DC-4
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DC-4
In another forum I belong to there are rumours of some small outfit starting freight operations with one or two DC-4s... from Ireland.
Anyone know anything as it happens to be my #1 absolutely rock-solid favourite aeroplane. There happen to be 2 C-54s standing around at North Weald... or have they gone?
Anyone know anything as it happens to be my #1 absolutely rock-solid favourite aeroplane. There happen to be 2 C-54s standing around at North Weald... or have they gone?
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Oh wow - yes!!! Once upon a time when I was working in darkest Africa an Aer Turas DC4 landed. My boss said: "See those two guys dressed like bus drivers walking across to the tower? Well it's the Aer Turas boys!" In the steaming heat they were wearing the long, black overcoats so beloved of bus crews and driving examiners!! They were a great bunch.
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I did but once see the Aer Turas DC-4 EI-ARS, grumbling its way southwards toward Midhurst, 1976 or 1977 methinks. Must have been retired around then.
I think the two C-54s are still at Weald; would be good if they were reactivated into money-makers or at least preserved rather than left to rot.
I think the two C-54s are still at Weald; would be good if they were reactivated into money-makers or at least preserved rather than left to rot.
Last edited by treadigraph; 14th Feb 2007 at 16:50. Reason: Not only is there an "R" in the month, there is also one in Midhurst...
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There was an Icelandic DC4 operator that used to come in to Glasgow in the late 70s/ early 80s......quite common to watch as it broke out of cloud on the approach with one feathered, the pilot not having said a word.
Back to Heathrow, "The Prince of Darkness" or Iberia 2250/2251 was a feature of night duties.....aaaah!
Back to Heathrow, "The Prince of Darkness" or Iberia 2250/2251 was a feature of night duties.....aaaah!
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The two DC-4/C-54s are still parked at North Weald. They are now owned by Ace's High and occasionally the airfield is enveloped in smoke as the engines are run. They don't move much, grass is starting to sprout under them, in the gaps between the concrete blocks where they are parked.
It would be great to see them in the air again, the last DC-4 I saw was probably a Carvair.
It would be great to see them in the air again, the last DC-4 I saw was probably a Carvair.
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The Prince of Darkness" or Iberia 2250/2251 was a feature of night duties.
Suddenly there was a bundle of noise and an Air France Caravelle came hurdlling over the tower complaining of an aircraft on 10L. Yes, you can guess Fernando had ignored all the red stop bars gone to the wrong runway and lined himself up and poor old Henri had to overshoot. We used to reckon that they went round the bars in Madrid offering a few pesos to anybody that would fly the thing.
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I seem to recall it spent a lot of its time in a state of combustion. Spud Murphy had it climbing out of London one night and couldn't understand the gabbling R/T. Eventually a bilingual BUA chap said: "London, I think he's trying to tell you he's on fire". And if I had a quid for every time the bloke at Fairoaks rang to complain about a "large 4-engined aeroplane flying through my circuit trailing smoke". Happy days Jack!
EI-ARS
Ahh - memories 
I remember as a kid - EI-ARS bursting some (all?) tyres on a bumpy arrival at Leeds/Bradford one day and spending quite some time parked on 'the pan' awaiting repair.......
She's in a museum in Germany I believe now.
I remember as a kid - EI-ARS bursting some (all?) tyres on a bumpy arrival at Leeds/Bradford one day and spending quite some time parked on 'the pan' awaiting repair.......
She's in a museum in Germany I believe now.
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Well, there might be something to this after all.
Company Name: Ambassador Corporate Aviation
Position: Flight Deck Crew DC4 (Europe)
Description: Exp Captains and F/O plus Flight Eng required to operate two DC4
on freight work .
Based in Ireland and operating in Europe, only crew with type
rating on this type of Aircraft.
Address:
Attn:xxxxxxxxx
Ambassador Corporate Aviation
South Wales
UK
Position: Flight Deck Crew DC4 (Europe)
Description: Exp Captains and F/O plus Flight Eng required to operate two DC4
on freight work .
Based in Ireland and operating in Europe, only crew with type
rating on this type of Aircraft.
Address:
Attn:xxxxxxxxx
Ambassador Corporate Aviation
South Wales
UK
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Death Cruiser Flight Crew
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Flight engineer? The DC-4 (and its Canadian cousin the DC-4M North Star/Argonaut) was unique for four-engined transports of the era in not having a position for one. Must be for a 'travelling engineer' (and don't for gawd's sake refer to them as 'flying spanner' lest they get annoyed and wrap same round back of your head!) 
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Originally Posted by Groundloop
Where on Earth can you get a DC-4 type-rating?
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This one went into Princess Juliana last October.
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1137999/M/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1137999/M/
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Good luck to them but Air Atlantique took their DC-6s out of service for good reason and I cannot see that a DC-4 is a more profitable aircraft to operate. Carries less and is slower!
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DC-4 fond memory
Not really relevant to this subject, but I thought I might be able to find out who the pilot of this particular DC-4 was.
I was on a ship that blew up in 1964 off the coast of Oman and after a while we ended up in Aden where we waited for a chartered DC-4 to come and take us home.
The pilot was also the owner of the plane and we all got to have a sit in the RH seat on the way from Aden to Cairo ( 8 hrs !).
I know it was the 2nd of September 1964 when we landed in Cairo because my Seamans Discharge book has a stamp from the Egyptian authorities in it ( all our passports had been lost in the casualty).
After 10 hrs in Cairo our pilot took off for Southend Airport hoping to make it in one hit, unfortunately for him ( and us) we ran into a thunderstorm (which was most unpleasant) over Greece and we had to do a 180 to get out of it. This meant we had to land at Paris Orly to refuel which according to the pilot meant no profit for that trip.
We landed at Southend a few hours later.
The Company was Transmeridian which I believe went onto much greater things, I certainly hope so.
I was on a ship that blew up in 1964 off the coast of Oman and after a while we ended up in Aden where we waited for a chartered DC-4 to come and take us home.
The pilot was also the owner of the plane and we all got to have a sit in the RH seat on the way from Aden to Cairo ( 8 hrs !).
I know it was the 2nd of September 1964 when we landed in Cairo because my Seamans Discharge book has a stamp from the Egyptian authorities in it ( all our passports had been lost in the casualty).
After 10 hrs in Cairo our pilot took off for Southend Airport hoping to make it in one hit, unfortunately for him ( and us) we ran into a thunderstorm (which was most unpleasant) over Greece and we had to do a 180 to get out of it. This meant we had to land at Paris Orly to refuel which according to the pilot meant no profit for that trip.
We landed at Southend a few hours later.
The Company was Transmeridian which I believe went onto much greater things, I certainly hope so.
Hi
We used to see AIR TURAS a/c at Liverpool (Speke) airport bringing the Irish horses for the Grand National and one year I thought they had changed their livery to a Matt Black Undeside but one of the crew told me it was ONLY OIL as it had some VERY WET engines and they then he showed me a 50 gall drum and said they topped off the oil level wherever they went ??
We used to see AIR TURAS a/c at Liverpool (Speke) airport bringing the Irish horses for the Grand National and one year I thought they had changed their livery to a Matt Black Undeside but one of the crew told me it was ONLY OIL as it had some VERY WET engines and they then he showed me a 50 gall drum and said they topped off the oil level wherever they went ??