Any former DC-3 freightdogs out there?

[Waldom]

Morry's flying circus; Wyman Pilot Service.

 

[spotterpilot]

I was a DC3 captain with PBA when I was furloughed during the Texas Air fiasco of the late 1980's. I was looking at the employment section of Trade-a-Plane and the next thing I knew I was hired as DC3 captain for a small cargo company called Century airlines out of Pontiac MI. During takeoff of the 2nd leg of IOE, at the first power reduction (200') , the #2 eng blew a cylinder completely off. The eng obviously ran rough but this was not the first time for me so I did the normal thing - pulled the throttle back to smooth the engine out, do the eng out flow and evaluate. I sent the chief pilot who had been in the jumpseat back to see how much oil was coming out of the eng. Just after my new boss left the cockpit the eng started surging badly as we began to enter the cloud bases. As we had encountered mod icing on the approach only an hour earlier, the last thing I wanted to do was play in the ice on one engine in the middle of the night so I pushed the nose over a bit, looked over my left shoulder and could just see the airport all lit up as pretty as a picture. I headed back to the field visually as we feathered and shutdown the engine. The copilot did an excellent job and we even completed a before landing checklist. I kept the speed up on rollout and was able to taxi the airplane clear of all taxiways and was able to get it back to the ramp from where we had started (no small feat in itself on 1 eng). Somewhere during the approach the CP returned to the cockpit. After we completed the shutdown checklist I was feeling pretty good about everything and was somewhat shocked when the CP started yelling at me about why I had returned to the field and that there were no services to change an engine ect...My reply was that if I was the CP and one of my pilots had tried to go elsewhere(closest suitable 60 mi away), or had asked me where to go then I would fire them on the spot! I worked there for 6 months before being recalled and had several other harrowing experiences, one very similar to the previous ice story where I was scraping the windshield with an old car ashtrayon an ILS once at 800' and again at 400' because the alcohol tubes froze over! I admit that I was scared a few times but I do miss wrestling the old dinosaur!

 

[727C47]

i think i bought my Jepps from you when you left Century.

 

[727C47]

Morry's flying circus; Wyman Pilot Service.

Old Boys !

 

[spotterpilot]

That was a heavy load and was happy not to have to update them anymore! Hope they treated you as good as they did me.

 

[Waldom]

Old Boys !

Yup, I'm 51 and have earned every gray hair on my head.

 

[727C47]

That was a heavy load and was happy not to have to update them anymore! Hope they treated you as good as they did me.

yeah,they did, got my type and ATP in the DC-3,with Clark,and Joe. Got a graduate level education, flying those Great Lake winters.

 

[freightdogfred]

It sure was.

Back on the beaches in Alaska I was on an adrenaline buzz all the time.

In the islands flying the -3 I was alsways fighting to get my pay check.

Anybody else flew for Aero Virging Islands in St. Thomas?

Of for Winky's Flying Circus in Alaska?

1986- 1987.....Them were the days.

My old buddy Keith LaFever...But he died in a DC-4 that ditched in Louisiana.

He took off from BQN on 1 engine, used the whole strip. (Don't ask how I know)

 

[CSY Mon]

My old buddy Keith LaFever...But he died in a DC-4 that ditched in Louisiana.

Keith was also my old buddy.
We drank a bunch of beers together, and I even let him sail my boat while I was in Alaska hauling fish.

(My 44' liveaboard boat, not a dinghy)

I think he died in a DC-6 crash in Louisiana, not a DC-4..?

They all drowned in the cockpit.

RIP Keith.

 

[pin727]

I still fly the galant lady of the sky down here in PR , and I have a ton of war stories about her...
in 1 yr I shot down 12 engine...engine failure's I had a gear colaps(sp ) in St tomas, very cool story, emergency door flew out in cruise flight, one of the cowlings flew out on flight.... tons of good emergency's and stories
first paying job and good memories, I guess thats why I still fly it ...it is also for fun!!!!!