I got laid off by one of the majors back in the late 70s , Who the hell didn't . Got a job flying all over down there . Was some of the most fun flying I ever did . I remember all the old birds . Glad I didn't have to make a living long term flying that ancient equipment .
@AeroDinosaur10 ай бұрын
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
@truethat6890 Жыл бұрын
I grew up in Miami Springs during the mid-70's to mid 90's. My dad worked for Eastern Air lines as a mechanic, and I remember hearing stories about "Corrosion Corner." I could see it every time we drove down 36th St. in my parents car or when I rode my bike to the wooded SW corner of Virginia Gardens that bordered the N.W. corner of the airport. Thank you so much for doing this video, it brought back lots of memories!
@AeroDinosaur Жыл бұрын
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!
@grandepho13 жыл бұрын
Flew around 300 hours in the right seat on the ‘6. This video made me feel like I was right back at it! That sunrise after an "o’dark thirty" departure was forever emblazoned on my mind from so many years ago! Thank you!
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
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!
@SouthCarolinaScubaDiving Жыл бұрын
Best series of videos on YT. Thanks for making them. I grew up in Miami and my Dad was a National/Pan Am mechanic. Growing up in the 80's he would take me to Corrosion Corner and 36th st. in the evenings to watch all the classic propliners takeoff with "fire" coming out their engines. Some great memories with my Dad. Irony is I now fly for UPS and we park exactly were the old Corrosion Corner used to be...
@AeroDinosaur Жыл бұрын
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!
@downwindchecklist65672 жыл бұрын
Thank you for documenting and sharing. This is a part of aviation history often neglected. The technological capability of the designers and the skills of the business people, mechanics and aviators that kept them flying so long is really commendable!
@AeroDinosaur2 жыл бұрын
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!
@cameroncameron28269 ай бұрын
Reading here i see theres actual aviators, even including great people who had experiences with these lines & thats something else! The people that got this sort of job done legitimately using their skills knowledge and guts to keep old iron like this safe are hero's & wow its a privilege to see. Those engines on the taxiway / run up & take off run are sweet as for 72 cylinders & 144 plugs hehe wonderful stuff. Very like a watch of Buffalo Airways over Canada NWT where all the trials & tribulations that happens when running old war birds is on film like this. All i can say is that these people are very special & thank you all for showing this corner of the aviation world.
@AeroDinosaurАй бұрын
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
@johnnyrocco4 жыл бұрын
Thank you for posting this and sharing it with all of us here on youtube. I fell in love with the big prop's back around 1971 when a DC-6 landed in the woods near me. Cedartown Ga, they made a movie about it, "The Polk County Pot Plane", Anyway, it was big news here in rural ala and as a teenager I just couldn't get over how a big plane like that landed in the middle of the woods at night. A small clearing had been made by a bulldozer the night before and a guy with a flashlight up a tall tree singled the plane in. It looked as if it had been dropped into place by a helicopter. Never forget how the tires was burial over half way in the mud. Soon after that and for the next ten years it got where more and more of the old props would be busted with a load of pot somewhere here in the south. Then the 80's came and it was the small turbo prop's full of coke that was making the news. I miss the good old days of the pot planes.
@JARREGULUS4 жыл бұрын
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.
@aaronchandler23804 жыл бұрын
thank you for this video, I worked at Southern air transport in the heart of corrosion corner in 1979-80, was an awesome place for sure!
@AeroDinosaur4 жыл бұрын
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.
@aaronchandler23804 жыл бұрын
@@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.
@AeroDinosaur4 жыл бұрын
Really, I believe it !!
@pcowdrey4 жыл бұрын
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
@aaronchandler23804 жыл бұрын
@@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.
@boblivingston48413 жыл бұрын
I grew up seeing all those aircraft in corrosion at MIA.Thanks for putting this together.I remember seeing that DC-7C fly all the time
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
Sorry I somehow missed your comment from last month. Glad this seemed to help bring back some memories!
@carlosarana00014 жыл бұрын
Just wanted to add my appreciation to this remarkable plane and outfit for they gave me my first true airline job some 33 plus years ago. I flew with great crews and an awesome chief pilot as well named Larry Martineau. Thanks TAL for a wonderful experience and an opportunity of a lifetime. Captain CD Arana, B777 United Airlines
@JARREGULUS4 жыл бұрын
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.
