Have you flown in a vintage aeroplane?

[KilroyCD]

Have any of our fellow loungers had the opportunity, or should I say pleasure of flying in an aeroplane of the "Golden Era"? Several notable types spring to mind, such as the venrable DC-3, the incredibly art-deco Lockheed Constellation, classic Waco biplanes and many more that could take up this whole page. Let's hear about your flights in these classic aircraft. I'll start with one of my favourites, the deHavilland DH-89 Dragon Rapide. I've had the pleasure of flying on a pair of these beautiful twin-engined biplanes while visiting Duxford (near Cambridge in England). Here's a photo of one, originally built in 1943 by Brush Coachworks as a "Dominie" for the RAF. Postwar it was converted to civilian DH-89 standard. It was in this aircraft that we were "bounced" by one of the Fighter Collection's (a resident collection at Duxford) fighter planes, an F7F-3 Tigercat. It was incredible that we could hear the roar of the F7F's engines over ours as we flew along. It was a memorable moment, to say the least!

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

She's a beauty!

I've been up in a DC-3 operated by the FAA back in the 1970s when I was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol. I also took a ride in a deHavilland Beaver and flew a Stinson L-5. The Beaver was quite a ride, sitting right behind that big round engine!

 

[KilroyCD]

She's a beauty!

I've been up in a DC-3 operated by the FAA back in the 1970s when I was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol. I also took a ride in a deHavilland Beaver and flew a Stinson L-5. The Beaver was quite a ride, sitting right behind that big round engine!

My first time to Oshkosh (1986) was in the Mid Atlantic Air Museum's R4D (Navy DC-3). At one point during the trip I was invited to sit in the right (co-pilot's) seat as we punched holes in clouds along the flight route. What a thrill!

 

[DeeDub]

Do Small Taildraggers Count?

My grandfather took me up in a Piper Cub. We took off and landed from a dirt strip on a cattle ranch. It wasn't a vintage airplane at the time, if it even qualifies as that today. It's a very fun plane with excellent visibility, front, sides, and top.

I've heard that James Stewart had a Cub. I'd bet he could afford something faster, roomier, with greater range, so the fun factor must have been persuasive.

Another Cub story I heard: There's an airfield in Colorado where the wind is frequently faster than the takeoff speed of a Cub, so said airplane can hypothetically take off "backwards".

 

[Spitfire]

I am a member of the danish DC3 club - and thereby helping keeping this old bird flying. As a member you get the opportunity to join in several flights, which I have done 4 - 5 times until now.

And the office:

All the rides have been A OK. Only once did we have problems, when a seagull - with great accuracy - smashed into the landinglight on the right wing during takeoff. We had to turn back, because we could not identifie any other damage on the plane. But it sure is a great experience to fly in these old birds. The enginenoise itself, sends chills down your spine.

 

[Speedster]

WACO YMF biplane

During a holiday in Florida back in 1991 i went to Tom Reilly's Warbirds Museum in Kissimmee where went for a trip over Kissimmee in a Waco YMF biplane from the 3o'ies. They also had a T-6 Texan/Harvard/SNJ, but that one was too expensive for my wallet back then.

Spitfire, i also used to be a member of DC3-vennerne, but never got around to go on a flight in it. I'm thinking of rejoining so my sons (age 6 and 2) can experience real airplanes.

Speedster

 

[Alan Eardley]

Have any of our fellow loungers had the opportunity, or should I say pleasure of flying in an aeroplane of the "Golden Era"? <Snip> Let's hear about your flights in these classic aircraft. I'll start with one of my favourites, the deHavilland DH-89 Dragon Rapide. I've had the pleasure of flying on a pair of these beautiful twin-engined biplanes while visiting Duxford (near Cambridge in England). Here's a photo of one, originally built in 1943 by Brush Coachworks as a "Dominie" for the RAF. Postwar it was converted to civilian DH-89 standard.

I once flew in in an identical aircraft from Llanbedr airfield in North Wales - it did a low-level tour of the beautiful and rugged mountains of Snowdonia. It never missed a beat, but I was glad of the security afforded by a second engine!

Alan

 

[LizzieMaine]

Many years ago I had the chance to go up in a WW1-era Jenny -- a friend of a friend was a specialist in antique aircraft, and he had one, and I was about to climb into the passenger seat when I realized that the thing was (at the time) a sixty-year-old framework of sticks covered with cloth. A kite with a motor on it. And I chickened out. Which I regret very much...

 

[Flivver]

In 1972, I flew from Worcester, MA to NYC on a Convair 440 (Convair's answer to the DC3). I think it was on Mohawk Airlines, but I'm not sure.

My first flight was in 1969, from Boston to Detroit on an American Airlines Boeing 707. Not sure if this one qualifies as vintage, but 707s were flying in the late 1950s. I remember the round trip fare for this flight was $44 with a student discount!

