with had just gotten out of the Navy and one of the last jobs he had while still in, was doing the engine maintenance on NASBs DC-4. He filled me in on the history of the plane. All of the DC-4s still in service had their original reciprocal engines replaced with more reliable turboprops,,,,,,,except for Bermudas bird. To make a long story longer, my friend regaled me of all sorts horror stories about pencil whipping maintenance because they couldn't get parts for the engines anymore. I took it all with a grain of salt (later I found him truthful).
Just getting on board was like a time machine. The seats weren't too different than school bus seats.... Once we got off the ground I went up to the cockpit to take a look. On my way I passed a bay that had an oscilloscope sitting in it with a high voltage waveform on it. I asked the FE what it was for and he told me it was for monitoring the magnito output.... I said to him, hey, if the magnitos fail doesn't that mean the engine dies?, he nodded with a grin. Turns out the O'scope was just a feel good kind of thing...that tended to be hypnotic...<gg>
The cockpit was a real trip into the past:
We cruised back to Brunswick at low altitude, (I swear I could see the fish) and at the blazing speed of 125 knots (a P-3 cruises at 325). The aircrew were a bunch of cutups. When I asked about the altitude (why so low?) the pilot told me "less distance to fall"......<ggg> |