@seanpratherful5 жыл бұрын
So glad to come across this channel. What a great bit of Corrosion Corner history. Thanks!
@JARREGULUS5 жыл бұрын
Thanks for your heartfelt comment. Glad you enjoyed!
@jonachaval19122 ай бұрын
The long range DC-7C Seven Seas variant that was capable of going non-stop trans-Atlantic was a technical marvel for its time. It never saw any success because only two years later they were rendered completely obsolete by commercial jets. You can tell the difference between them and the other variants and the DC-6 by their four bladed props.
@AeroDinosaurАй бұрын
Thanks for your comments and your 100% accurate info! J.A. Reed.
@walterthorne48199 ай бұрын
Reminds me of flying a Twin Bonanza c1950s
@AeroDinosaur9 ай бұрын
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.
@melvyncox33614 жыл бұрын
Nice video.St Maarten has changed a lot!Nice to the DC-7C plying it's trade. Note the three DC-8-50s earlier on in the clip,two with Arrow,long since gone now... Nice job😎👌!
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
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.
@melvyncox33613 жыл бұрын
No problem mate.My pleasure😎👍
@coldwar19523 жыл бұрын
Seems to me this is the -7C that was seen on COPS TV show. They found dope hidden in palletized containers of fish. Engines were still dripping I recall. I recall when it popped up on the show I about jumped out of my chair. Thanks ~
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
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!
@cx-wskitch45524 жыл бұрын
This is fantastic stuff! I just finished reading A Cargo Pilot's Life-- Tales from Corrosion Corner by Brett Lane. I was engrossed by the culture and wild west type environment he painted of corrosion corner. I looked on youtube to see if there was anything else on it and stumbled across this. Great video! If you haven't read the book I'd highly recommend it (although I'm sure most of it will be old news to you, haha)
@AeroDinosaur4 жыл бұрын
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!
@steveturpin42423 жыл бұрын
Brilliant!
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
Thank you!
@chrisdaltera5033 Жыл бұрын
What a surprise to find your video and realise I flew that aircraft as Co-pilot with Sam Lodi and Don Cortez in Zaire in 1996 while busting UN sanctions by supporting the rebel UNITA held areas in central Angola......... Unfortunately when Mobutu was chased from power and Kabila became President all flights to the South were banned and after flying a few cargo runs to the diamond city of Tshikapa the aircraft was parked and replaced with an L-188 Electra as Avgas became difficult to obtain in large quantities such as the DC-7C required.......
@AeroDinosaur Жыл бұрын
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.
@mikethompson3534 Жыл бұрын
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
@michaelgrey78544 жыл бұрын
Excellent piece of history. Thank you. Where I live in Hamilton N.Z in the 1980's there use to be two Carvairs parked at the Airport. As a kid I loved visiting them. This brings back fond memories of the big prop liners. Thank you for sharing.
@JARREGULUS4 жыл бұрын
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!
@jimreed10622 жыл бұрын
Beautiful theme & nice production & in action video of the different prop miners of yesteryear!! Glad to see another Reed remembering those big round engines from the "niftie50s when things were great & you could rock & roll on dick Clarks bandstand from the great city of. Philly usa!! Again. Great video' thanks for sharing! retired usaf
@Tillerman563 жыл бұрын
This aircraft looks way better than any shiny polished museum aircraft. Hard worked and oily, that's how I like aircraft. The DC-7 in the video was delivered new to KLM as PH-DSI 'Zuider Zee' in July 1957.
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
I agree with you 100% on oily, hard worked aircraft! You are correct about the origins of N869TA with KLM as PH-DSI.
@NoTaboos3 жыл бұрын
Wow; you can google.
@av8rshane4912 жыл бұрын
In my teenage years I hung out at Chino Airport in California, got to see lots of old transports and warbirds. In 1970 I got to go to the California 1000 air race in Mojave and see a DC-7 called super snoopy race . It got 6th place if I remember correctly and was racing wwII fighter. It had the range that the some of the fighters didn’t and didn’t have to pit for fuel the whole race. A hawker sea fury won the race and did it non stop. There is a KZfaq video of it if you search Calif 1000:air race.
