DC-6 West Indies Odyssey (Part 2)

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DC-6 West Indies Odyssey (Part 2)

Рет қаралды 9,169

Күн бұрын

This is Part 2 of a 2 Part series. It is a re-release of a video filmed and produced by us in 1991 and successfully marketed worldwide shortly thereafter. After my present-day introduction on how this video came about and the ultimate roles it played with DC-6 operator Trans-Air-Link (TAL) and McDonnell Douglas Long Beach, we jump right into the video.
DC-6 West Indies Odyssey briefly covers the technical and operational history of the Douglas DC-6 and our subject DC-6A freighter, N870TA, as once operated by TAL out of "Corrosion Corner" at Miami International Airport. We also cover in fair detail the operations of TAL in this air freight environment that existed at the time.
Finally, for most of the video we fly the flight deck jump seat and copilot seat, as well as from the freight hold window vantage points, on a cargo trip in N870TA from Miami down to the Caribbean island chain, transferring cargo at five stops on four tropical Islands, before returning to Miami the next day.
The infamous "Corner" was bulldozed out of existence only a few short years after this video was taken, and the numerous operators and their obsolete propliner freighters once headquartered here are long gone.
Thanks for watching and hope you enjoy it.
Authors, former aviation contacts, providers of current useful or interesting commentary and information, and those with business inquiries may reach us at:
John A. Reed
j.reed3930@sbcglobal.net

Пікірлер: 57

@daviddee6877 4 жыл бұрын

When these were flying, I could not afford to go down to Florida to see these planes, much less take a flight onboard. These videos are precious. I have been recording aircraft since 1972.

@daviddee6877 4 жыл бұрын

I could not even afford to buy the videotapes back then, I just dreamed about being able to see them.

@AeroDinosaur 4 жыл бұрын

Hey David, thanks for your comment - at the time I could hardly afford it either. If we had one major hiccup during the trip, I would have been bankrupt with nothing to show for it. That almost happened on our TAL DC-7C trip in 1992, but we just got lucky.

@curtisgregory517 3 жыл бұрын

DC-6 over 5000 hours in the 1950s, a great machine, good to see you guys are keeping them alive. thanks for the videos.

@AeroDinosaur 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your nice comments Curtis. In the 50's I was a 4 year old watching you fly over. We're always happy to reach those who were actually there.

@Antgoncalves22 4 жыл бұрын

This is simply THE BEST video i ever saw about DC-6

@AeroDinosaur 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you, THANK you for both of your nice comments! Makes it all worthwhile!

@sidneyalmeidajunior7968 Жыл бұрын

This is one of must beatifull aircraft have been made at aviation history. Thanks to share this vídeo!

@AeroDinosaur Жыл бұрын

You bet, we certainly enjoy bringing it to you, thanks for watching! JA Reed

@user-ix2ew2wt3o 9 ай бұрын

And not a glass cockpit anywhere. Good video thanks Ken.

@AeroDinosaur 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for your great complement--steam gauges forever! And thanks for checking us out. J.A. Reed

@rileysteve 4 жыл бұрын

Those 2800s in full cry are music!

@JOSESANTOS2612 3 жыл бұрын

r-2800.............. u p&w fantastico.. su sonido parejo y descansado me parece un fiel reflejo de que este motor fue uno de los mas confiables en la aviacion

@franzvoss4808 3 жыл бұрын

Very nice. Flew a year and a half on the DC 7 out of the Dominican Republic. Fantastic times. Did not have a penny to my name, so no pics.

@AeroDinosaur 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it. Being a crew member on one of those was no way to get rich, but the experiences can't be beat!

@rileysteve 4 жыл бұрын

I Spent many hours overlooking this ramp. One of my favorite places at MIA. Oh, and Belomy-Larson.

@grahamwhite2316 Жыл бұрын

R-2800 master rods make great looking clocks. Just glue in a 4-1/4" diameter clock in the big end and a P&W flying eagle logo in the wrist pin end. BTW, I wrote a book on the 2800 titled "R-2800, Pratt & Whitney's Dependable Masterpiece."

