Douglas C-133

[Tom Charlton]

(Started new thread here in an attempt to curtail drifting my previous Randy and Dux thread)

Douglas C-133
From wikipedia

Cargomasters went directly into production as C-133A; no prototypes were built. The first Cargomaster flew on 23 April 1956.[3] The first C-133As were delivered to the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) in August 1957

Five months from first flight to delivery? Nick Modders had mentioned to me that no test flying had been done.

Also was telling me that often the Load Master would be unable to engage the latches on the side cargo door until after they’d started taxiing. The corner areas of the door area would crack from flex. Crack would quickly propagate all the way around the airframe. Said the band-aid fix was a series of external stainless steel bands.

Regards,
Tom Charlton

[Randy Sohn]

Five months from first flight to delivery?

Yup, I was on active duty back then and was cognizant of the whole thing, they needed to get those missiles hauled (AND RIGHT NOW!).

best, randy

[Mase Taylor]

Ton Son Nhut, 1969.

We were in charge of MAC charters and AF passenger flights. We were not allowed to carry pax on any C-133 flights.

[Randy Sohn]

Ton Son Nhut, 1969.... not allowed to carry pax on any C-133 flights.

Mase, thanks for those photos, brought back vivid memories of the ramp/operations at T.S.K. Can remember sending my co-pilot and navigator off to Base Ops to file the outbound DD 175/flight plans and I'd just hang around under the belly of the C-97 with my Colt .45, watching for "sappers". Scared me half to death!

best, randy

[A. Niemyer]

The noted Alaska bird made one, last flight, to its final home at Travis AFB a few years back:

https://vimeo.com/6194717

Best,
Andy

[Randy Sohn]

Alaska bird made one, last flight, to its final home at Travis

Yup, had read that article when it went down to the museum.

best, randy

[Russell Holton]

The noted Alaska bird made one, last flight, to its final home at Travis AFB a few years back:

https://vimeo.com/6194717

Interesting take-off. I don't remember ever seeing a bird that lifted off so flat. No real rotation.

What was overheating at the end?

[B.Butler]

The noted Alaska bird made one, last flight, to its final home at Travis AFB a few years back:

https://vimeo.com/6194717

Best,
Andy

The FE announces he has a "wing overheat light." Bleed-air anti-ice?

BTW, that guy was a neighbor of mine in Anchorage. Probably the best paid FE in the industry; claimed to be the last qualified -133 engineer in the world.

[Scott Dyer HPN/NY]

Interesting take-off. I don't remember ever seeing a bird that lifted off so flat. No real rotation.

What was overheating at the end?

Russell - My limited experience with large piston aircraft is that it’s not like jets where you put the nose 15-20 degrees up on rotation. It’s more some back pressure then hold an essentially level attitude until speed builds, and then climb away.

[Bill Bridges]

with my Colt .45, watching for "sappers". Scared me half to death!

best, randy

Randy,

You could'a come up north with me. You'd had fun flyin' slicks up'n northern I Corp.

Bill

[B.Butler]

Randy,

You could'a come up north with me. You'd had fun flyin' slicks up'n northern I Corp.

Bill

Who could turn down an offer like that?!

[Randy Sohn]

could'a come up north with me. You'd had fun flyin' slicks

'Fraid not, got all of it I needed down south. And got more'n e'nuf just BS'n on the phone with my cadetmate Bob P. 'bout that stuff! You recall "Pardo's Push?"?

best, randy

[Randy Sohn]

Who could turn down an offer like that?!

Chuckle, can still recall sitting on that ramp sayin' to myself - "OK, smart a--, what'n the h--- am I doin' here, I'm in the ANG"!

[Bill Bridges]

'Fraid not, got all of it I needed down south. And got more'n e'nuf just BS'n on the phone with my cadetmate Bob P. 'bout that stuff! You recall "Pardo's Push?"?

best, randy

You might not have liked the environment, but I bet you would have enjoyed flyin' slicks. Lots of things to test your skills, and besides you would have got to fly in what I consider one of the best aircraft the American military has ever put on the battlefield.

Bill

[Randy Sohn]

I bet you would have enjoyed flyin' slicks

Might very well be, dunno. We had a helicopter (H-19) down at Base Ops at Reese and I got Keever Holley to take me up in it. I figured out really quick like to fly it with my wrist on my knee and use only my finger and thumb to move the stick. Flew it for a couple hours and Keever sez - "Geez man, you're really doing good, all you need to do now is a few auto-rotations and you could take the flight test". So he gave me one and - Katy, bar the door! Quickly reduced my newly found ego to a pile of cr-p! I can still recall yelling to him on the interphone (in a HIGH pitched voice) - "YOU GOT IT!" And that was the end of my helipcopter experience!

Except as a PX. When I was sent down to Chicago-Midway as a new North Central DC-3 co-pilot we used to have to deadhead back to Midway from the last flight of the day from Milwaukee which terminated at O'Hare later at night. Flew on Chicago Helicopter Airways in one of their things (Sikorsky?), still recall them showing us where some crash had occurred in a Chicago cemetary SE of O'Hare in (circa) 1960.

best, randy