old transports

SHAME ON YOU ALL – you have forgotten the the great transport plane of all time – YES – THE DAKOTA, DC3 or Skytrain. It served everywhere!!!

dakota

Belslow

Invented, like Douglas C-133A, to lug ICBM/IRBMs about. Before hardened silos the idea was more pads than birds, to confuse the Sovs. MX Peacekeeper was to have a rail mode for the same shell game – now you see it, now you don’t.
Took forever to deliver, grossly over budget. Task went away with withdrawal of Thor/Jupiter, but job was not cancelled because we owned Shorts and the alternative to funding them on the Defence budget was to fund them on the social. Thus, RAF VC10 fuselages.
Tyne had puff for short haul, but to FEAF could cart any 2 of fuel, crew, payload
Fav? Viking/Valetta, waddling. Clouds at start up, strange clunking at shut down.

C119 Boxcar

My dad was a flight engineer on the Boxcars in the 50’s and 60’s when I showed him this shot of a RCAF C119 in UN markings his only comment:
“This is an excellent view of Fairchild’s air conditioning in action!”
Nuff said.

SEA VIXEN. Three Belfasts found buyers more readily after RAF service because Short,s had spent money and time getting them civilian certification right at the beginning. It was defence spending cuts that saw their withdrawel from militery service so I doubt whether the bean counters worried about what would replace it, if anything.
No Argosies are still flying. I always understood the performance was a bit wanting. A pilot friend who flew both Merchantmen(Vanguard) and Argosies said that to clear the Alpes out of Turin in the Argosy you had to head the oposite way for 20 minutes to get enough height, while the Marchantmen had no trouble climbing out direct. Also read about a leg pull after an RAF navigation excercise that ended at Malta the winning Argosy crew were asked how they would get the trophy home. Payload/range was a problem.
Personaly I would prefer to see a Beverley/Shackleton/Hastings/C133/Argosy/C97/Connie in the air rather than spent vast sums on the Vulcan, but that,s my personal likes. I also wonder what the Vulcan displays would be like if it does fly again, tamer than when operated by the RAF I suspect.

If any of you had had to sit in the back of a Belfast from Singapore to UK, then you would think the RAF bought 10 too many.

Belfast

From what I have read, there was only one left in service (civilian) as of 1998

The RAF only wanted (or could afford) 10, and the design failed completely to gain any ground in the civil market. Pity, it’s one of my favourite aircraft, ever since I stood on the top of the Rock of Gibraltar and watched a Belfast laboriously getting off the ground and then circling away to go down the Mediterranean! I was servicing the Eureka/Rebecca beacon at the time, my favourite job!

it always baffles me why only 10 Belfasts was built, and they was in service for a fairly short time. the RAF must have missed such a capable asset.
another fantastic looking transport is the Argosy. a strange beast to say the least. is there eny Argosys still flying today… i have seen a few in cival colours, or are these long gone. wouldent it be fantastic to see a Beverley in the air again. she would certainly turn some heads at airshows…. 🙂

Not even a handful was built, never used operationally, relatively unknown
and, to be honest, not really a beauty !
Nevertheless, for me one of the most interesting post war transports,
the SNCAC NC.211 Cormoran.
Someone, who has a drawing/picture/artist’s impression, or something
like that of the pre-project, the even larger NC.210 ?
(picture from www.airwar.ru)

How about this… larger version, and a quaint little desk-top model. Curious choice of names… I mean, sure the Cormorant isn’t the most attractive bird, but definitely a wee bit more sleek than the NC.211… Walrus maybe??

http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=600&ID_CONSTRUCTEUR=1141&ANNEE=&ID_MISSION=&MOTCLEF=

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/aircollection/poinsot.htm

SNCAC NC.211 CORMORAN OFFSPRING

Big Brother and younger Brother.

A bit like this one.

That’s what I’m talkin’ about!

Not even a handful was built, never used operationally, relatively unknown
and, to be honest, not really a beauty !
Nevertheless, for me one of the most interesting post war transports,
the SNCAC NC.211 Cormoran.
Someone, who has a drawing/picture/artist’s impression, or something
like that of the pre-project, the even larger NC.210 ?
(picture from www.airwar.ru)

I think we’ve just found the C5 Galaxy’s daddy!

Not even a handful was built, never used operationally, relatively unknown
and, to be honest, not really a beauty !
Nevertheless, for me one of the most interesting post war transports,
the SNCAC NC.211 Cormoran.
Someone, who has a drawing/picture/artist’s impression, or something
like that of the pre-project, the even larger NC.210 ?
(picture from www.airwar.ru)

Apparently when the Beverley was due to make its first flight the staff at Brough had a bet to see whether it would get off the ground or not!

The Connie is lovely, but a bit too bendy looking for my liking. Britannia all the way!

Surely the Avro York deserves honourable mention?

i think the Britannia and the connie are the most elegant looking aircraft ever built.. absouloutly beautiful…..
heres some maybe less elagant, but still gorgeous old classics…

Sorry, the Connie can win both ways!

This is a C-121C and yet in an airline paint scheme.

Just beautiful!! 😀

G’day 😉

C-46 For Sale

Anyone interested in purchasing a C-46, also, you can’t forget about the DC-4 when it comes to big radial engine transports.

http://www.buffaloairways.com/information%20on%20c-46%20sales%20package…

Not forgetting

Connie best looking?

Nah.

(Before you go telling me it’s an airliner, the RAF and dozens of private operators used these for freight too)

Constellation at Dayton 2003

A bit like this one.