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Tractors in the Sky

36K views 213 replies 41 participants last post by  JD-4100 
#1 · (Edited)
Someone here today mentioned that they liked the sound of radial engines. When I say I grew up on a farm, I really mean I grew up on a farm with airplanes AND tractors. My father was a machinist, welder, engineer, A&P mechanic, farmer, flight instructor AND a crop duster. He couldn't cook to save his life though:laugh:
Here are a couple pictures of one of our Stearmans. He operated the same two airplanes for 50 years...So we had them apart a few times:laugh:. One of the pictures is the radial after a fresh rebuild. That is how we spent the cold Minnesota winters...wrenching on those things. It is a 9 cyl, 680 ci, 300hp lycoming. We had enough brand new spare parts to operate another 50 years,all bought after WWII surplus for pennies on the dollar.

That's my brother performing a very common task...adding oil.
 

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#2 ·
Wow, your Father sounds like quite a guy!







So, what happened to you:laugh:

Just kidding of course, I love those pictures! Is the plane still in the family? Do you fly?
 
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#3 ·
At least I can cook:dance: I may have picked up a few other skills:bash:After my father's passing 15 years ago, we sold the planes. Without my father's skill set and administrative duties :nunu:,and the fact that there were 7 siblings...most of which had long left the area, they became rich mans toys.
 
#4 ·
Brings back some memories....

I cut my teeth early in my A&P career working on round motors. R2000s, R2800s, and my favorite, the R3350. Heck even the occasional R980 thrown in for fun.

Nothing sound like a round engine with a single 8" tail pipe on start up. :thumbup1gif:

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#6 ·
Brings back some memories....

I cut my teeth early in my A&P career working on round motors. R2000s, R2800s, and my favorite, the R3350. Heck even the occasional R980 thrown in for fun.

Nothing sound like a round engine with a single 8" tail pipe on start up. :thumbup1gif:
HA HA...You worked on the big ones:thumbup1gif: People on this forum think their tractors are "cold blooded" :laugh:
 
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#9 ·
Arlen, those pics are just too cool.:thumbup1gif: Thanks for sharing them.:hi:
 
#12 ·
Guys! You've made my day! I used to fly a Stearman, and am typed on the DC-3 and used to fly it too! I LOVE a radial engine. In fact, when I hang around airports, the guys think it is funny to fire up a radial engine, becasue they know what it does for me! (If they could bottle puppy breath, horse sweat, or radial engine sound, it would be the perfect turn on in a cologne!) I owned a Cessna 140A, and took a J-3 Cub from Fort Worth, Texas to Oshkosh, one year, for the annual Fly-in. That was a really long trip, and was truly flying by the seat of your pants. Wouldn't take a million dollars for the memories though! I'll still fly most anyhting I can strap to my backside!

I now have access to 2 RV-6. A couple of friends built them. At least it keeps me from missing the flying days. If it didn't cost so much to operate, I'd love to own a DC-3, but reality says, not now. If gas and oil prices continue climbing, I'm sure not ever. :cray: It was fun flying them for work. Awesome to get paid to live a dream.

My life isn't as exciting now, but still rewarding.

Thanks for all sharing pics. This is just FABULOUS!
 
#13 ·
My neighbor has a Stearman. They are beautiful planes! I was admiring some of the aluminum engine duct-work and asked what kind of welder was used. He said it was all welded with gas and a torch 80-90 years ago! I wish I could weld like that.
 
#14 ·
That is right, all welding on the stearman aluminum or steel was done with oxy-accetelyne. The FAA is funny about using the processes that the aircraft was originally approved with.
I learned how to weld with a torch when I was pretty young. I wasn't as good as my father with aluminum though. It was tempting to break out the TIG, but my father said if it failed, and caused a crash... the FAA would figure it out....they weren't any too fond of crop dusters.
 
#15 ·
Oh man, so many cool pictures posted on this thread. Your brother holding the real old style oil bottle with spout is something else.
 
#16 ·
OK, since this thread has info about those of you that cut your teeth on the round engines, as well as everyone liking pictures, I thought I'd share a few, including one from the inside of the machine. Sorry, I could not get the blasted computer to get me into the only program that I know how to resize with, so apologies to those of you like me, with rural internet.

And yes, it is yours truly as PIC in these pics!
 

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#17 ·
Do you have/keep that at your farm and fly it off the back pasture? I am so jealous. I often see Everts Air Cargo flying their DC-6's out to the bush delivering fuel and wish I could just hop on for a trip. Nostalgia is such thing with old planes. I always do a neck snap when I hear a radial overhead.
 
#18 ·
Furu; That is not my bird. I was flying it for someone else, at the time of the pics. I wish I owned a DC-3, and could afford to operate it too. I have to be happy with memories and the pics on my walls, at this time.

The area those pics were taken is north of Dallas. The airport is still there, but everything has grown up around it. Some call it progress, but I don't call it that.
 
#20 ·
Man, I want to live in a country where everyone drives tractors and flies radial-engine airplanes around! The world would be a better place. :laugh:

Cool pics farmgirl!
 
