Any USAF vets here?

[ted]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

F-111.

triple sticks = 111
apparently The General Dynamics F-111C Aardvark was nicknamed "Pig".
I've got a few generations of family photos, I never met many of them and have no one to pass them on to...
glad you shared your history.

[ted]

Originally Posted by matt930s

Ok....a bit before my time...I'm a c17, c141, c5 (and of course c130) era guy..
Mattr

C5 was a nice ride...
C 141 was so old you should see daylight though the cracks in the fuselage,
Departed Diego Island for Africa chairs facing the tail and a few pallets of bombs.

[Manda Racing]

My hangar neighbors wife saw this picture given to me years ago and asked about it since her Father in law who turns 102 next month was in the Air Force in WW II. He maintained the planes you're talking about.

[GH85Carrera]

The man I worked for for several years was in the Army Air Corp wearing brown. He said on day they orders can down to go get blue uniforms. He was an instructor for C47s. At the end of WW2 he retired, and was in the Air Force reserve but worked full time for the CAA that one day changed to the FAA. He had a three digit employee number. During the Korea war he was recalled to be an instructor again.
He took his last flight as pilot in command on his 92nd birthday. He never had an incident or off air port landing. In his words he took early retirement at age 92 and sold the company. At age 98 he kissed his wife goodnight and walked up stairs to the bedroom to go to bed. She went to bed later and found him dead. He was mentally sharp to the end and walked with just a cane when in the open.

RIP Mr. Wilford Moore.

[pwd72s]

Wilfred Moore and Uncle Forrest were cut from the same cloth. Forrest wore brown during WWII, working communications in the Pacific theatre. Stayed in until 1966 or so, knowing he'd never make it past full bird because he was a Stanford grad, not West Point.

Forrest was the oldest of 3 brothers. My dad in the middle, Gordon the youngest. When war broke out, all three went to enlist. Gordon became a B-17 captain. Dad was raising turkeys in Patterson, Cal...he was told he'd continue doing so, only for uncle sam instead of the private market.

I remember calling Forrest when my dad died. He advised me to not live to be 90. He really hated not playing golf.

A generation we will always owe a debt to. Everybody pitched in during the WWII years. I often wonder if the USA still has that strength of will if needed today. I certainly hope so. Hell, I believe so. When the chips are down, we are still the USA!

[Sunroof]

I believe they have a cockpit display of the DC-4 at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Look at the number of crew it took for long distant flying. They had to have a relief crew to allow the others to catch some sleep!

These were the 747's of the day. Just imagine.....flying at 7 to 9 thousand feet, through the weather, engines droning throughout the flight, but the in-flight service superb.....the golden days of early airline transport.

[tcar]

The DC-4 was really a "New and Improved'' DC-3... was incredibly successful.

About 5 years after the 3...

Were over 10,000 3's built (mostly C-47 during war) and about 2,000 4's (mostly C-54).

The DC-4 prototype had a triple tail, like the Constellation, to keep hangar height down.

[Schrup]

Originally Posted by ted

C5 was a nice ride...

C5 was my favorite. I rode in one up in the tail facing backwards in airline seats, a bit strange taking off & landing. I never got tired of watching them take off & land, just amazing that something so large can get airborne. I got caught out on the cargo apron a few times while they were taxiing, incredible jet wash when they crank up to turn, like a sand blaster. Better get down or you're going rolling across the tarmac.

[Jolly Amaranto]

Another converted C-54 that I flew on in 1966. From Guam to Saipan and back. With stops on Rota.

[flatbutt]

My older brother worked on Gooney Birds in the Nam.