Ted, I found the next addition to the Cloud Nine fleet

Perfect! So does that mean you're donating the plane, type rating, and insurance? ;)
 
Sweet! And probably good for another 60+ years, with the turbines on it. Good ol' Gooney Bird... I love 'em.

As pricey a proposition as it would be, I can't think of anything else that could haul as much to/from the same runways (or "landing areas"), with the same speed and range, for the same purchase/operating costs. With piston radials, the maintenance costs/problems could get crazy, but with turbines, it becomes very feasible... that's why the conversions are popular for DC-3s that still need to work hard every day. May upset some purists, but it's still a Gooney to me, even if it's been made into a T-67, and it's still a great classic.
 
Trapper John said:
287 SF cargo area! I've lived in smaller apartments...put in a bathroom and call it a 2nd home.

But, where are the de-ice boots? Optional?


Trapper John
Click to expand...

It's got a LOT of wing. There's bound to be part of it not picking up ice because it's sticking out of a cloud. :D
 
Trapper John said:
But, where are the de-ice boots? Optional?


Trapper John
Click to expand...

If you read Ernest Gann, you'll know. Apparently the DC-3 is quite the ice-carrier. I guess, if the mail has to get through, it has to get through. I'm not really down with exploring the ice limits of my (FIKI) plane.:no:
 
Trapper John said:
287 SF cargo area! I've lived in smaller apartments...put in a bathroom and call it a 2nd home.

But, where are the de-ice boots? Optional?


Trapper John
Click to expand...

Heck, call it a first home. That gives me an idea....hmmmmmmm...
 
flyersfan31 said:
If you read Ernest Gann, you'll know. Apparently the DC-3 is quite the ice-carrier. I guess, if the mail has to get through, it has to get through. I'm not really down with exploring the ice limits of my (FIKI) plane.:no:
Click to expand...

I just thought this particular one was odd for not having boots - all the DC-3s I've seen have boots and I assumed that was factory standard equipment.


Trapper John
 
Trapper John said:
I just thought this particular one was odd for not having boots - all the DC-3s I've seen have boots and I assumed that was factory standard equipment.


Trapper John
Click to expand...

Maybe 'cause boots are for sissies?? :dunno:






:D
 
flyersfan31 said:
Apparently the DC-3 is quite the ice-carrier. I guess, if the mail has to get through, it has to get through. I'm not really down with exploring the ice limits of my (FIKI) plane.:no:
Click to expand...

A lot of these old, thick, inefficient wing designs seem to be very good when it comes to ice collection. While I've not tested it personally (and have no desire to), I've talked to a number of pilots who've reported massive amounts of ice on their Aztecs and still landed without issue. Inefficient ice collector and an airfoil that just doesn't care.
 
flyersfan31 said:
If you read Ernest Gann, you'll know. Apparently the DC-3 is quite the ice-carrier. I guess, if the mail has to get through, it has to get through. I'm not really down with exploring the ice limits of my (FIKI) plane.:no:
Click to expand...
Actually, according to Gann, the 2 was good with ( a lot of) ice, but the 3 was not.

From "The Seasoning" ,a story about a harrowing ice encounter in a DC-2 that had been put into service to replace a DC-3 at the last minute:

"The leading edge of the wing is now one long, unbroken bar of ice..."

"Hughen pounds his feet on the rudder pedals. they are immovable. The rudder... is frozen..."


"...I not only had moments to fall in love with a haggard and middle-aged collection of aluminum but to wonder at its presence. The schedule called for us to be flying a DC-3, which would undeniably have had a much worse time carrying this same load of ice."

"It took the mechanics two hours of hard labor to knock the ice from our wings, cowlings, and empennage. In most places it had reached a thickness of four inches."

He basically attributes his survival on that flight to this weird, random quirk of fate (getting the DC-2 instead of the 3)... he was convinced that had it been a 3, they'd have never made it.

This is also the story, BTW, where he describes "ice bridging" on the boots, which has been dismissed by many as impossible. But if it is possible, getting stuck in wx like he describes in the story would provide the perfect conditions for it, I think.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
A lot of these old, thick, inefficient wing designs seem to be very good when it comes to ice collection. While I've not tested it personally (and have no desire to), I've talked to a number of pilots who've reported massive amounts of ice on their Aztecs and still landed without issue. Inefficient ice collector and an airfoil that just doesn't care.
Click to expand...


With a Gooney,you don't even need a full wingspan (the famous mountain-collision incident and subsequent safe landing):

The skipper's "report of flight irregularity":
http://denfl.tripod.com/FL_PHX1957PilotReport.txt

Photos:
http://lamkins.tripod.com/FL_DC3HitMtn.jpg

http://lamkins.tripod.com/FL_DC3PHX1957Apr.jpg

http://lamkins.tripod.com/FL_DC3CrashPic4.jpg

http://lamkins.tripod.com/FL_DC3CrashPic5.jpg


... You don't even need matching wings (the famous "DC 2 1/2"):

http://www.cnac.org/aircraft02.htm

BTW, to get the replacement wing to the field where this was done, they flew it there... strapped to the belly of a DC-2!!
 
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