C-53, C-117, etc.

[Ray Tackett]

It started with a news article about a melting glacier in Switzerland exposing the wreckage of a crashed C-53. I didn't know what that was, and looked it up on Google Images. That led me to Wikipedia and the linked article. Not only was I ignorant of the C-53, but of the C-117, and the sheer number of the military variants of the DC-3.

[Randy Sohn]

C-53. I didn't know what that was, and looked it up

IIRC, that one was a Gooney Bird with a right hand PX door?

You ever hear the story about that DC-2 and a half over in China?

best, randy

[Ralph Jones]

that DC-2 and a half over in China

Oscar Brand even worked it into a song!

[Ray Tackett]

You ever hear the story about that DC-2 and a half over in China?

Read it a long time ago in a book of DC-3 stories. Another one from the Hump was a 3 which landed thoroughly shot up by Japanese fighters. The locals glued rice paper patches over the holes to restore some of the aerodynamics. Flying out through rain, the patches came off and the holes began to whistle, each with its own note. Another flight of Zeroes showed up and fled. A few days later, Tokyo Rose complained of a stupid American trick to scare brave Japanese aviators.

[Randy Sohn]

holes began to whistle,

Chuckle, never flew a "whistler", can onlu imagine the sound! Try'n to think back, IIRC we had about 35 or so of those old biddys at NOR when I was hired. Company put two "rain capes" (plastic) in each DC-3's cockpit, Needed one if you flew thru much rain. Some wag said - "light rain outside, heavy rain inside".

best, randy

[Ralph Jones]

Another flight of Zeroes showed up and fled.

They could hear it over their own engines?

[Jeff Hartmann]

IIRC, that one was a Gooney Bird with a right hand PX door?

You ever hear the story about that DC-2 and a half over in China?

best, randy

Somethin about a DC3 wing on one side and a DC-2 wing on the other?

[Ralph Jones]

Somethin about a DC3 wing on one side and a DC-2 wing on the other?

Yeah, they were evacuating the Chinese upper class ahead of the Japanese invasion and a DC-3 got wing damage from a bomb. The only spare wing on hand was from a DC-2 and it fit the same holes, so they bolted it on, cranked in a lot of trim, and flew it out.

Before:http://gregcrouch.com/wp-content/upl...py-reduced.jpg

After: https://rockytrail.files.wordpress.c...0/dc2_3004.jpg