[gmcjetpilot]

Remembering the WWII pilot

Interesting:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060324/ap_on_re_us/frozen_airman


I guess a AT-7 is a Beechcraft Model 18 (or Twin Beech). Also variant of the Beech Model 18: C-45, UC-45, F-2, AT-7, AT-11. They are still flying freight in parts of the US (world) today, every night. Must have been a good plane. Never flew one but remember seeing the freight dogs flying them when I was flying commuters. I could see them starting up at night, they belched smoke and shot FLAMES out their short exhaust stacks, as the radials where snarling to life. Cool

http://www.warbirdalley.com/at11.htm

Sorry if this smacks of politics, religion or American patriotism (not really, sorry), but, God bless all the men and woman who have served and now serve in the US Armed Forces, especially those who died in service to their country for our freedom. Any Beechcraft 18 / C-45, UC-45. F-2, AT-7, AT-11, pilots out there? I have heard a few WWII pilots talk of their experiences. Pretty amazing stuff. Can you imagine a family member, brother, father, uncle coming home after all these years!

George

 

[4kilo]

George,

I flew 18's during my night freight days (nights?). It was a pretty cool airplane in the air, but a real queen b**** on the ground. Our Beech's had six fuel tanks, so if you handled the fuel management just right, on one of those long single pilot nights, you could wake your self right up four times by a tank running out of fuel. I was always impressed with the fact that it was much easier to lean the engines at night. If you crane forward in the cockpit you can see the exhaust, and by adjusting the mixture by the exhaust flame color, you could do quite a bit better than by using the EGT's - of course we didn't have any fancy computer engine monitors, just a ratty old surplus military gage that sort of worked most of the time.

Pat