Go Back  PPRuNe Forums > Misc. Forums > Aviation History and Nostalgia
Reload this Page >

What was the oldest airplane you flew?

Aviation History and Nostalgia Whether working in aviation, retired, wannabee or just plain fascinated this forum welcomes all with a love of flight.

What was the oldest airplane you flew?

Old 5th Jul 2003, 07:50
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: formally Alamo battleground, now the crocodile with palm trees!
Posts: 960
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Question What was the oldest airplane you flew?

3 weeks ago ... a 1938 LN-65 Aeronca - what a thrill! Thanks Rogers!

BTW the RPM gauge was four times the size of airspeed indicator...

hopefully a Beech 18 next week...

C'mon ppruners - let me hear what kind of history you flew ...
Squawk7777 is offline  
Old 5th Jul 2003, 13:00
  #2 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Arizona USA
Posts: 8,571
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
In the early seventies, did a short term contract on DC-3's...and the best in the fleet (18 aircraft) was manufactured in 1936...and oddly enough did not leak in the rain.
Have no idea why not.
An ex-UAL bird, I think.
411A is offline  
Old 5th Jul 2003, 14:17
  #3 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Just South of the last ice sheet
Posts: 2,678
Received 7 Likes on 3 Posts
Can't beat the pre-war stuff but have flown a few of WW2 vintage:

1942 Stearman, 1942 Tiger Moth, 1943 L4 (O-49) Cub, 1944 Harvard and a 1946 Auster.

I only ever managed to sit in the pilot's seat of the former Strathallan Lancaster while it was on the ground. Still a wonderful feeling, sitting there with a handful of large throttles and looking out at a brace of Merlins on each wing. What a shame that she never flew again. C'mon Kermit put her back in the skies.

Any offers for a whizz about in a Mk9 2 seater Spit anybody??
LowNSlow is offline  
Old 5th Jul 2003, 19:42
  #4 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: In "BIG SKY".
Age: 84
Posts: 418
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thumbs up

I did my first solo in the mid '50's in a Miles Magister at Denham, G-AFBS, which was built in 1936-37. It was used at the reserve flying school at Woodley thoughout WW2 and now resides at Duxford. Hows that for survival?
Speedbird48 is offline  
Old 5th Jul 2003, 20:54
  #5 (permalink)  
wub
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Scotland
Posts: 1,213
Received 14 Likes on 7 Posts
I used regularly to fly a 1934 German Meise glider, of the type ued to train future Luftwaffe pilots.
wub is offline  
Old 5th Jul 2003, 21:05
  #6 (permalink)  
Sir George Cayley
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
1932 Spartan Arrow

What a loverly old thing it is too

Sir George Cayley

The air is a navigable ocean that laps at everyones door
 
Old 6th Jul 2003, 02:52
  #7 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Red Feather Club
Posts: 108
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Devil

WUB, sorry to say, no you didnt, cause the Meise wasnt even designed by Hans Jacobs in 1934, and appeared at the design competition in for what was to be Olympic sailplanes in Italy 1939.
There were well over 600 built during the war, and a few war built examples survive, there are no prewar Olympia Meise's left to my limited knowledge.
Sorry to spoil your claim....maybe you are getting confused with the Grunau Baby?

Like many others out there, Tiger Moth G-ACDC, but then she has been rebuilt several times in her long career, dont know if that counts!

Last edited by Hap Hazard; 6th Jul 2003 at 11:39.
Hap Hazard is offline  
Old 6th Jul 2003, 03:14
  #8 (permalink)  
wub
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Scotland
Posts: 1,213
Received 14 Likes on 7 Posts
Hap, Thanks for the correction. It was a Meise for sure, it belonged to a man called Toby Fisher and I flew it at Weston-Super-Mare. I just got the date wrong (old age creeping up)
wub is offline  
Old 6th Jul 2003, 04:27
  #9 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Oop North, UK
Posts: 3,076
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Someone has just put photos on the Private flying forum of G-AAMY,(1929), managed quite a few hours in that and another DH60,G-AAVJ, both wonderful aircraft, in many ways better than the Tiger.

Last edited by foxmoth; 6th Jul 2003 at 22:42.
foxmoth is offline  
Old 6th Jul 2003, 09:25
  #10 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Australia
Posts: 2,242
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Beech18, (C45) G-ASUG, sorry, don't know when she was built.
BlueEagle is offline  
Old 6th Jul 2003, 09:35
  #11 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Paradise
Age: 67
Posts: 1,548
Received 48 Likes on 17 Posts
1934 Porterfield. Apart from being extremely cramped in the front seat, it flew better than most light singles built 50 years later.
chimbu warrior is offline  
Old 6th Jul 2003, 22:44
  #12 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Walmington on Sea
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
IIRC Beech 18 G-ASUG was an E18S. That would put it circa. 1955.
Ex Oggie is offline  
Old 6th Jul 2003, 23:02
  #13 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: A few degrees South
Posts: 809
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Privatly several years on J-3 Cub, professionally co-pilot on Convair 580, Captain Viscount 700 series, Captain lLockheed L-188...
latetonite is offline  
Old 6th Jul 2003, 23:29
  #14 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Usually Oz
Posts: 732
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wink

A quick chance at a friend's Fairchild Argus. Unique in many ways and most enjoyable.

G'day
Feather #3 is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2003, 02:01
  #15 (permalink)  

Iconoclast
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: The home of Dudley Dooright-Where the lead dog is the only one that gets a change of scenery.
Posts: 2,132
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thumbs up An old man reminisces

I crewed on PBY-5As, Grumman JRFs (Goose), Beech JRBs (D-18), PB1G (B17), A-26 Invader and I had several rides in TBMs and PBMs. Of course these aircraft were of WW-2 vintage but the flights took place between 1947 and 1953 so the aircraft were not that old. I guess the only thing that is old is me.


Lu Zuckerman is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2003, 02:53
  #16 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Quite near 'An aerodrome somewhere in England'
Posts: 26,783
Received 257 Likes on 103 Posts
The oldest aeroplane I ever flew?

Pretty well anything owned by the RAF
BEagle is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2003, 03:20
  #17 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 492
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I've flown IN (as opposed to flown) a 1929 New Standard biplane at Old Rhineback on 11 th July 1982.

And in a 1931 Stinson Trimotor at Oshkosh in 1983.
poetpilot is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2003, 09:14
  #18 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Gold Coast
Age: 58
Posts: 1,611
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The oldest aeroplane I've flown isn't a patch on most of these, it was only a 1960 Cessna 150.
Five years older than me, and it was one that had a four-stage mechanical flap lever, like Piper's have.
Also had a pull-start handle to engage the starter instead of a solenoid.
18-Wheeler is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2003, 10:21
  #19 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: CYZV
Age: 77
Posts: 1,256
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Flown the following - 1933 Stinson SR-9, 1937 Lockheed 10A, 1943 PBY-5A.

18-Wheeler, my 150 was the deluxe version. Had electric flaps.
pigboat is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2003, 20:34
  #20 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Midlands
Age: 71
Posts: 605
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Old planes

I own and fly two machines with a combined age of 130 years.

Anybody who visited Old Warden at the weekend would have seen my rubbish attempts at flour bombing/ baloon bursting...!

HP
Hairyplane is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.