@AeroDinosaur2 жыл бұрын
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!
@AeroDinosaur2 жыл бұрын
P.S. Thanks for the tip on Mojave 1000/DC-7B KZfaq video! I will check it out.
@lostcreek1633 жыл бұрын
Flew on a 7C in 1959 from Spokane WA to Chicago IL overnight arriving around 6 am. then on to St. Louis in a DC-9
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
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.
@lostcreek1633 жыл бұрын
@@AeroDinosaur Ok it was 59 and I road on what I thought was a small jet, maybe one of Ozarks planes for sure.
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
@@lostcreek163 Got it!
@rangarashmikan13132 жыл бұрын
Love this videos.. a magnificent production
@AeroDinosaur2 жыл бұрын
Thanks so much for checking us out! Glad you liked. J.A. Reed.
@tonyhernandez3227 Жыл бұрын
I remember all those propellers cargo planes from the DC-3 to the DC-7 departing from the corrosion corner located from the Northwest corner of Miami International Airport . Today is occupied by UPS building
@AeroDinosaur Жыл бұрын
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
@MonkPetite3 жыл бұрын
These planes are for real men and no fainthearted. But that f’n inverter sound .. thats super old school
@marknesselhaus43763 жыл бұрын
Ah yes, Corrosion Corner. I worked at the south west corner of MIA for BAtch Air in the late 70's, kind of the jet version of CC.I sure do miss those old planes :-)
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
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!
@marknesselhaus43763 жыл бұрын
@@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.
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
@@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.
@dutchvideomaker81205 жыл бұрын
Fella... This is awesome!
@JARREGULUS5 жыл бұрын
Thank you sir, glad you like!
@nekkardeltacygni76823 жыл бұрын
Thank you.....!!!
@JARREGULUS3 жыл бұрын
Thank YOU for watching!
@yobringitondown5565 Жыл бұрын
Nobody ever developed a turbine engine conversion for the DC-7?
@AeroDinosaur11 ай бұрын
They talked about Rolls Royce Tyne turboprops for the DC-7, but the proliferation of jetliners quashed that idea. JA Reed.
@wendellb369 ай бұрын
The DC8 killed that idea Lockheed fielded the Electra which would shed its wings due to whirlmode flutter
@icebluecuda12 жыл бұрын
Awesome. I have flown a 130 around some of these places. As I did it, I wondered what it was like to fly a recip there.
@AeroDinosaur2 жыл бұрын
Kitcat hanks for watching! While filming it in 1992 saw USCG C-130's flying out of Borinquen.
@TwinWasp20005 жыл бұрын
Lovely, fantastic video! Only error is Trans-Air-Link had nothing to do with Corrosion Corner (Air Agency ramp/NW ramp complex). TAL had their own ramp east of Corrosion Corner. Being a historian of the Corrosion Corner operators and the individuals that made that corner tick, most of them were honest, hard working men and women. Only a small number of individuals were trouble makers. Thanks for sharing this great footage!
@AeroDinosaur5 жыл бұрын
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!
@TwinWasp20005 жыл бұрын
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!
@AeroDinosaur5 жыл бұрын
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!
@Propliner_19553 ай бұрын
@@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
@happyhome41 Жыл бұрын
Hmmm, looking at the FAA Registry, there are a handful of DC-7s still listed. And yes, quite fond of St Martin (the French side).
@toomanyuserids Жыл бұрын
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.
@NoTaboos3 жыл бұрын
Why does no one ever seem to mention the extended wing centre section on the 7C? It's the most significant thing about its performance! Also what makes it look so elegant.
@JARREGULUS3 жыл бұрын
FYI: We did fully cover that unique aspect in Part 1 using captions starting at time 38:50. Thank you very much for watching!
@xenaandzenafromsanbernadin38073 жыл бұрын
I love these old birds with radial engines. Thank you so much for sharing your flight in the DC-7. Do you know how this crew navigated the Carribean in those days? I imagine it was all VOR and NDB navigation but do you know what they used for long flights over water outside of radio navigation range? Did they have LORAN equipment for such flights?
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
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.
@jimmcmahon2172 жыл бұрын
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.