It's kind of scary to realize that I'm old enough so that my flights on vintage aircraft were on regularly scheduled commercial flights.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Hi Folks,

Back in the late nineteen-sixties, there were three or four Ford Trimotors still flying. I managed to fly in two of them. The first was at an airshow in South Carolina and the other one was at Oshkosh, a couple of years later.

As I recall, they were very slow and very noisy, but not uncomfortable.

Oh yes, I almost forgot. I soloed in a 1943 Piper J-3.

Atticus

 

[Flivver]

Hi Folks,

Back in the late nineteen-sixties, there were three or four Ford Trimotors still flying. I managed to fly in two of them. The first was at an airshow in South Carolina and the other one was at Oshkosh, a couple of years later.

As I recall, they were very slow and very noisy, but not uncomfortable.

Oh yes, I almost forgot. I soloed in a 1943 Piper J-3.

Atticus

The Ford Trimotor is my all time favorite aircraft...the Flivver of the air!

 

[dhermann1]

A friend of my mother's flew across the country in a Ford Tri Motor around 1927 when she was little. She brushed it off like it was no big deal. (!)
When I was stationed in Honolulu I had a chance to fly to the Big Island for the weekend. We went out from Hickam on a C-54, and came back in a C-47. The pilot was getting his hours in, so we flew long low circles over the Kiluea Crater. Never underestimate the ability of our Military to blow a few of the taxpayers dollars on a little jaunt for the fun of it.
In 1963, on our family's European trip, we got diverted from MIlan to Rome and the back to Milan on an old Vickers Viscount, the first commercial turboprop. My brother and I were ecstatic. Also, some time in the early 60's I flew into LaGuardia on an old Lockheed Electra. Not the Amelia Earhart one, but the 4 engine turboprop one, that later had a couple of bad crashes.
I've also flown on the old Convair 110/220/440 series on good old Agony Airlines, uhh, err, I mean Alleghany (as well as Mohawk).
I once had a really fun ride in a friend's Cessna 140. That was a real hoot.
Lizzie: If you probably had the scenes with Jennies from Jimmy Stewart's "Spirit of St Louis" and the scene with Ben Blue from "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming" in your brain when you declined the ride. TOOOO bad!
Oh, yes. Does a KC-130 count? I flew home from Hawaii to California in 1969 in one. They let us sit up in the cockpit for awhile. Just sitting there surrounded by glass, with ocean to horizon in every direction was an amazing experience.

 

[Miss Sis]

I have been in the Duxford Dragon Rapide! It was great. Few years ago now.

My boyfriend at the time arranged it as a surprise when I came back from a job away. We dressed in our 40s gear (I didn't have 30s stuff at the time) and the pilot was most amused by our dress.

I had to take my hat off to get in the plane as it was full up. We flew over London which was an amazing view!

 

[Twitch]

B-17, B-25 and P-51 but I was actually able to take my turn at the stick of this one

Stearman N2S

 

[Dinerman]

I also took a ride in a deHavilland Beaver and flew a Stinson L-5. The Beaver was quite a ride, sitting right behind that big round engine!

We took a ride in a beaver over the glaciers when we were up in Alaska. It was quite a time.

 

[dostacos]

well I spent a lot of time in the 5th seat of my dad's Beach Travel air 1959... he had it certified to hold 5 pair of skis in an aluminum box down the tail of the fuselage flew that for a long time, then when to a Hot Cherokee then a pressurized 210 ended with a pair of Cessna Golden Eagles hot plane that had to be FLOWN, too many pilots would just cut the power to descend which was hard on the engines

 

[zaika]

oooh. i almost got to take a quick trip in a B-17 (which happened to be my favorite thing in the world at the time)...about fifteen years ago. but my mom, sadly, couldn't afford the fifty bucks they were asking for. nonetheless, i was on cloud nine just to be able to go inside! it remains one of my sweetest experiences. i hope to maybe get my chance to take a short ride in one someday.

the pilot was sure dashing, though. too bad he wasn't wearing a uniform.

 

[RondoHatton]

Told I was a passenger, L.A. - Frisco, at six months age - coulda been a Connie? Demonstration flight passenger, Van Nuys Airport circa 1965, Ford Tri-Motor... LOUD! Passenger Aeronca Champ (wartime? Postwar?), Sta. Mon. Airport, circa 1972? Not flown commercial or otherwise since about the time Patty Hearst was a fugitive. Oh, to take that vintage seaplane service to the Avalon Ball!

 

[Diamondback]

Does having replicas of a Mustang and a Fokker Dr.I on the to-build list count?

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Here is my story from a previous thread....

http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?p=387264#post387264

-dixon cannon