Zing

I have a few shirts in my wardrobe with the same DC-3 mark. I stopped by Elroy a few weeks ago to visit and they were planning a DC-3 load, so I walked out to say hello the airplane, after all its the one I did my type ride in. True to the nature of DC-3s, old Colonel Joe nailed me with a few drops of oil ... almost got a lump in my throat. Zing Lurks

Not to mention the fact that a number of parts on any DC-3 aren't made of aluminum ... at least none of the DC-3s I flew were 100% aluminum. Zing Lurks

I'll soon be celebrating the 32nd annivesary of the expiration of my USPA Lifetime membership. Zing Lurks

I remember that Zhills Boogie. I was down there with a bunch of Michigan jumpers shortly before I moved to Arizona. One of the boogies we had at Ghoulidge around 1980? or so had a right-hand door DC-3. I'm looking around for a photo or two from that one. When I was flying DC-3s at Coolidge for Larry Hill, a guy had "The City of Reno" DC-3 parked there and I flew it with him a few times when he was trying to get ready for a type-ride. He had all the records on the plane from the airlines plus maintenance logs. Trip logs signed by Earnest K. Gann, the total number of gallons of oil and gas the airplane used, how many and when the engines, wings, etc. were changed. Was fun to get to fly a semi-historical airplane. Zing Lurks

This airplane got mentioned in another thread, but I don't remember which one ... this showed up on the morning news wire. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071121/wl_nm/subbedbosnia_plane_france_dc_2 Zing Lurks

I thought it was "No drinking within 8 feet of the airplane." Zing Lurks

Nope, it won't be enough, but the Playboy check will probably give her enough money to pursue a lawsuit against the airline ... and that settlement will pay for school. Zing Lurks

Flying for Joe the last couple years of his life, I got to listen to a lot of his stories ... and Cal City was a place he always spoke of as special to him. Zing Lurks

The Arizona Parachute Ranch, aka The Lurking Narc Sport Parachute Center South ... went in a loong time ago, hit with a sickening thud, and the Swooping Ghouls got restless and flew away. Dope Valley was LNSPC North. Zing Lurks

From what I understand, the teacher performed a cheerleading routine wearing tights during her reegular classroom hours, during the school's "Spirit" week leading up to homecoming. A student in the class sureptiously video'd the routine on a cellphone (a student using a cellphone in a classroom is also a violation of the school's policy, but no action was taken against the students involved.) The cellphone video was edited and posted on YouTube by students, word got around, complaints were filed against the teacher by parents, meetings were held, the school board met once, then again, and teach is out on her ass ... contract terminated. Inappropriate dress and behavior in the classroom. According to other parents and students, she was a good teacher, well-liked by most students, but she was fired anyway. I think it was only her second year as a teacher. Zing Lurks

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/071114/ids_photos_wl/r326313877.jpg Here's another warbird soon to slavaged and possibly restored. It just showed up on the news wire tonight. Zing Lurks

One of those odd footnotes of history, is that deployment of the dive flap for the P-38s already in the European Theater was delayed when the first shipment of refit flap kits was on board one of the first DC-4s to get near England, I think in 1944, but may have been late 1943. The aircraft was intercepted by British fighters, who did not recognize the DC-4/C-54 design, and shot it down, believing it was the long-feared debut of a rumoured German 4-engine heavy bomber. It took months to manufacture a second batch of kits and get them to the Allied Forces. A friend's dad from down the street crashed in a P-38 pulling out of a dive into the compressibility range and was paralyzed from the waist down. He told the story a few times about how he had both feet up on the instrument panel, pulling the yoke back with all his might, seeing the nose finally start to come up as he passed 12,000 feet ... and knowing he wasn't going to make it. He was horribly burned in the post-crash fire. I never heard him birch or complain even one time about his fate. If that DC-4 had arrived safely, Gar's airplane would have been one of the first squadrons retrofitted with the dive-flap. Zing Lurks

Yep ... they fired her yesterday. Zing Lurks

The name of the person on the load who has the safety meeting stuff, and then land where they do. Zing Lurks

I only made a few jumps at Cal City over the years, but I flew DC-3s and Otters up there a number of times in the early 90s. It was always a good party and great folks. Three things stand out in my mind about flying there, like the time Matt and I were flying Skip Evan's 3 along the mountains to the west of Cal City. Matt was flying and we were circling in a thermal getting 2400 feet a minute in climb when we stuck a wing out of the thermal. The wind shear wrenched the yoke right out of Matt's grasp with enough force to injure his shoulder. I showed up in a Twin Otter one Friday afternoon to find 45-knot plus winds 90 degrees to the runway. After two exciting tries at getting the Otter down on the runway and hearing no response on the radio on Unicom, I landed into the wind on the taxiway right in front of Van's hangar and parked there. I figured I'd get my ass chewed for landing there, but there wasn't a soul on the airport that I could find, so I taxied the plane down to parking and tied it down. The third was flying that same Otter, 915SM, when the girl riding in the co-pilot's seat stood up on jump run. turned to go in the back and snagged both fuel levers on her rig and shut off both engines. In the sudden quiet, I called out that this IS jump run, everybody out on one pass. After a few seconds of building panic in the back, a voice asks, "What direction are we going?" The jump run was into the wind and groundspeed was pretty slow, but the altimeter was unwinding steadily, so I answered, "Well, mostly down right now." The airplane emptied remarkably quickly. Zing Lurks

Yes Zing Lurks

Of all the thread hijacks in the history of dizzycom ... you two have just taken it to another level. Considering the topic, your (both of you) personal pissing match on this particular thread is disgusting. Zing Lurks

Sheesh ... skydivers. Don't those guys know that thing is designed for head down jumpers with the bumbershoot leading the way. Keeps the pointy end of the raindrops from hitting the jumper. Zing Lurks

Certainly looks like it did happen, now doesn't it? Zing Lurks

"I think ya forgot one more! " I can never see the airplane in that one! Zing Lurks

That is one of THE all time best aviation scenes in the history of Hollywierd ... that and the Twin Beech flying in "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World." Zing Lurks

Urban myth. Didn't happen. Zing Lurks

I'd say you thank Van and Alberta for the years of blood, sweat and tears, not to mention the time and money, they've invested in that drop zone, wish them well in their future endeavors ... then pray there's another of those rare birds around to get the ball rolling on another successful drop zone in the area. Zing Lurks

Well, there are copyright considerations, not to mention a pretty hefty fee for one-off copies to DVD ... but if you want to buy them and have those DVDs made, I'd consider one DVD copy of each film as part of the purchase fee. Zing Lurks

I've got 16mm film copies of "This Is A Sport," "Masters Of The Sky," and "El Capitan," with sound. I'd consider selling them if someone made me a reasonable offer. Zing Lurks