@scanfan Жыл бұрын
In 1992 I was shooting NTSC Sony CCD Betacams in what would later be known as standard definition or SD once 1080p HD became available starting about 10 years later. I don’t recall Betacams having as much trailing (ghosting) as seen (especially in low light) as this video. Was it shot with a tube camera? Would current color grading help correct some of the white balance issues? How I’d love to go back in time with a few 4k cameras and wireless mics to recapture this trip including comms.
@AeroDinosaur Жыл бұрын
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!
@philipcollura2669 Жыл бұрын
Your mention of crashes brought to mind the late MLB player Roberto Clemente, killed on a humanitarian mission involving I believe a DC-4 or 6.
@AeroDinosaur Жыл бұрын
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!
@neilcigelske4454 Жыл бұрын
It was caused by a mechanic the day before the doomed flight.
@AeroDinosaur Жыл бұрын
@@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.
@2610Someone3 жыл бұрын
Hey there, thanks for posting this! Were these aircraft still pressurized?
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
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.
@MonkPetite3 жыл бұрын
These ? Normally they where
@zacktong81052 жыл бұрын
Oh, they were monsters of complexity best destined for the boneyard!
@topturretgunner Жыл бұрын
ABSOLUTELY NOT! Different technology, different time.
@flashesofblack41283 жыл бұрын
Great video of the venerable DC-7B! Was the first officer a woman?
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
Yes she was, and an impressive first officer! Thanks for watching and for your positive complement!
@flashesofblack41283 жыл бұрын
@@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.
@taketimeout2share3 жыл бұрын
Hello, friend. Can you remember what video cam you used ? Oh, Subbed !
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
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!
@taketimeout2share3 жыл бұрын
@@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.
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
@@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.
@pcowdrey4 жыл бұрын
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=
@AeroDinosaur4 жыл бұрын
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.
@Propliner_19553 ай бұрын
@@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
@AeroDinosaur3 ай бұрын
@@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.
@Propliner_19553 ай бұрын
@@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! :-)
@AeroDinosaur3 ай бұрын
@@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!
@ATomcatter3 жыл бұрын
Anyone have any pics of TAL’s CV-440 - N910RC?
@AeroDinosaur3 жыл бұрын
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.
@pcowdrey4 жыл бұрын
Too bad nothing is sacred.I think the year was 1968. (Lear Jet? What's that??) I was a young Aircraft Mechanic, working at On Mark Aviation, in Van Nuys.We had an elegant DC-7C come in for some pretty extensive overhaul work. This was a lovely corporate executive transportation airplane with big galley, large closets, sleeper berths, etc.(We had a not-so-bad Connie in there too.)I remember doing tank rat work on the 7C, too. I was inside at least one of the 4 "saddle tanks" that the airplane had at the rear of each engine nacelle. Yes, big enough that- If you didn't have claustrophobia, you could get inside, (and I'm not a small guy) and those tanks said. "This is an ocean-crosser.". That was a world-class airplane and I was kind of in awe to be around it. It was beautiful. I wish I could remember who owned it.It had a logo emblem inside: "Seven Seas". (7C, get it?)The large Saddle Tanks made it easy to spot the classic "DC-7C".Being an airplane aficionado, even then (I think I was 22.), my heart sunk when Lee Gates, a highly regarded aircraft electrician, was walking around, looking the airplane over, and he said...(This pains me.)...He said, "We had DC-7Cs nicer than this in my last shop and we scrapped them out."As I recall, we worked on the airplane anyway, but we didn't do all the work that was initially planned. Take a hint. 1968. =PC=
@AeroDinosaur4 жыл бұрын
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.
@Propliner_19553 ай бұрын
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?
@WitchidWitchid3 жыл бұрын
Hah... "Corrosion Corner" was the aviation version of "The Waterfront".
@JARREGULUS3 жыл бұрын
I agree!
@topturretgunner Жыл бұрын
John Andrew Reed. Being a child of the 50’s and having an abiding love for the old prop liners this video is a real treat. Thank you. Do you know the current status of the featured aircraft? Does this one operate out of Opa Locka as well?
@AeroDinosaur Жыл бұрын
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
@topturretgunner Жыл бұрын
@@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.
@AeroDinosaur Жыл бұрын
@@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