Thanks for watching Robert. Crews like you who made those flights often told me they loved flying the ancient aircraft, but if they stayed too long down there, those DC-6s and -7s would eventually kill them. J.A. Reed

Glad we helped in shaking the memory tree for you. I spent a grand total of only three weeks in Corrosion Corner in 1991 and 1992 and feel like I had lived there for years. I regularly went by the empty Eastern and Pan Am hangars that were next to each other further east along 36th. Very sad! Thanks for watching and for expressing your appreciation--that means a lot!

Sorry I'm so late in replying, I somehow missed this comment of yours from 3 months ago. I'm very glad we could resurrect old right seat experiences for you--feel free to contact me any time!

Wow--what a vote of confidence--thanks for the kind words! Trans-Air-Link was at the eastern perimeter of Corrosion Corner on N.W. 62nd Avenue--a little closer to the Pan Am (where your dad worked) and Eastern hangers that were still there (but empty) in 1992 when I was visiting. I'm sure you are aware that your competitor FedEx is on N.W. 62nd now. I checked Google Earth a few months back and saw your UPS operations that now occupy the corner. Always good to hear from a practicing freighter pilot!

My pleasure--better to share it than having all that footage sitting in my closet doing nothing. It is commendable that even into the 2000's enough talent remains (or was created) to keep them flying and earning their keep. Thanks for checking us out!

Thanks for your kind comments and info, and for watching! We are glad to have had the privilege of flying with TAL and for presenting it to the public. J.A. Reed

Johnny--Thanks for your affirmative comments, glad you like the presentation. When I was in college in the mid-1970's many pot DC-6's from the south were landing in secret wooded clearings, as you described, all up the eastern seaboard well into Pennsylvania and NY. I remembered reading about such busts almost weekly, and saved a few of articles as I was always interested in the flow of propliner activity, whether legal or illegal.

Thanks for your comment! SAT, a great operation, always seemed to have a bit of "interesting history" associated with it over the years, but you would know better than me. Probably just sensational reporting.

@@AeroDinosaur That is for sure. Miami airports NW corner was a crazy place back then. DC6's, C46's, Connies DC8's, Convair 880's, Electra's, C130's from Bolivia... They could show up on the ramp there at anytime. Some times with Mango's or chickens and other times we wouldn't have a clue why they were there. No one ever told us they were coming or when they would leave. It was always interesting. Your video is awesome because it reminds me of that short period of time I got to work there. Ill never forget it.

Really, I believe it !!

I'm wondering one thing (which I should know but don't)...Did that airplane have an autopilot or did they have to hand-fly it every step of the way? I tend to think, "No autopilot". =PC= plcowdrey@yahoo.com

@@pcowdrey DC7's had autopilots, most all the old big airplanes do. The question is do/did they work. Some did most did not as the owners weren't going to pay for fixing them. It made for a much better flight crew work load wise if the airplane had a working autopilot that's for sure.

Sorry I somehow missed your comment from last month. Glad this seemed to help bring back some memories!

Thanks for your great comment!. When I visited TAL in 1991 and 1992 Larry Martineau had since retired from flying and was running some of the administrative or scheduling functions there. They were ALL top-notch people, both personally and professionally, and it's not surprising that starting there helped lead you to where you are now at United.

Thanks for your heartfelt comment. Glad you enjoyed!

Thanks for your comments and your 100% accurate info! J.A. Reed.

Twin Bonanzas, with their throaty exhaust dumps, do sound unique. I almost bought one in 1980--wisely changed my mind. I also did think they sounded somewhat like R-3350s.

Sorry I missed this comment of yours 9 months ago. Yes, the -8's gone too. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for your nice comments.

No problem mate.My pleasure😎👍

You are correct, it was on COPS shortly after I filmed. Drugs were planted inside fish carcasses, unbeknownst to TA--which happened often. The cops had the drug ring pickup crew face down in cuffs in TAL's cargo staging building/waiting area where I spent a lot of time. Thanks for watching!

Yes sir, I did read his excellent book! I'm sure you saw his references to TAL's DC-7C. I met and worked with several of the people he mentions--Mr. Lane breathed life into a tough subject for sure. Glad you liked our shows, and thanks!