@AeroDinosaur Жыл бұрын

Graham--Quite a pleasant surprise to hear from you. I was an AEHS member back in the Torque Meter days. Have all those quarterlies + your books--R-4360, R-2800, Allied Aircraft Piston Engines, etc. Nothing, I mean NOTHING like them. Even saw Jay Leno talk about your work in his Garage series. Regretfully, I was never able to break away for any of your annual conferences. I have R-4360, R-3350, and R-2800 jugs in my office, but no master rods. If I ever get one I'll take you up on your clock idea. All my best and thanks for checking out AeroDinosaur. J.A. Reed.

@tmac709 6 ай бұрын

Wow! I enjoyed the flight with a prop DC=6.

@AeroDinosaur 6 ай бұрын

Thanks. Glad you did! Thanks for checking us out. JA Reed

@paulstenner 2 жыл бұрын

Very nicely done !! My first 6-A was when I was a young lad, YVR-HNL on Canadian Pacific. I sat next to # 3 engine fascinated by the blue flame from the exhaust. (Correct mixture.) Had a friend who was killed on a Canadian Pacific DC-6 when a deranged individual went to the WC and blew the ship up. A sad day. I flew the YVR-HNL route many time as an Air Canada pilot, lastly on the 767.

@AeroDinosaur 2 жыл бұрын

Paul glad you found us and thanks for watching, for your positive comments and for sharing your personal accounts. The DC-6 I remember that got hit with a bomb was over Denver during the 1950's. I'm honored to reach seasoned career pilots like you--something I never was!

@nelsonpereira2534 3 жыл бұрын

Fantastic, I like it very much. Greetings from Brazil

@AeroDinosaur 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching--glad you enjoyed!

@jacobsinger4014 3 жыл бұрын

Just ran into your KZfaq channel. So cool to see the old freight ops in the Caribbean, especially St. Thomas back when the runway was shorter!

@AeroDinosaur 3 жыл бұрын

Glad you ran into us! Thanks for watching, and you're right, a lot has changed since this was filmed!

@dutchvideomaker8120 4 жыл бұрын

I really do love your content, its always Nice to see your videos. i dont know any other channel that uploads videos like this.

@AeroDinosaur 4 жыл бұрын

Can't thank you enough! That's why I started uploading because I had a good amount of content sitting idle in long-term storage, and I too realized there were no aviation channels with this particular presentation style. More to come.

@dutchvideomaker8120 4 жыл бұрын

@@AeroDinosaur i'm really happy i discovered this channel! you deserve a lot more subscribers!

@AeroDinosaur 4 жыл бұрын

I agree. The issue is we're quite new to KZfaq and it always takes a bit of time, effort and patience--we're not yet discovered by today's global propliner community (a vastly different, and younger, group from our original audience who regularly piloted or flew on those planes in the '50's, through the '70's). We will be found by today's global community in due course. Seriously, thanks for your steadfast encouragement--it sincerely means a lot!

@dutchvideomaker8120 4 жыл бұрын

@@AeroDinosaur when i first saw your video's i was surprised, i expected you had more subs. But trust me your channel shall be discovered so keep up the good work! Greetings from the netherlands.

@AeroDinosaur 4 жыл бұрын

Surprisingly, we've gotten meaningful up-ticks today because of DC-6 WIO. Your support is incredible, I've always known that Netherlands has been supportive of this "cause", among many others! Thanks for your encouragement helping us "keep the faith". You're the best!

@chrisscott4896 3 жыл бұрын

Superb video, and so well put together - thank you! Very much appreciated the understated but technically-informative commentary. The quality limitations of your original VHS format are mitigated by good audio. As a pilot with only 500 hrs P2 on DC-3s (C-47s actually) over half a century ago before a career on a variety of turbines, I missed out on the really big radials. I'd have loved more footage of cockpit controls, instrumentation and SOPs, but I don't know any cinematography that has achieved a pilot's-eye view of the contrasting light levels between cockpit instruments and the outside world - in daytime, at least. The footage here (starting at about 16:50) is as good as anything I've seen so far. But the long sequences from the cabin take me straight back to my childhood and two long trips between southern Africa and Europe on DC-6Bs of the French independent airline, UAT (later UTA, before merging with Air France). And watching DC-6s and other big pistons from observation balconies and perimeter fences in Africa - as one used to do.

@AeroDinosaur 3 жыл бұрын

I was lucky to have a good mic on my camera in those days. Most of the off-the-shelf video cameras did not, I used SVHS which was an improved format of VHS for "semi-pro" producers. Yes, it was hard to balance the lighting between external and internal views. Those cameras in those days had a hard time. My newer digital camera does handle that problem well, but it only took 20 years to get to that point. Glad to help bring you back to "the days"!

