My dad a C-124 pilot flew with Pat Tyson who was flying a C-97 and lost #3 and #4 engines 1/2 way from Hawaii to California. The #4 prop came off and took out #3 and tore up the fuselage. They tossed all the cargo out of the plane and it flew a few feet off the ocean all the way to California. Both pilots were carried off the plane because their left legs were standing on the rudder peddle for hours. Pat Tyson was a hero and on the cover of Life Magazine. There were several people on the plane dependents getting transferred. Tyson later died in a Lear jet accident a few years later, icing near Washington DC.

My father was a flight engineer that flew the original C-97 having the same tail number during the Berlin Air Lift. His photos and documents I believe are flying with this aircraft throughout its tour.

I was lucky to be working at Floyd Bennett field when they were restoring this plane. I literally seen these engines and parts of plane in pieces as they worked on it. I cannot believe she is flying today .......amazing

I flew in and worked on C-97s for 4 years in the calif. Air guard in the early sixties. We flew from Van Nuys to Hawaii to Japan and then onto Viet Nam on a regular basis. 97s were in constant need of maintenance. Our 97s were scrapped years ago. C-130s took over. The base was closed as the Viet Nam war came to an end.

Thank you so much for posting!! Those big radial engines are beautiful to watch and to listen

Oh man....I miss that beautiful sound of those radial prop engines flying high overhead on a bright summer or a crispy cold winter day in NW Pennsylvania...late 50s-early 70s...one of the first jets I recall seeing was the French Caravelle

I am greatfull&honerd to have been part of the flightcrew that was at Gray bul I was at Greybull Wyoming with the maintenance crew with the foundation when the big beautiful Boeing was painted in her new livery! Proud&honerd to be part of this foundation from the early days of fruitation! Jr, retired a&p mechanic. Usaf, afres,& NJ Ang. 177th fig. Atlantic City. Nj. USA! 1958\1988. Nice putt together production on the history of the big props!!

She is a big beautiful metal bird. Love the sound of the engines.

What a beast of an aeroplane, I was very lucky to look around her in the HARS hanger at Floyd Bennett field about 10 years ago 👏

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

In 1968 I flew in the USAF C 97 twice , sat on a stool right behind the plot. Me and another jet mechanic was invited to sit up front after takeoff.

I'm about to attend a memorial service for a local resident who was a co-pilot in the Fifties for the KC-97 at Dow in Maine. They were monsters to maintain let alone try and refuel B-47s AND 52s. By the late Sixties only the Guard flew them either as tankers supporting fighter deployments or for cargo or passenger missions overseas. By that time all of the young mechanics coming out of Chanute, IL were being trained on jets only and had little idea how to proceed on recips. But these videos which he saw and commented on were wonderful for his sons and grandsons to get an idea of what a challenge they were.

AWESOME video and thanks for sharing. Sounds great on takeoff

As a young kid I still remember the particular smell of the smoke as the engines fired up. The Stratocruiser had problematic engines, just like the older B-29's. To save the Boeing company, the Air Force bought all of the Stratocruisers and B-50's (B-29's with bigger engines) to convert them to KB-50's and KC-97's. Both plans weren't quite fast enough for inflight refueling of the new jets. Inflight refueling took place with the KC-97's in a very slight dive to raise the airspeed for whatever the faster jet was to be refueled.

Absolutely stunning and so great to see (and hear!) a legend like this take to the sky again! I'm not too much into the C-97 variant but rather a 377 Stratocruiser buff but then again it's pretty much the same thing... So when watching these videos I just imagine it to be a Northwest Stratocruiser and then I'm happy just to have the opportunity to watch this brute drone into the sky! Amazing stuff and great work all of you guys at BAHF! Thanks for sharing this video! Like having a time machine... :-)

Awesome video thank's 👍 from México 👍

I hate to sound like an old fogy, but the guys flying these behemoths are the last GREAT pilots on earth today. The youngsters (and even the old-timers) flying the new stuff like an A380 would be overwhelmed trying to operate a 4 engine prop plane. Mixture control, prop-pitch control as well as throttle management, and myriad other systems NOT computer monitored or controlled would baffle any of today's heavy jet pilots -- whose cockpit expertise with propulsion is basically ON or OFF. Not that they aren't excellent at what they do -- they are! They just don't have to do nearly as much --not to mention navigation in rotten weather before GPS. Guys like Sullenberger (the "miracle" on the Hudson), who could easily dead-stick a jetliner to a safe landing, are all long retired by now, and pilots today do not have that skill (usually) since it is not required training anymore.