Thank you!

Glad you found us! We are always excited to reach former crew members of the old planes we flew in, especially the DC-7CF -9TA. You are the first pilot I heard from that was part of -9TA's post-TAL African "career". If I had to choose between UNITA and the Soviets/Cubans, I'd pick UNITA too. Into my database you go! Best regards, J.A. Reed.

I used to work at DHL air cargo in Honolulu back in the late 70,s early 80’s with Mr. Don Cortez he was a flight engineer on the DC-6 in those days, I was just starting my career as a A &P mechanic in those days and if this is the same Don Cortez I was wondering whatever happened to him I wish him well

Michael thanks for your positive take. During the mid-1990's I actually took note of ATL-98 Carvair N83FA regularly flying out of St. Louis to their Griffin, Georgia headquarters, between auto part runs. They were sourcing the parts out of Willow Run, Michigan and other places, delivering to St. Louis, and dead-heading back to Griffin. That plane was destroyed and the crew killed on an early morning nighttime takeoff on April 4, 1997 at Griffin. They had been to St. Louis the day before. On a lighter note, hardly a better place than NZ for vintage aircraft restorations and replicas!

I agree with you 100% on oily, hard worked aircraft! You are correct about the origins of N869TA with KLM as PH-DSI.

Wow; you can google.

Thanks for checking us out and sharing your eyewitness experiences. I met Clay Lacy in May 1971 at an Alton, Illinois airshow and we talked at length about his DC-7B Super Snoopy at Mojave. He told me he was very happy with its performance in the 1000 and was looking forward to racing it again in San Diego later that year, against Lockheed test pilot Herman "Fish" Salmon who would be flying an L-1049 Super Constellation in that race. The PRPA (Professional Race Pilot's Association) later banned both of them for flying those big planes at that race due to dangerous wake turbulence impacting the normal single-engine Mustangs, Bearcats, Sea Furies, etc. They had a good point. Still, Clay, Fish and owner/copilot Allen Paulsen had drinks and partied with all the race pilots after the race even though they were banned from participating with the pistonliners--forever!

P.S. Thanks for the tip on Mojave 1000/DC-7B KZfaq video! I will check it out.

Hey Frank, your date may be off a little, the DC-9 not introduced until 1965. Your trip could have happened in the '65 - '67 time frame for those two aircraft types--I bet you flew Northwest on that DC-7C leg.

@@AeroDinosaur Ok it was 59 and I road on what I thought was a small jet, maybe one of Ozarks planes for sure.

@@lostcreek163 Got it!

Thanks so much for checking us out! Glad you liked. J.A. Reed.

Yes, and the former Trans-Air-Link facility to the east is occupied by a big FEDEX operation! Sort of depressing. Thanks a lot for checking us out! JA Reed

Yes, I believe Fine Air's DC-8's operated out of SW corner, among other of the more "fly-by-night" first gen jet cargo operators. As late as April 1986 we landed at MIA and on rollout I saw Agro Air piston Boeing C-97's parked right there with the jets on SW area, predecessor to Fine Air. I snapped a pic thru the window. Thanks for watching!

@@AeroDinosaur Yeah, a lot went on that should not have over there. I was QA and worked mostly on JT8D and Alison 501 turbines and often, what I would test and reject would just get used anyway....I only worked over there for one year and got out and moved upwards as soon as I could.

@@marknesselhaus4376 None of what you experienced is unusual or surprising to me. You had infinite reasons to get out. Those airlines were not the greatest in terms of integrity or compliance and had the accident records to prove it.

Thank you sir, glad you like!

Thank YOU for watching!

They talked about Rolls Royce Tyne turboprops for the DC-7, but the proliferation of jetliners quashed that idea. JA Reed.

The DC8 killed that idea Lockheed fielded the Electra which would shed its wings due to whirlmode flutter

Kitcat hanks for watching! While filming it in 1992 saw USCG C-130's flying out of Borinquen.

