Cliff Hanger #3720LR Posted October 18, 2015 Posted October 18, 2015 This airplane made two takeoffs. Turned in to kindling on second landing attempt. Photo of Caproni Ca.60 Transaereo - Feb 1921
Subdeacon Joe Posted October 18, 2015 Author Posted October 18, 2015 This airplane made two takeoffs. Turned in to kindling on second landing attempt. Photo of Caproni Ca.60 Transaereo - Feb 1921 Looks like two tiered parking on top of a diner. According to the article in Wikipedia it had a tendency to CLIMB! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Ca.60 But, while it looks weird and over built, at least it doesn't look like some kids built it out of appliance boxes.
Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103 Posted October 18, 2015 Posted October 18, 2015 A good friend of mine flew B17s in the Second Disagreement. He went back into the Canton Fire Department afterward, grasshopper captain, then into the State Highway Patrol, then after retirement dispatched for the Guernsey County Sheriff's Office and he was my mentor on the fire department. He was as full of it as a sack full of politicians and he'd pull a man's leg given the chance but he also had a great deal of wisdom, and when he spoke, I listened. He described a funny looking aircraft favored by a certain three letter agency active when we were still in a swampy part of Asia ... he said it had square wings, a big square vertical stabilizer, the fuselage was long and square, it looked like a kindergartener designed it with crayons and shoeboxes but it was ideal for a little dinky runway, it would climb like a monkey -- he told of the air traffic controller that come on the net with a slow Suth'n drawl, "Water buffalo on runway two, state intentions." Now when ATC says "State intentions" it translates to "You brainless idiot, WHAT in GOD'S GREEN EARTH are you doing or did you even bring your BRAINS with you, you STUPID SON OF TWO EMPTY EGGSHELLS!" Of course the pilots picked up on this and the net got cluttered for a few minutes with "What's the rated cargo lift on a water boo?" and "The air speed on them things just ain't too swift" and "My manual don't list a rate of climb for the Asiatic water buffalo, just the Brewster Buffalo." Finally two guys jumped in a Jeep and baited it off the runway with potato chips or something of the kind. Hoss mentioned this air traffic controller because when said kindergarten designed boxy looking square wing aircraft took off the rate of climb was so impressive the new ATC thought it was a helo!
Bama Red Posted October 18, 2015 Posted October 18, 2015 Linn, I think this is what your buddy was referring to. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/2/28/20110301065030%21Helio_U-10D_Air_America_Laos_1970.jpg
Subdeacon Joe Posted October 18, 2015 Author Posted October 18, 2015 Linn, I think this is what your buddy was referring to. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/2/28/20110301065030%21Helio_U-10D_Air_America_Laos_1970.jpg Looks like it has some Fieseler Storch Fi-152 in its ancestry. (love the stories that come out on threads like this)
Tom Bullweed Posted October 18, 2015 Posted October 18, 2015 B-10 Martin bomber gets my nod as one of the ugliest flying contraptions. Turrets and windows sticking out everywhere including on it tutlre-like snout.
Bad Hand Posted October 18, 2015 Posted October 18, 2015 I believe this is the aircraft in question, one of its users was "Air America" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilatus_PC-6_Porter
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 18, 2015 Posted October 18, 2015 Bama's got it right with a photo of a U-10 Helio Courier. The PC-6 Porter was however used in the movie "Air America" because it looks similar.
Church Key, SASS # 33713 Posted October 18, 2015 Posted October 18, 2015 I worked across the road from the Fairchild HQ in Germantown, MD in the late 60's/early 70s. The Fairchild president lived on the Eastern Shore and flew in every day on one of their turboprop STOL aircraft. He landed on their front lawn and usually left the plane parked there for advertising. It could serve as an air ambulance and take off at 18,000 feet. It was a noisy critter. He came in every day at 9:00 am.
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 18, 2015 Posted October 18, 2015 I worked across the road from the Fairchild HQ in Germantown, MD in the late 60's/early 70s. The Fairchild president lived on the Eastern Shore and flew in every day on one of their turboprop STOL aircraft. He landed on their front lawn and usually left the plane parked there for advertising. It could serve as an air ambulance and take off at 18,000 feet. It was a noisy critter. He came in every day at 9:00 am. yah, watched one take of once. Quite a bit of racket! Take off roll was incredibly short.
Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103 Posted October 19, 2015 Posted October 19, 2015 My friends, thank you: I honestly did not know which aircraft it was, I had only Hoss's description as related above.
Duffield, SASS #23454 Posted October 20, 2015 Posted October 20, 2015 I believe this is the aircraft in question, one of its users was "Air America" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilatus_PC-6_Porter Air America flew a PC-6 regularly in IV Corps in 1967-68. That thing had the shortest take-off roll of any fixed wing aircraft I ever saw.