@torgeirbrandsnes1916 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! The closest I have come to flying a 4 eng piston plane is a 4 eng PT6 plane, a DHC-7. greetings from Norway!

@AeroDinosaur 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your nice comment, and greetings from Midwest USA! We're even--I've never flown on a 4-engine turboprop!

@PeterNGloor 3 жыл бұрын

@@AeroDinosaur although they did appear in the Midwest, too. I remember having seen one at O'Hare.

@lostcreek163 4 жыл бұрын

Great videos, watched your 7C also, have a 1000 hrs flying the 3350's was great engine. Normal run between overhauls was between 650 and 800 hours.(A1, Skyraider)

@AeroDinosaur 4 жыл бұрын

Various sources say that toward the end the commercial airlines got all the way up to about 3,000 hours TBO on their R-3350TC's. Seems the airlines didn't have to be as hard on their engines as Air Force/Navy had to be on the Skyraiders. Thanks for all your complements.

@lostcreek163 4 жыл бұрын

@@AeroDinosaur Not familiar with R2800 were they more reliable? Thanks for your comments.

@AeroDinosaur 4 жыл бұрын

Yes, considerably more reliable than the R-3350 and could take much more abuse - according to many conversations I've had with R-2800/R-3350 pilots over the decades and hundreds of published sources.

@lostcreek163 4 жыл бұрын

@@AeroDinosaur Thanks much for your info.

@Adventure494 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the videos, I’ve learnt a lot. I fly the 6 in MSFS2020 and it’s amazingly close to the real plane ✈️

@AeroDinosaur 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching our DC-6 Odyssey series. Glad you were able to learn a little bit from them. For years I flew the A1A 377 Stratocruiser add-on to FSX. I really loved it, you had to do "everything" to fly it, so it was reasonably accurate. The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation (BAHF) started each crew member training on this very same A1A 377 add-on for familiarization for on their restored C-97, so that to me validated things somewhat. I flew the 377 simulation before the DC-6 software became available and stopped doing simulation in 2014, and I would have rather spent all that 377 time on the -6 like you!

@Adventure494 2 жыл бұрын

@@AeroDinosaur thank you for your kind reply and explanation i truly appreciate the 6 and all it’s glory, I wish I can see one in real life someday. 😊

@1950Bonanza 2 жыл бұрын

Freight Dawg!

@AeroDinosaur 2 жыл бұрын

You got it! Thanks for tuning in!

@mckeeganator5844 Жыл бұрын

Huh I wonder if I can recreate this flight part one and two in flight sim with the DC-6 they have that would be super fun

@AeroDinosaur Жыл бұрын

Go for it! J.A. Reed

@flashesofblack4128 3 жыл бұрын

I have noticed that the Douglas DC-7C have four bladed propellers while the 6's have three. Is it because of the 7's turbo compound Wright R-3350 engines increased horsepower over the Pratt and Whitney R-2800 engines of lesser horsepower?

@AeroDinosaur 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Boris, thanks for watching. Yes, you are correct. The R-3350's on a -7 would have had to use larger diameter 3-blade props than the DC-6, causing them to risk striking the tarmac. So, to decrease prop diameter on the -7's they had to go with 4-blade props to harness the power and keep the tips off the ground. The Super Constellations used the same R-3350's but were able to stick with larger-diameter 3-blade props because the Constellations had longer landing gear and therefore sat higher above the ground. Hope this answers your question and again thanks for watching AeroDinosaur channel.

@pcbondart 2 жыл бұрын

where did you pickup the vicks vaporub?

@AeroDinosaur 2 жыл бұрын

Those were "Vicks Nasal Inhailers" manufactured by a Baxter Labs plant near Aguadilla. That plant has long been shut down. Thanks for checking us out!

@tomsamuelson8512 3 жыл бұрын

So..you you just took off without doing a engine run-up??

@AeroDinosaur 3 жыл бұрын

On such trips with multiple legs, a full engine runup was only done for the first flight of the day. This was normal and customary for heavy-recip freight operations. Interim runups would be performed only if an engine anomaly needed to be addressed during the trip. Also, each day a that fleet aircraft was idle at home base in Miami, "backup" engine runups were constantly performed in prep for future trips, even if that plane was not yet on the schedule.