Hey TwinWasp2000, thanks a lot for your great comments--glad you liked! Also, I've tremendously enjoyed your rare Carvair and DC-4 clips in the past. Also, thanks for mentioning the discrepancy which I would have addressed had I known. We use the "corrosion corner" term loosely like some of the people working around there did, including many TAL personnel I came to know. Either way, I remember it seemed everyone along the entire north-to-west quadrant frequented the same watering holes across the street after work!

Glad you liked the Carvair and DC-4 clips! Miss flying on those ladies. Yeah, the corrosion corner term was used loosely, but it really was only the NW corner which was comprised of the Air Agency ramp, Gus Conner's ramp, Southern Air Transport, and the overflow used by Air Haiti, etc. The Air Agency ramp (the actual corner) was the epicenter. The rest of the north side were leaseholds occupied by by MRO, FBO, and air operators/carriers - like TAL. There was also the Military Ramp (George Batchelor leasehold) that was where Cargo City is today - that was also occupied by many. The term used often as well was cockroach corner, but that was a nasty term coined by Langhorne Bond (then administrator of the FAA) who hated the Part 91 Subpart D leasing companies out of the Corner. That isn't a welcomed term among the owners and crews. The watering holes though... all common use for sure!

Roger that! Thanks for refining my knowledge base--I really only spent a few weeks there. FYI--I was on site at TAL in September '91when the abrupt shutdown of FA Conner was the talk of the town, and TAL was certainly not unhappy about this. As historian did you put together white papers on the Corner or publish on it? Speaking of the small band of troublemakers, they seem to get all the press, don't they!

@@TwinWasp2000 I affirm everything you have said. I worked in Corrosion Corner starting in early 1979. I got to do everything--co-pilot, mechanic, flight engineer, office manager. I worked on and flew DC-4/6/7B/7C, L-1049Hs. I'm sure that, if you regard yourself as a Corrosion Corner historian, then you are familiar with the multi-part articles on Corrosion Corner in Propliner in the late 1990s. I co-authored several with Peter Marson, and wrote as sole author one of the articles. Langhorne Bond was, in my opinion, a narcissistic SOB. By employing that hideous term, he disparaged the many hard-working people who worked there. Even the local FAA inspectors didn't like that term. -Stef Bailis

The DC-7C was not too popular used, I am surprised no one ever put T56s on the DC-6 as was common on the smaller Convairs but those were viable for commuter lines well into the jet years.

FYI: We did fully cover that unique aspect in Part 1 using captions starting at time 38:50. Thank you very much for watching!

Thanks a lot for watching! They used both VOR and NDB navigation. They relied mostly on NDB because most of the time we were out of VOR range over the ocean. We generally followed LF route Amber 555 and were monitored by Houston Radio. No LORAN, but they did have GPS backup, which, at the time, was not yet approved by FAA.

I flew many of these routes for a different company in a 727, and as stated above, it was VOR when you had it, NDB when you didn't, and in many cases, the first iterations of GPS, usually brought aboard by the Captain (since he was the only guy who could afford it!) Although GPS was not yet approved, having one onboard sure beat the hell out of averaging a dancing ADF needle to maintain course. Not that it mattered much...where there are no navaids, there is little or no ATC radar and few other aircraft. One could usually tell which aircraft had been doing the Carribbean runs by the tell-tale signs of the suction cups that held the GPS antenna to the left-side windows. Later, after I left that airplane, I was told that some of our three-holers were equipped with VLF/Omega systems. While operating on a totally different principle, the "user experience" of VLF was similar to that of an INS, but with somewhat better accuracy.

It was shot with a big Sony SVHS camera--which was then considered a "poor man's" industrial camera--it certainly had issues that I was fully aware of. Had I purchased a Betacam at that time, I would not have been able to afford those Caribbean freight trips or anything else. You are right--we now have the modern HD but no DC-7Cs. Thanks for watching!

We discuss the Roberto Clemente DC-7C crash in Part 2 of this DC-7C series. The Clemente crash was in a DC-7C, not DC-4 or DC-6--check Wikipedia or other sources. Thanks for watching, much appreciated!

It was caused by a mechanic the day before the doomed flight.

