Modern Times/ Old Times

I was sitting in our living room the other day and heard a sound that forced me to bolt out of the front door. My wife thought I had lost my mind. I ran out front in time to see a twin Beech going by. She came to the door and wanted to know what the heck was going on. " Round engines", was my reply. " ROUND ENGINES ! Are you going nuts ?" There was no reason to answer because she wouldn't have understood. BUT the days where the sound of radial engines flying by are dwindling. We are in a corridor east and north of SEA and Boeing Field and anything not flying for the airlines has to sneak through at something less than 6000 feet over our house. I used to see a Beech Staggerwing, a Cessna 195, a DC-3, and an occasional antique Travel Air or Stearman go through but not anymore. Nothing but the muffled buzzing of Pipers and other Spamcans. Sad.
Switches

 

I was stationed at Langley Field in "44 '45 and our barrack was near the east end of the east-west runway (I can't remember heading, probably something like 27 or 28) and operations went 24/7. There was a steady stream of B-24's or B-17's taxiing by to run up areas and then take off. Later on they were coming back day and night. We were on the third floor of a three story brick and concrete building built in 1918 and we could watch everything through the large glass windows. We were lulled to sleep by the constant sound of R1820's and R1830's running up and roaring for take off. Occasionally there would be something in the V-12 category coming out of the NACA labs next to us. Maybe a P-51, Mosquito, Spitfire, ME-109, or P-63. Then there were P-38's, F8F, and A6M5.
When I was discharged I returned to a small house on the beach at Siesta Key, Florida. All I could hear was the lapping of the waves of the Gulf and the buzzing of the mosquitos on the outside of the screen porch where I tried to sleep. Too many times I would dream of the sounds of the engines at Langley and jolt awake when I couldn't hear anything but the sound of the damn mosquitos. Then lay there the rest of the night imagining the engines and wish that I was back there. I think that I would have gone back if I could have. Amazing at how the human can be conditioned to to some things and perpetuate it.
Switches

 

Methow no longer flies through with their Twin Beeches. I used to hear them flying by with the straight-stacked R985's but I haven't heard one for at least two years. My son flew DC-3's for Salair for a while until he realized that he had better move on. He flew from Spokane to Portland, midnight to dawn in some of the world's worst winter weather. After four fatalities in the outfit and numerous in flight engine failures, some when they were iced-up, he decided that he should make some changes.
It appears that the Beech D-18's have lived out their string as a small freight hauler. Spar problems and spare parts may have entered the picture. I know that props can be dicey now with hub fatigue and blade fatigue if WW2 stuff is used.
Switches

 

I spent the weekend flying with my son in a memorial flight composed of 5 restored L-planes; L-2, L-3, (2) L-4's, and an L-5. We flew out of the Hood River Airport where the Western Antique Airplane and Auto Museum is located.They have 30-40 airplanes in restored and flyable condition ranging from a 1913 Curtiss Pusher , a 1917 Curtiss Jenny ( ser.no. 1) and unique examples of 20's and 30's old planes, and a full series of L-planes. All are flown on a rotational basis. It was interesting that the L-3 was a WW2 airplane being flown by a Viet Nam War vet, with his dad, a WW2 vet in the back seat.
Switches