Instrument Flying the Connie

[Pilot]

From an era when commercial airline travel was an event not an ordeal.

http://www.youtube.com/user/higarcia

[TwoDogs]

Cool. When I was at my first duty station, NAS Oceana, VA. VAQ-33 used to fly in with their C-121 "Super Connie." Damn that was a BIG airplane !

[Pilot]

Cool. When I was at my first duty station, NAS Oceana, VA. VAQ-33 used to fly in with their C-121 "Super Connie." Damn that was a BIG airplane !


Did it look like this, but with Navy markings?

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/0/6/3/1371360.jpg (http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA%20-%20Air%20Force/Lockheed%20EC-121T%20Warning%20Star%20(L-1049A)/1371360/L/&width=1060&height=807&sok=keyword_%28%27+%22constellation%22%27_IN_BOOLEAN_MODE%29%29_&sort=_order_by_photo_id_DESC_&photo_nr=1&prev_id=&next_id=1369888)

[TwoDogs]

Oh yeah. That's it. I read somewhere on the net, that that AC was Navy before it was transfered.

[DaJudge]

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/0/6/3/1371360.jpg (http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA%20-%20Air%20Force/Lockheed%20EC-121T%20Warning%20Star%20(L-1049A)/1371360/L/&width=1060&height=807&sok=keyword_%28%27+%22constellation%22%27_IN_BOOLEAN_MODE%29%29_&sort=_order_by_photo_id_DESC_&photo_nr=1&prev_id=&next_id=1369888)
That's the EC-121. My 1st assignment was McClellan AFB CA 1967-69. A major tenant there was the 552 AEW&C Wing flying those. The crews would get sent on 179 day TDYs to SE Asia to fly Big Eye and College Eye missions. Basically 12-18 hrs of flying a racetrack off the coast of Viet Nam to provide Airborne early warning and control to USAF and USN aircraft.

[Pilot]

That's the EC-121. My 1st assignment was McClellan AFB CA 1967-69. A major tenant there was the 552 AEW&C Wing flying those. The crews would get sent on 179 day TDYs to SE Asia to fly Big Eye and College Eye missions. Basically 12-18 hrs of flying a racetrack off the coast of Viet Nam to provide Airborne early warning and control to USAF and USN aircraft.


Cool! I know a Navy A&P/IA that used to maintain them in Nam. I can't imagine the maintenance on those radials. Can't imagine flying racetrack holds for umpteen hours on end either. Thank God for autopilots.

[HollywoodCTS]

Ok flying them is cool but could you imagine the maintenece on those giant radials? What a nightmare. Imagine two spark plugs per cylinder and im not sure buy they gotta have at least 15 cylinders time four engines? What a job! And I complain about 6 in my jeep that are easy to get to....

[CapnCrunch]

Damn, I remember when smoking was still allowed on domestic flights. Sucked being a non-smoker stuck in a smoke-filled cabin. http://www.fivethirty.com/images/zombie.gif