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So the "Fastest Way to a Jet" thread got me thinking, what's the fastest way to get to one of the old radial engined classic airliners? I'm talking the classic Dougs, Convairs, Martins, Lockheeds, and so on. After hearing all the stories about Miami's "Corrosion Corner", helping out the Save-a-Connie folks at air shows as a little kid, seeing the Legendary Airliners DC-7 and talking with Carlos Gomez at OPF, I've always been in love with and appreciative of what an old radial engined aircraft represents. My parents were married on a PBA DC-3, so the classic airliners hold a place close to my heart.
Anyways, what's the best way to go about flying an old radial engined aircraft? I realize Alaska has many possibilities for flying old radials. Alaska doesn't really seem like it would be my kind of scene, but for the sake of discussion let's hear about the options there too. Does anyone know of any options down in the Caribbean?
So let's hear it, how can you make an old school dream come true?
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I'd rather fly an old prop that roars, than a new jet that whines
The sound of a Radial starting up, is better, and love seeing the white smoke pouring out of the exhaust, and yes, jets do suck!
Yeah...I loved the Stearman belching white smoke and coughing "potato potato potato potato" ...
Jets...nothing real romantic about the sound. It sounds just like those cheap-o hair driers at Holiday Inns, and the exhaust smells vaguely like....meatballs?
I saw that Monarch Air group was looking for Beech 18 pilots, that Four Star was looking for DC3 pilots, Air Tahoma was looking for Convair Pilots, Another freight company in St. Croix was also looking for Convair Pilots.
True by the border seems to work, in thoes place that the world seems to rush past, leaving piles of airplane parts spread across the ramp like a kids toy box, where parts are not ordered but rather picked from the pile aside the hanger, you will find radial engine flying jobs.
The romantic job, where you are appreciative and one with the history of the airplane, what could be better? that is where the problem lies. The world has passed these operators by, opting not for better service and improvements in the operation but using the cast away left-overs of others to squeze the last few dollars out of a 40,000 lb historical monument to technology before it too must be parked in corrozion row at Opa Locka. The business moto of we can do it cheaper, rather than better has been adopted by many freight companies operating these beautiful romantic aircraft. Using history to make a buck, quite possibly there may be a reason that we dont see these beautiful old girls with purple and brown paint schemes.
I do wonder if many pilots in the 1950's wished upon the Ford Trimotor's engine on the nose, corogated aluminium skin and wicker seats as the way to go, or were they content in thier DC7's ?
I was lucky, getting my ATP and first type rating in the queen of the skies, the DC-3. I also flew Convair 340s and 440s for the same company. However the A 320 I fly today is a much more civilized ride.
Yes, the nostalga meter was pegged and there is still nothing to compare to the "Harley" sound of radial engines idling, cruising or even at takeoff power.
But: Don't forget how difficult they are to start and keep lit (each engine was a life form unto itself, what you needed to get one started would flood another), the constant maintenance headaches (had 5 engine failures in 1200 hrs of DC-3 time), being hot & sweaty, cold, flying around with no radar, getting rained on in the cockpit. Try navigating across the ocean using dead reckoning and fixed card ADFs.
Great planes to fly on a sunny airshow weekend. Really rugged place to earn a living. Read 'Fate Is The Hunter' by Ernie Gann to see what our predecessors had to deal with.
Good luck finding and loving a job flying the old iron. I imagine the parts and gas will run any remaining radial birds out of anything but the airshow circuit very quickly.
OTOH, does anybody know where to get any B-17 jobs? :-)
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