My Favorite DC-3 / C-47 Story
I read this article about 30 years ago, but lost the magazine. It was in "Douglas Service," IIRC.
The young pilot was due for rotation after completing his tour flying the Hump. It was his last return flight to Burma, but there was no other pilot available, so he decided to fly it solo, he was so anxious to get home. Seeing on the manifest a load of cadavers, he was a bit put off, but not enough to cancel.
He had to walk past all the body bags to enter the cockpit. His preflight showed the breathing oxygen was depleted, but hey, he only had to go to 18,000+, so off he went into the darkness.
The hypoxia, and his guilt at going home a survivor, and not dead, combined in his mind with the cadavers moaning as they outgassed at altitude. His hallucinations of the cadavers coming into the cockpit to get him were overwhelming.
The ground crew in Burma had to pry his hands from the control wheel, the plane sitting on the runway after landing, engines running.
His return home was delayed by the six weeks inpatient psycho care.
He went on to a career flying for American Airlines.
Wish I could find a copy of that story.
GB