#21 ·
Yes, I think you are right, andy b, the world would be a better place! They didn't have A/C, but in the summer, we could open the cockpit windows on the DC-3, and since you were moving, even in the Texas heat, it wasn't bad. It wasn't a quiet ride, but I loved listening to the radial engines. To this day, they affect me.

I find it sad that many of the round engines are becoming extinct. Pratt and Whitney made the best engines! They were honest and dependable, but did use the oil! They were less of an oil drinker, if one added some Marvel Mystery Oil. I don't know if they still make that stuff, but when flying radials, I never wanted to be without it!
 
#24 ·
The truly sad part is round engines are disappearing, at least the big ones... The people, parts, tools, and the aircraft that use them are going away. It was difficult to get parts years ago. I can't imagine how it is now.


:shhh: Don't tell anybody...but I have recordings of round engines. Start-ups, mag checks, take-offs, fly bys, etc. It's called round sounds. :laugh: It only appeals to real "round heads." :thumbup1gif::mocking:
 
#25 ·
Are you willing to share? Of course, if I had that, I probably would never get my work done! :munch:
 
#27 · (Edited)
Here's another family Stearman picture. It's my uncle, Johnny Vasey. You would find him if you did a little googling. He was a famous airshow piliot in his day (1950's).
He had a P&W 450 on his. He was famous for his inverted manuvers and his 1/2 inside, half outside snap roll. He built a glider in high school and taught himself how to fly in 1927, he was a civillian flight instructor for the army before the war, and was on a B-29 crew during the war. After the war, he and my father spent the late 40's and 50's "barn storming" all over North America.
He built Duane Cole's T-craft. So we had quite a bit of aviation history in our family. Fortunately, both him and my father liked to take pictures.:thumbup1gif:
 

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#28 ·
Here's another family Stearman picture. It's my uncle, John Vasey. You would find him if you did a little googling. He was a famous airshow piliot in his day (1950's).
He had a P&W 450 on his. He was famous for his inverted manuvers and his 1/2 inside, half outside snap roll. He built a glider in high school and taught himself how to fly in 1927, he was a civillian flight instructor for the army before the war, and was on a B-29 crew during the war. After the war, he and my father spent the late 40's and 50's "barn storming" all over North America.
He built Duane Cole's T-craft. So we had quite a bit of aviation history in our family. Fortunately, both him and my father liked to take pictures.:thumbup1gif:
6 degrees of separation? I know that T-craft!

Really cool pics! Thanks for sharing!
 
#29 ·
Just lovin this thread, the pics and stories are great. Thanks!

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2
 
#36 ·
What is the size limit for pics and videos? I have a couple of video clips I might be able to share. (I think I too video of the B-17 that was at the Vintage Flying Museum, in Fort Worth, as she was leaving for her new museum home.) Maybe I can find photos of it soon, and post them, instead.
 
#37 ·
We do not/can not host video's, they must be uploaded to YouTube or another hosting service then linked to from your post. I cant remember the picture size, but it's pretty large.
 
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#39 ·
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#44 ·
Jason there are free versions of drop box and many others. I am not positive but I don't think you need to do the Google plus deal (which is a joke) to use the Google drive app. Could be wrong on that though.

Sent from my tapatalk device. Fat fingered typing (misspellings) probable..
 
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#49 ·
More Bush pilot fun. Real world, instead of competition.

So, You Wanna' Be A Bush Pilot....



Click here: Runway for this guys is a luxury!
To paraphrase a line from Blazing Saddles, "Runways! We don't need no stinkin' runways!"

Some how I don't think this is how Donald thought you should fly his transport





this is the way to fly a DC - 4!!


http://www.youtube.com/v/hrziTee4b2c&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version

Fun to note that he is flying with engines 3 and 4 stopped for part of it, and when he turns them, they both get up to RPM quickly.
I doubt Douglas' engineers meant for that bird to do those things. Amazing testament to the design and durability of a 50 - 60 year old airplane designed with pencil and paper.
 
#47 ·
#48 ·
I would've fell over and died if I saw that in person... I've spent quite a few hours on DC-4s and converted C-54s, but never saw that. Awesome yet very ballsy. Loved every second of it!:thumbup1gif:
 
#51 ·
I have no idea if the DC-4 uses nothing but cables, pulleys, and bellcranks for the control surfaces, or if it uses hydraulics; but if there is no powered assist for the control surfaces, then I would imagine doing those maneuvers takes some real physical grunt on the part of the pilots.
 
#52 ·
It's all manual. Flaps, gear, and cowl flaps are hydraulic powered. Relatively easy to fly, but it's heavy to horse around on hard maneuvers. Cool old airplane though.

I used to have a letter from Douglas that stated how much fuel the wings could leak. The DC-4 had wet wings with square/rectangular access panels. (DC-6s and later corrected this with either bladders or round access panels or both.) It was impossible to get the panels from leaking. They constantly leaked "wing solvent" at a pretty good rate. To the uninitiated it was scary looking. :lol: That letter was really handy when the FAA would ramp check us.
 
#56 ·
DC-3s are twin engined tail draggers, while the 4s are 4 engined tricycle gear. DC-3s are way more common than the 4s.


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