Thank you for sharing

Sure wish when shooting props someone would figure out how to turn off the high-speed shutter on these cameras - so maybe it could look like real life.

Even in those days how could they see this plane other than ugly , but I’m glad it’s around . Thanks !,

Thats when airplane were airplanes ❤❤❤❤❤❤

Nice plane! 👌🛫💙

Will this be in Oshkosh? I would love to see it fly!

Interessante o vídeo! Parabéns!

WOW!What a historic airplane...........

Fun fact:this plane was the second phase of the super guppy turning into a guppy!

Do the engines normally smoke that much?

It’s looks like they are reversible pitch props. Am I wrong?

Ohh soo sweet and its the original one too.

The smoke honestly I've seen ww2 planes with less smoke on start ups

If you were checked out on the B-29, would this plane be easy to transition into?

Same Engines are in the B 29 Superfortress. Very Good Engines

Those engines seem to burn more oil than avgas

ÓTIMO AVIÃO MOTOR RADIAL D 4 MIL CAVALOS, BRASIL OK.

Those recips, smoking and shaking...imagine a trans Atlantic flight on that bird. Good post.

Great video! Wow are those engines smoky.

Sound like a Lancaster when the main wheels hit the runway on Landing .

Wish videos looked this had some narrative 👍👍

QUE LENTITUD PARA PONER EN MARCHA ESTOS MOTORES , MEDIA TONELADA DE COMBUSTIBLE ANTE DE DESPEGAR

My goodness what a smoke trail!!!!

I didn’t know that they made 2-stroke airplane engines.

Any more smoke and the airfield will be in low vis procedures. I thought it would’ve cleared after a few circuits and it had ‘warmed up’

Imagine starting any of those engines during pushback

Is name of this plane smoking Joe?

112 cylinders😊

It took both hands, both eyes, and both cheeks to start an R 2800, especially hot. Today I can start a GE 90 with a cup of coffee in one hand... from the first class galley.

Isńt it burning too much oil?

Nice looker,this old smoker.Engines are ready for a rebuild😎👍!

awesome i would love to be a part of it

Is this airplane still operable as of 08-21?

It’s definitely time for some new rings and seals. I bet that smoke and avgas smells so good.

Looks great sounds great but does anyone know how much it costs to get enough aviation grade gasoline to fly it?

jesus man, second time you didn't show the landing !!! walk up to that friggin fence and get some exercise

Wonder how much money it takes to keep this thing airworthy...

They need help in getting funds for a new engine. Until a new engine is purchased she will remain in Reading PA. Please donate and get the angel back in the air!

На старых самолётах летают только настоящие пилоты!Большое спасибо за видео.

Any old timers explain the 3,4,2 and 1 engine start sequence??

Fill 'er up with oil, and check the gas, will ya?

One of the nicest looking butt ugly airplanes from that era. They're like an old panhead, they don't run right if they don't burn oil

😀👍👍👍

Greta Airways

#3 sure appears tired.

Era un avión bastante feo...

There's no doubt this aircraft needs new engines, blowing a lots of smoke!

hate what video does to propellers!

old and still flying today what an airplane this is.

Engines way to rich!

Ooops the building blocked the view of the landing. The mystery is does the C-97/KC-97 land on its nose gear? I've read that if the pilot flairs just before touch down the wing will stall and the plane will drop to the ground.

Fala serio . Esse avião é muito feio kkkkkkkkkkk

Not the greatest transport ever built, that's for sure. Tough bird to land main gear first.

There is probably some old man living somewhere with new old stock engines that would fit a bird like this just in absolute denial that he will need them for some project someday that he will never get around to in his lifetime. Kinda wish this mythological person would contact BAHF and help them get this bird out of PA and back flying again!

I guess its old enough to smoke.....

Somewhere is crying alone one Greta Tumberg...

Overhaul those engines guys, seriously. Startup smoke yes but these smoke incessantly. Not good at all. Love this ole bird and do not want to hear of it going down somewhere. The next flight could be it's last. OVERHAUL!

相変わらず不細工な機体ですねぇ コックピットは好きだけど

Некрасивый..." беременный" самолет...

It’s time to but these plane to sleep permanently! The pollution from these is no longer acceptable….

The figure 8 fuselage is unique. I'm not sure why the plane was designed this way.