But now my father-in-law is 90 and only chips and putts..
But he can still fly a DC3, just like he did in the war...
Bob and I were watching a video online last month of another old pilot, being reunited with his old plane at age 87, and when we finished, Bob and I both had tears in our eyes.. that's when it hit me that I should try to make this happen for him, and I managed to do it.
I produced this vid for the guys who run the vintage aircraft outfit in Ft. Worth.... check 'em out if you're interested..
And what are the odds of this-- 24 hours after we finished this flight and our museum tour, in which I saw a currently flyable B17 bomber in the back of the hangar, I was waiting for my wife to come out of the hair salon in north Dallas and I'm suddenly shaded by a big silver B17 right overhead, taking off from Addison airport.. she's the Liberty Belle, not the same plane I had seen the day before.. on a tour for the summer...
hadn't seen a B17 in 20 years or more, and I saw TWO within 24 hours in two different places, one in the air.
unbelievable weekend. Bob is stoked.
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Great story big Dave... Old time is always good times. My father passed away 10 yrs ago but I always remember him holding my hand when I was a very young man (I was 10?) and we went to a local restaurant for dinner... such a memory that stays with me until I die
Good stuff Dave, and i take my hat off to Bob for being able to fly the DC3. My father told me how as a boy he used to ride out to the aerodrome ( not called airports in those days) to sit and watch DC3's take off and land all day. I had the opportunity to check one out at an airshow once and remeber thinking at the time we don't realise how good we have got it when flying today. One thing they will never replicate today is the sound of the old planes, a spitfire flying overhead is sure something to be heard!
Good stuff Dave, and i take my hat off to Bob for being able to fly the DC3. My father told me how as a boy he used to ride out to the aerodrome ( not called airports in those days) to sit and watch DC3's take off and land all day. I had the opportunity to check one out at an airshow once and remeber thinking at the time we don't realise how good we have got it when flying today. One thing they will never replicate today is the sound of the old planes, a spitfire flying overhead is sure something to be heard!
when I was a boy in Perth WA in 1969, my dad made a big fuss of taking us all to the airport (yes, the old british name was already out of use) to watch the arrival of a new airliner Qantas had bought. It was the first 747 jumbo jet. I still remember seeing it land and being astonished at its size.
Those old Wright radials on the DC3 had 18 cylinders and made about 1200 horsepower each... my wife was hanging onto the cable rails climbing up the stairs and made the mistake of first lifting the foot closest to the engines, and the propwash at idle was enough to almost flip her upside down.. she crawled into the plane on her hands and knees.. not in the video.. :-)
I remember the Spits too, FABULOUS plane, sight and sound... inline engines, not radials.. the Mustang was even more powerful.. one day out in west texas years ago, quiet morning at dawn, I was by myself driving on a highway and heard that rumbling roar right over my head.. I panicked, searching my mirrors for the overtaking gigantic truck, couldn't imagine why I saw nothing and heard so much.. then right over the top of the car came a P51 at idle, approaching the local airport that I'd forgotten was there... wow, what a noise.
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Originally Posted by rooboy
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