@@neilcigelske4454 Actually, a few days before the flight a mechanic taxiing the plane somehow hit two objects causing prop strikes on the #2 and #3 propellers, destroying the props and causing shock stoppage of the engines (how those two props could experience strikes at the same time is beyond me--the mechanic must have had too much rum). Prop strikes require immediate engine change, and while the mechanics changed out the propellers, the owner of the DC-7C (and the airline, American Air Express Leasing) asked them not to replace the engines (that would wipe out the profits on the Clemente trip to Nicaragua). Those were the two engines that blew just after takeoff.

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it!. The TAL DC-7C still had its pressurization system operational. I don't remember if they had activated it on the higher altitude segments of my flights, but probably not. Their three DC-6's had their pressurization systems deactivated/removed.

These ? Normally they where

ABSOLUTELY NOT! Different technology, different time.

Yes she was, and an impressive first officer! Thanks for watching and for your positive complement!

@@AeroDinosaur When watching her, it was very obvious that she new what she was doing. It DC-7B did not have a glass cockpit, and it was a hands on plane to fly. I have heard that it was a "Slippery" aircraft to fly so the pilots had to keep constant vigilance on maintaining bearing and altitude. I think also that the control surfaces moved by the strength of the pilots on the yoke. Its sad that this wonderful bird ended up in a jungle to rot and stripped of its engines never fly again.

It was a Sony video cam, industrial SVHS format purchased 1991. It's a long-gone antique, do not recall the specific model. Many years before Hi-Def!

@@AeroDinosaur Golly, you remembered ! Haha. I collect portable VHS kit and I think yours was pretty high end. Super VHS is surprisingly good , some recording studios used them for master tapes, in preference to Reel to Reel. That explains why the sound is so excellent in this. Video plus is nearly DVD quality but of course VHS is too clunky and complex so died out. But they are making a comeback in studios for analog recordings. I kid you not! Really enjoy this unique footage. Thank you.

@@taketimeout2share Thanks for this info! The last time I used that SVHS camera was 2003. Amazing to hear that this old analog stuff being revived today for some studio work. I now use a simple Canon HF G20 in AVCHD format. Glad you enjoyed our Caribbean DC-7C presentation.

I thought I replied to your inquiry, but it hasn't seemed to have been posted. All TAL autopilots were deactivated--all aircraft flown by hand.

@@AeroDinosaur When I flew N869TA as flight engineer for T-A-L in the mid-1980s, the auto-pilot was operative. The pressurization system was also operative. Perhaps all changed after 1986 when I last flew it. -Stef Bailis

@@Propliner_1955 Stef- You are correct, the autopilot on N869TA was fully operative on my March 1992 flights, as well as the pressurization system (they did not use the latter because we cruised at around 10,000 feet). I think I was confusing things with their DC-6s, which I thought some did not have operative autopilot (am I correct?). Also, you may (or may not) remember that we had a phone conversation in the early 1990s regarding my Regulus Productions videos, which included the Save A Connie Super Constellation and my TAL flights. I think you told me you were then working for Sun Country or a similar airline. I also recall you were engineer on Air Cargo Support Super Connie. Thanks for your comment! JA Reed.

@@AeroDinosaurIn other words, they didn't have any cabin differential? Odd. We usually had the cabin pressurized so that there was around four thousand foot difference. The seals weren't great, so it was hard to obtain much more differential than that. Sometimes, though, on hot days we ran the cooling turbine to keep the cockpit cool, in which case we minimized the cabin differential to help cool the cabin faster. DC-6s N779TA, N841TA, N867TA were pressurized. All the DC-6s at T-A-L had autopilots. Now, Bellomy-Lawson, had the opposite policy: no pressurization, no autopilot. Yes, I do recall our conversations! Correct: Sun Country. Air Cargo Support: I obtained training as a flight engineer on their Super Connie. I was hoping to take the practical test in it, but then they stopped flying, so I had to start training again; this time with LaMancha Aire on the 7B/7C. But they didn't want any FAA inspectors onboard if they could help it, so I started training again; this time with T-A-L on the DC-6! Never give up! :-)

