Third Airline gets a Dreamliner

[Guest Jovianmoon]

I don't follow aviation trends and have little awareness of aviation history, but I do enjoy seeing the old planes that've survived that are trundled out for special occasions. We have one Lancaster bomber still flying in Britain and a group of enthusiasts have one in a hanger which is fit to taxi along the runway, and is hoped to be airworthy at some stage. I know these and other planes form the war are not passenger planes...

 

As far as I know, there are no other Lancasters that are currently airworthy. That's a real shame, because they are such an icon of RAF Bomber Command, though not necessarily the mainstay of that force (much like the Supermarine Spitfire was the icon of Fighter Command in the Battle of Britain but the real hero was the Hawker Hurricane - at least in terms of numbers).

 

You've brought up a subject close to my heart - not just from my interest in World War II aviation history per se, but Lancasters have a special significance for me because my uncle Derek who lives in Wiltshire, UK, has been tracing our family history and has found that my great uncle - his uncle - Stephen Ward who was a flight engineer on a Lancaster of 150 Squadron, was shot down on a bomb run over Essen ( I found his grave on the internet! ). I always wondered why one of my many fascinations included aircraft and World War II history. But I guess it's a coincidence. Well, also my grandfather on my mother's side was a sonar operator on a mine sweeper in the Royal Navy so he also had some influence in terms of the World War II bit, and I was actually privileged to talk to him about his experiences before he died (though he really preferred not to talk about it).

 

Anyway, 

 

...one would hope there are examples of... DC3's and others that are still airworthy.

 

That's where there is good news. I can assure you that there are many Gooney Birds still flying. 

 

I won't give links - on the web you can find actual airlines that still put them up. But as it is one of my favourite aircraft, I'll leave you the lyrics of this grand little ditty:

 

In '51 they tried to ground the noble DC-3,

And so some lawyers brought the case before the CAB,

The Board examined all the facts behind their great oak portal,

And then pronounced these simple words, "The Gooney Bird's immortal."

 

THEY PATCH HER UP WITH MASKING TAPE,

WITH PAPER CLIPS AND STRINGS,

AND STILL SHE FLIES, SHE NEVER DIES.

METHUSELAH WITH WINGS.

 

The Army toasts their SkyTrain now in lousy scotch and soda,

The Tommies raise their tankards high to cheer their old Dakota,

Some claim the C-47's best, or the gallant R4D,

Forget that claim, they're all the same, the noble DC-3.

 

(chorus)

 

Douglas built the ship to last, but nobody expected,

The crazy heap would fly and fly no matter how they wrecked it.

While nations fall and men retire and jets get obsolete,

The Gooney Bird flies on and on, at 11,000 feet.

 

(chorus)

 

No matter what they do to her, The Gooney Bird still flies,

One crippled plane was fitted out with one wing half the size,

She hunched her shoulders, then took off, I know this makes us laugh

One wing askew, and yet she flew ... The DC-2 and a half.

 

(chorus)

 

She had her faults, but after all, who's perfect in this sphere?

Her heating system was a gem, and we loved her for her gear.

Of course, her windows leaked a bit when the rain came pouring down,

She'd keep you warm, but in a storm it's possible you'd drown.

 

(chorus)

 

Well now she flies the feeder routes and carries mail and freight,

She's just an airborne office or a flying twelve ton crate,

 

THEY PATCH HER UP WITH MASKING TAPE,

WITH PAPER CLIPS AND STRINGS,

AND STILL SHE FLIES, SHE NEVER DIES.

METHUSELAH WITH WINGS.

 

_____________________________________________________________

 

How not to land a DC-3 - oops!

 

[Rogie]

Love that line, the DC-2 and a half.

 

Why was it known as a Gooney Bird?

 

That's a great photo, that planes's Soooo small.

[Guest Jovianmoon]

Why was it known as a Gooney Bird? ...

 

I really don't know - it's always been called that. There must be a history attached to that name. I shall look it up forthwith   

[Guest Jovianmoon]

Why was it known as a Gooney Bird?...

 

Found something. This website gives a pretty satisfying, if somewhat vague explanation. Funny, I've always loved the DC-3, but never really wondered about how it got its nickname. Thanks to your prompting - now I know   

[Rogie]

I love some of the statistics:

 

"More than 120,000 BTUs were delivered to the cabin of a DC-3 on a cold day. On a flight to NY from LA, 1,800,000 .

 

BTUs were delivered during the 15 hours the plane was in the air. The boiler weighed 17 pounds and evaporated 15 gallons of water an hour. Approximately 225 gallons of water were evaporated from LA to NY. Only six quarts of water are carried in the heating system where it was continuously evaporated and condensed.

 

A radiator capable of heating air from 4 degrees F. to 200 degrees F. was installed in every DC-3. The air passed through the radiator at a speed of 3,000 feet a minute and since the radiator was only a foot long it took only 1/50 of a second to heat the air from 4 to 200 degrees. The radiator weighed 36 pounds.

 

Heating a DC-3 in the air was the equivalent of heating a building in a 200 mph wind at a 35 degree outside temperature."

 

35 degrees F I presume! And I'm so nostalgic for BTU's . . . British Thermal Units!

[Guest Jovianmoon]

I love some of the statistics:

"...Heating a DC-3 in the air was the equivalent of heating a building in a 200 mph wind at a 35 degree outside temperature."

Like the song lyric said: "Her heating system was a gem..." And yes, that's 35 F. Which throws me a bit because I'm used to C - from memory I think that's one or zero C without checking.

[Guest fountainhall]

You flew in a Comet? I actually envy you.

 

Yes, but just that once. My first ever flight was in a DC3 almost in your neck of the woods - between Wellington and Blenheim. It was being blown around like a balloon in the jetstream but I loved it! And, as I have posted before, I was upgraded once to Concorde between London and JFK. It was an amazing experience, but unlike most, I was unable to see the curvature of the earth!