I actually got a Military hop on one of those in 1970. TN Air Nation Guard was still using them. About 130 Military personnel got wind of a Christmas flight from Memphis to Travis, CA (they were continuing to Hawaii, too). We had to set up the second deck and all the sling seats before the flight. People were passing out as we went over the Rockies at 16,000 Ft. No pressurization. In fact, we could see daylight through the join of the clamshell doors in the nose of the plane. Ice, forming on the props, was slung off onto the fusilage with resounding thumps. The headwinds had our ground speed so slow that it looked like the cars on I-40 were passing us. Eleven hours from TN to CA. We used to see them at Reine-Main AFB also in the '50's.
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Douglas C-124 Globemaster II
Cheers
C-124 ...clam shell nose with ramp for loading. Sounded like elephants bellowing when brakes were applied.
C-124 powered by Pratt/Whitney R-4360. Clam shell doors below nose with ramp for loading.Sounded like elephant bellowing when brakes applied.
Yup C-124. USAF answer to the bumble bee. Once heard an RB-47 driver bet an A3D jockey that it could actually fly. Navy guy held out for 5-1 odds.
I actually got a Military hop on one of those in 1970. TN Air Nation Guard was still using them. About 130 Military personnel got wind of a Christmas flight from Memphis to Travis, CA (they were continuing to Hawaii, too). We had to set up the second deck and all the sling seats before the flight. People were passing out as we went over the Rockies at 16,000 Ft. No pressurization. In fact, we could see daylight through the join of the clamshell doors in the nose of the plane. Ice, forming on the props, was slung off onto the fusilage with resounding thumps. The headwinds had our ground speed so slow that it looked like the cars on I-40 were passing us. Eleven hours from TN to CA.
We used to see them at Reine-Main AFB also in the '50's.
"Old Shakey"
thass the old air force 1 from when Preident Krusty the Clown was in oriface
It was called "The Gooney Bird" by Air Farce personnel... many people said it would never fly.
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