the sound of freedom
- Thread starter Lee Barner
- Start date
I remember...My wing had 105's before we transitioned to F-4's...I think the 105 is still the largest single engine fighter ever put in service...I was on a weapons load crew before I crosstrained to weapons release on our new F-4's...
...Benancient-one
US Veteran
swsig's post about San Diego brought back memories. I was stationed at North Island during 1944 and 1945 in the flight control rigging area. Most of the work was done on the ramp and one day we heard a funny sound and looked up and saw this aircraft flying along with the prop feathered.
It was a Ryan Fireball that had a radial engine and a small jet engine. It had tricycle landing gear and the Navy used it to get a Carrier landing system for the forthcoming jet aircraft. Lots of crashes and lots of rebuilding.
It was a Ryan Fireball that had a radial engine and a small jet engine. It had tricycle landing gear and the Navy used it to get a Carrier landing system for the forthcoming jet aircraft. Lots of crashes and lots of rebuilding.
swsig,
I lived in SanDiego in 1952 near the Navy hospital and the zoo. I went to Roosevelt junior high. My Dad worked for Convair on the B-36s. When they would run up those engines it would shake the whole town. At that time Convair was testing another larger plane that never went into production. That one was loud.
I now live near Forbes air base where they base KC-135 refuelers. I see and hear them every day. Forbes had the B-47s based here for years as a SAC base.
I lived in SanDiego in 1952 near the Navy hospital and the zoo. I went to Roosevelt junior high. My Dad worked for Convair on the B-36s. When they would run up those engines it would shake the whole town. At that time Convair was testing another larger plane that never went into production. That one was loud.
I now live near Forbes air base where they base KC-135 refuelers. I see and hear them every day. Forbes had the B-47s based here for years as a SAC base.
There's no mistaking the signature sound of two GE J-79's spooling up...I instantly recognized the sound behind me at an airshow where two F-4's were approaching on the taxiway...I hadn't heard the sound in over 40 years, and knew what it was before I even turned around......Ben
For those of you that are interested in the F-105 there is a great book, "Thud Ridge." It's out of print now but still available (I think) online used.
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom:
[FONT="]"The pulsating growl of the JT-79's spooling up radiates through the keel of the Phantom, it's a good feeling, it's a feeling of power. Red shirts walk the wing…hands to heaven…all secure…thumbs up." [/FONT]
Ahh the sound of freedom. shortly after I was transferred from Rhode Island to Long Beach, CA we moved into an apartment near Los Alamitos NG Base, North Long Beach. One night about 0200 A whole flight of heuys came in over our second floor apartment, and because they were landing, they were emitting that heavy pounding wop wop wop of the rotor blades. My wife sat bolt upright in the bed almost screaming "What the Hell is that?" I told her, "Go back to sleep, were safe, it's just some heuys landing at the air base. I would have slept through it had she not yelled.
ancient-one
US Veteran
Forbes had the RB-47's, the ones that flew the Russian coast, sometimes over flying it. They had a very dangerous job. I was the Tinker Industrial Specialist assigned to them. Project Silver King was a very tightly guarded modification done on them. The last time that I looked you could find just a little about it on the Internet.
The EB-47's based in Ohio flew in the danger area also. I had them also. I will never forget, I went there for a meeting about a modification. If you were from Tinker, people sometimes did not realize that you represented only your little part and you would catch hell for every problem that they had with Tinker. This Major was having a problem not involving me and I knew nothing about it. I told him that write me a note giving me the facts and I would get to the proper people at Tinker. That didn't satisfy him and he just kept interrupting the meeting. Finally the Col. in the meeting told him to shut his damn mouth or he was out of the meeting. He did write me some info and I got it to the right people. Some things you don't forget.
I don't know about now but to get to the flight line at Forbes, there was three or four layers of security that you had to pass through. I hope that it is still tough.
I was stationed briefly at Forbes AFB (TAC) when it was basically an air taxi service for Fort Riley. The thing I remember most about the area was the massive grain silos in Pauline.
The plane that never went into production was the cargo version of the B-36, the even more enormous XC-99. It first flew in 1947, and was quite an engineering accomplishment for the time. The Air Force took delivery, but only one was ever built. And you're right, you could hear it coming from many miles away. Here is a video that only gives a small sample of the sound, but it is enough:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXAOGQCutPY[/ame]
XC-99 (Above)
I last heard that unmistakable sound and saw the plane fly overhead in 1956 when I was an Aviation Cadet at Lackland AFB TX. 65 years ago and it seems like yesterday.
Thanks for the post.
I last heard that unmistakable sound and saw the plane fly overhead in 1956 when I was an Aviation Cadet at Lackland AFB TX. 65 years ago and it seems like yesterday.
Thanks for the post.
I'm so glad someone, thank you Rustyt1953, for reminding me where Forbes Field was/is. My stepfather grew up just outside the base to the south and west in the wee town of Wakarusa. I was able to visit the Air Museum there back when I drove a freightliner. A very fine officer from the Coast Guard was the curator of the museum. It was the only time I was ever on the base proper. My step-grandfather had several friends who were stationed there or were transferred from there to other bases up north. Sure do miss them both.
OP
I saw the rusting remains of it at Kelly AFB back in 79. I don't know if it was ever saved or not. Lee
Between 2006 and 2009 the XC-99 was disassembled and moved to Wright-Patterson AFB for restoration by the Museum of the Air Force. However, the restoration was never done, and it was planned to move the parts to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson to prevent further deterioration. I couldn't find any info as to whether the move to Davis-Monthan has actually been done, or if there are any further plans for restoration. For those of us who saw and heard this magnificent plane in the air, a failure to restore it would be a crying shame.
Here's a photo of its remains at Wright-Patterson:
OP
how do you move something that big? Lee