@@Propliner_1955 Hi Stefan--After 3 decades I don't exactly recall cabin differential in use between MIA and the islands--I'm sure they were using it but I was likely focusing on other stuff (during my piloting days I only flew unpressurized "Wichita Reynolds Wrap" so I guess pressurization was out of site--out of mind for me). During the island-hopping phases, we were below 5,000 feet and the crew had the windscreen vents open so I know they weren't using pressurization then--that is where I must have gotten confused. That aside, I'll bet TAL's pressurization and autopilot were still operable in 1992, given TAL's Part 121 Supplemental status. During one of the weeks I was down there in 1991 the FAA shut down FA Conner (which I understand was operating under Part 129 and got into regular "trouble"). I also saw ex-Bellamy-Lawson -6s flying with "Aerial Transit" titles every time I was there. I know that advancing a flying career out of Corrosion Corner was nearly impossible--and TAL was the toughest nut to crack so you must have impressed them. Also, when I was with Save A Connie we received a bunch of parts and outer wing panels off of Super Constellation N1007C (and other Connie hulks). I pulled an oil cooler flap from a cowl assembly in a discard pile which appeared shortly after the flatbed from Miami showed up. I keep it in my office as it may have been part of N1007C but I'll never know for sure. I'm glad you recall our phone conversations and thanks for reaching out again!

I don't have any. I have CV440's in the background of some of my video footage on the TAL ramp but I don't think the resolution would be very good but I will check.

Thanks for your comments! I worked inside the tip tanks of a Super Constellation and thought that was tight! I can't imagine what inside that saddle tank was like. I realized I was drenched in preservative oil when I climbed out.

The DC-7C you are describing sounds a lot like the one in Phoenix Goodyear airport. It is registered N777EA, and has sat there since the early 1970s. But in 1999 the owners kindly gave me a tour of it. It was just as you described and, to my knowledge, there were no other corporate DC-7Cs. As to Mr. Gates remark, my reaction would be the same as yours--painful and sad. However, I'm hard pressed to identify any DC-7Cs in the US that were scrapped in 1968 or earlier. At that time, DC-7Cs would have been owned by Braniff, Northwest, Pan American, Airlift, Zantop/Universal, and several small operators. Some of the early basic-DC-7s were scrapped--American, and United. Americans DC-7s were inscribed on the planes : D7C. Maybe he misinterpreted them as DC-7Cs?

I agree!

Thanks for watching and for the nice compliment! This TAL DC-7C did move over to Opa Locka until TAL sold to an operator in Africa in the mid-to late1990s. Last report it was an engine-less hulk engulfed in the weeds of somewhere in West Africa. If you haven't already, check out Parts 2 and 3 for the rest of the Caribbean freight trip on this plane. JA Reed

@@AeroDinosaur I truly enjoyed your multipart videos of the SAC L 1049 ‘Connie’. For you to have played the role that you did in that aircraft’s final days of flight would have been a dream come true for one like me. John there’s just something about the aura and mystique of the Lockheed Constellation that for me is totally captivating. Clarence Kelly Johnson and his team certainly designed some wonderful airplanes did they not? When one delves a bit into the history and the relationships of the various owners, designers, engineers from the ‘Golden Era’ of American aviation it’s a fascinating time to study. One iconic airplane and one that arguably had Art Deco lines the Cessna 195 has always had an appeal to me . Anytime I see one at an airshow I hear the faint tones of a syrene song in my heart. Same as that evoked by a ‘Connie’. All the best to you John and thank you so very much for your dedication to those wonderful old girls and your hard work keeping them in the public square.

@@topturretgunner Thanks again for your kind words. I was very fortunate to have been part of the early restoration days at SAC. I was one of the few with a video camera and probably shot more still pictures than any other volunteer. The other night I watched the 2004 movie "The Aviator" at a friend's house which brought back memories. The SAC Connie -37C had about a 10-second role in the movie parked on the tarmac. The only problem was that this was a "1955 scene" in the middle of a "1947 movie sequence" (with the Spruce Goose and Howard Hughes' congressional testimony). They got almost 10 years ahead of themselves with that ramp scene! By the way, my first airplane ride was in a Cessna 195 float plane off a Missouri lake in 1959 when I was 4 years old. I remember it vividly--for stability with the big pontoons it had a triple tail like the Connie, but the outside vertical stabilizers were much shorter than the middle one. J.A. Reed