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The DC-3/C-47, the only thing that will live longer then Keith Richards.


Chantry

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Love the DC-3's, the "Gooney Bird" was my favorite to skydive from. Loved those radial engines, the Harley Davidson of the skies.

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Around 2200 hours a regular DC-3 fly's over my place West to East. Always know when it's coming.

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The DC-3's airframe is well suited for how they are used.  So much so that companies that refurbish them have bothered to go through the expensive process to get FAA certification for turbo-shaft engine repowers.

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30 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

 

In the year 2525?

Yup. 

 

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Saw one belly down in Long Beach about 1978.  Landing gear either malfunctioned or the crew did.  I was working for McDonnell Douglas  in Bldg 8 or 81 (My memory isn't what it used to be.  Maybe it was never what it used to be, but....) and the plane smacked down less than 200 yards from the south end of the plant.  They had it back in the air in just over a week.

 

We were still making some parts for them back then,  Had the dies and jigs and such so why not?

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On 9/7/2019 at 6:35 PM, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

DC3s will be flying when the last BUFF and the last Warthog have been retired.

That could be, but they're not throwing dirt on the 52's or the 130's yet. We may not live to see the end of the story!

JHC

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The last time that I was in San Juan there was LOTS of 3's at the airport there.  It looked like there was some type of salvage/rebuild operation.  I don't know who owns the certificate now but I have read that there are "NEW,"  0 time 3's being produced.

 

Blackfoot

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2 hours ago, BLACKFOOT SASS #11947 said:

The last time that I was in San Juan there was LOTS of 3's at the airport there.  It looked like there was some type of salvage/rebuild operation.  I don't know who owns the certificate now but I have read that there are "NEW,"  0 time 3's being produced.

 

Blackfoot

There is an outfit in Wisconsin re-manufacturing DC-3/C-47's to a number of variants, adding turbo props and everything on the airframe is either new or verified to have zero fatigue damage/wear.

 

https://www.baslerturbo.com/

 

DC-3/C-47's will continue to fly until either there is a dramatic and inexpensive break through in delivering things by air or the FAA and it's foreign counterparts ground them.   IIRC The FAA did that with some Ford Tri-Motors that were still on active passenger & cargo runs somewhere in the Great Lakes.  Despite no issues with safety the FAA strongly "encouraged" the airline to stop flying the Tri-Motors.

 

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"While nations fall and men retire,

       And jets grow obsolete,

The Gooney Bird flies on and on,

       At 11,000 feet!

"They patch her up with masking tape,'

   With paper clips and strings,

And still she flies, she never dies,

   Mathusalah with wings!"  - Oscar Brand  B):D

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