More on old Constellations....

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Hi Mike,

How is that Cessna 210? You have...or had the perfect set up....
A houseboat and an airplane to fly between Powell and Colorado. I seem to remember your video or photo inside the cockpit...if I recall your dog was wearing an O2 mask...or was that you or just my imagination.
You also posted some great shots of the lake from altitude.
Hope your dog is ok...you say he/she's sick?

Anyway...I did see the articles about the Connie on the Massachusetts highway...when that semi-trailer hauler had the flat. The first news item said it was an old TWA "jet". (Figures...with our sterling journalists of today.)
That one is an L1649...the biggest of the old Lockheed Constellations.
The one in Switzerland and the one I flew crop-dusting in 1973 and 74 was an L1049 (both were the same airplane with different tail numbers at different times). The smaller Connie's were various other 49's like the smaller 049 and 749 such as "Bataan"...General MacArthur's personal plane.
Don't know the history of the one in the photo ...but I would much rather see it flying than becoming a hotel bar/restaurant in New York City.

Get back to the lake Mike....still the best therapy for what ails you.
And yes I miss "Cropduster" and the lake.

weeds

I just now read the article you posted...they even mention our Swiss Connie. Pretty neat, except she is grounded this year...finding parts is difficult, but I managed to find them an old nose gear axle...$7000. Got it down to $3000. Geeess....

(Think most on WW have seen this but just in case. A 2014 two minute and 17 second video. Great music. The flight engineer in the video and his wife, are visiting us 2 weeks from now.)

 
Hey Jay! The 210 is still turning money into fun. Good memory you have... The dog wearing the O2 mask unfortunately got old/ill and is one of the reasons our time at the lake has been nil this summer. It was a sad day when we recently had to put him down. I'll make it down for a guy trip in November for a few days on the water and then come off to winterize.

Great clip of the Breitling Connie. It's too bad when Breitling sold out that the new owners dropped a lot of aviation support. At 3 AMU's for a used axle it's easy to see why.

When I had the Connie article in my mail today, I knew you'd enjoy it if you hadn't seen it already.

Mike
 
Very sorry about your dog...everyone on WW know the devastation that brings. We put Stanlee down last year and turned right around and bought another Springer pup. What were we thinking!! :oops::geek::alien:.....and a lot of :poop:

It was a dark day when Breitling pulled their Connie support...they were bought out by some conglomerate in Austria. I've sent many letters to various rich entities....even Warren Buffett. (Big aviation fan). But he only gives his stuff to Gates for distribution.
At least I got a letter back from one of his 300 secretaries. :sneaky:
Even tried to sell a sales/marketing thing to Lockheed...63 year old airplane still flying...wow...is that a tough airplane or what??!!. Never got thru the front door...too wrapped up with their F-35 and space stuff. o_O:rolleyes:

Next month the flight engineer and I are going to Chino airport in California and look at their two Connie's. Bataan and an L1049 or C-121E radar electronic Connie( L1049). Pete's old spy plane...or one like it.
The Planes of Fame and Yanks Museums are there...really good if you like old airplanes and warbirds.

This isn't Lake Powell stuff so I better sign off. You get on the lake.

weeds:coffee::coffee::coffee:
 
Had an Uncle on my wife's side that retired from TWA in the Connie era. He was featured on all their NY to Paris newspaper ads.
I had one opportunity to fly jump seat in a Connie at KVNY decades ago on a training trip for Futura Airlines. It never made it out to one revenue flight. Died at birth.
Knew Fish Salmon and Tony LeVeir who were the test pilots for Lockheed on the Connie.
Fish and Tony flew Fish's Bonanza up into the Nevada desert to locate a place for Kelly Johnson to test new airplanes. They found the "ranch" now known as Area 51 for him on that trip.
Fish died in the crash of a Connie many decades ago. His son was with him but survived (IIRC)

I'll make this Lake Powell stuff- I'm looking out my window on Wahweap Bay to clouds with a spit of rain showers today Temp right now is 57 degrees. Don't know what the water temp has fallen to yet :-) but no high winds so the fishing could be good. I'm trying to eat down my freezer before I add any more.
 
Leardriver said:
I miss the 210. I flew a '77 T210 for 2900 hours. I miss the repair costs also. I just replaced a voltage display panel and a bleed air valve in my Lear 60 for $7K and 9K. Ouch!
Click to expand...

The Lear 25B was nice, but didn't have the legs of your fan. Only once were we able to do non-stop across the US...due to a super jet stream. Made it from Phoenix to Boca Rotan, Fla.....landed on fumes (after the ILS went down and had to do an NDB approach :eek::oops:).
Anyway I saw the expenses and decided to get a houseboat. Not sure about the wisdom of that either. :oops::sick::geek:
 
I flew the 25D on air ambulance. On a cold day, when those engines were popping and crackling, you could set off car alarms for blocks.
The 60 is a 5 hour airplane if you can sit that long, so it handles the domestic chores pretty well.
 
In Boeings you can stand up and go back to a real bathroom! :-) 5 hrs in a Lear? Ya I remember doing it in 35s and peeing in a water bottle. You drink the water first. You usually tried to dehydrate a little before the flight also.
When the Lears first came out (along with the Kosher Comets) being a half way across the country airplanes the FBOS midway across put in quick turn fueling with Green Stamps and steaks for the pilots.
Some even put in nose holes for the nose wheels on Falcons so they could get the extra fuel they needed with the nose down a little.
Used to leave KSNA at night and not set off the monitor in a 24 or 25 but we coasted out at 70% once the steep climb was made to 1,000'. Did it in A 320s also.
 
I call that the tiptoe technique. Teterboro has a noise sensor on the roof of the hospital, and you have to do the same.
 
Noise abatement procedures???
We don't do no stinking noise abatement procedures.
Well.......... maybe when San Diego started whining and sniveling.

I suppose the old 727...and G-2's were a smidge loud......
How about screaming down Escalante in a 27 at 100 AGL...at 3am. :p:giggle::devilish::eek::eek:o_O
Only in my dreams.
 
Got to fly a -17R 72 a couple of times. Big difference from a -9 lead sled that we had to do flaps 25 take offs out of DCA with.
 
You guys are making my head spin with all this insider aviator talk. Wish I knew it...as for noise abatement, I miss all the sonic booms I used to hear around EAFB. And I still run outside to see anything rumbling overhead or near.
 
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