Chili Ron Posted October 21, 2015 Posted October 21, 2015 Howdy, What does a nice DC3 go for these days??? Best CR beware:possible hi jack hea.
J.D. Daily Posted October 22, 2015 Posted October 22, 2015 I flew Air America PC-6's to travel between Ben Hoa & Tay Ninh in 1970-1971. They can take-off & land on little more than a medium length driveway.
Guest Hoss Carpenter, SASS Life 7843 Posted October 22, 2015 Posted October 22, 2015 Great airplane, but the A-10 never won any Beauty Contests either! As my F-16 Viper friends told me, the A-10 is the only plane worried about Bird Strikes from the Rear! They also say the Link Trainer for an A-10, the pilot gets in a Dumpster and the Crew Chiefs throw rocks at it! Cheers, Hoss (SAC and Buffs forever)
Seamus McGillicuddy Posted October 23, 2015 Posted October 23, 2015 That AeMB2 reminds me of one of my favorites, the Polish Pzl 23. Same era and similar radical "trousers". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PZL.23_Kara%C5%9B Note the article on the Argentine bomber refers to a ".45 cal machine gun". What might that be? Tommy Gun stuck out the window? Seamus
DocWard Posted October 24, 2015 Posted October 24, 2015 Great airplane, but the A-10 never won any Beauty Contests either! As my F-16 Viper friends told me, the A-10 is the only plane worried about Bird Strikes from the Rear! They also say the Link Trainer for an A-10, the pilot gets in a Dumpster and the Crew Chiefs throw rocks at it! Cheers, Hoss (SAC and Buffs forever) A face only a ground pounder could love. But you forgot one. if the A-10 were any uglier, it would be a helicopter. Another unattractive one is the OV-10 Bronco
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted October 24, 2015 Posted October 24, 2015 B-10 Martin bomber gets my nod as one of the ugliest flying contraptions. Turrets and windows sticking out everywhere including on it tutlre-like snout. Ahead of its time, but not long before it was obsolete
Chili Ron Posted October 24, 2015 Posted October 24, 2015 Howdy, ARE PC-6 still around the US? What sort of prices? Are parts available? Best CR
Bad Hand Posted October 24, 2015 Posted October 24, 2015 I was told they were never certified for use in the US.
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted October 24, 2015 Posted October 24, 2015 A face only a ground pounder could love. But you forgot one. if the A-10 were any uglier, it would be a helicopter. Another unattractive one is the OV-10 Bronco I dunno, Doc... I always thought the OV-10 was pretty cool - and underrated.
DocWard Posted October 24, 2015 Posted October 24, 2015 I dunno, Doc... I always thought the OV-10 was pretty cool - and underrated. Cool? OK, I'll give you that. Underrated? Absolutely. Good looking? Uhmmm... I still can't go there.
Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 Posted October 25, 2015 Posted October 25, 2015 I dunno, Doc... I always thought the OV-10 was pretty cool - and underrated. I agree. I used to work on them. Aviation Ordnance. Four M-60Ds, GAU2-B 20mm gun pod, 2,75" or 5" rockets, and even 2 AIM-9 Sidewinders. There was even a plan to mount a Cobra turret with a M197 gun under them.
Subdeacon Joe Posted October 25, 2015 Author Posted October 25, 2015 B-10 Martin bomber gets my nod as one of the ugliest flying contraptions. Turrets and windows sticking out everywhere including on it tutlre-like snout. Yeah, it has a look that says the engineer used his "ugly curve" when designing it. Cool? OK, I'll give you that. Underrated? Absolutely. Good looking? Uhmmm... I still can't go there. Maybe not pretty, but not ugly, either.
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 25, 2015 Posted October 25, 2015 I agree. I used to work on them. Aviation Ordnance. Four M-60Ds, GAU2-B 20mm gun pod, 2,75" or 5" rockets, and even 2 AIM-9 Sidewinders. There was even a plan to mount a Cobra turret with a M197 gun under them. A friend of mine flew them in SE Asia on FAC missions. Said they were very maneuverable and had awesome power to weight ratio.
Bad Hand Posted October 25, 2015 Posted October 25, 2015 A friend of mine flew them in SE Asia on FAC missions. Said they were very maneuverable and had awesome power to weight ratio. Also had a cargo bay that could hold up to 4 Marines.
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 25, 2015 Posted October 25, 2015 And speaking of the OV-10 Bronco, there was the OV-1 Mohawk built by Grumman. Similar characteristics, mission and era, but faster and longer range. A strange looking airplane that reminds me of an insect. In person, they look kinda cool (to me).
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