Roost Air Lounge => Aviation related topics => Topic started by: tundra_flier on August 22, 2006, 04:22:48 AM
Title: Con Air
Post by: tundra_flier on August 22, 2006, 04:22:48 AM
While acting as Safty pilot for a friend who's working on his instrument rating yesterday the tower advised us "Traffic 1 mile north, altitude unknown". Well, since it is hunting season now, and since it was "altitude unknow" I figured it was a some Cub with no electrics down in the tree tops (Is that you Chuck?). Imagine my surprize when the traffice turned out to be a C-123 on an intercepting course only a couple hundred feet below us! At 1 mile and closing fast that plane looks big, especially from a 172. We Had just enough time to grab a couple hundred more feet of altitude before he passed under us. Sweet! 8)
I met the owner a couple years ago, and apparently this is the very aircraft used in the movie "Con Air". Unless of course there's more than one running around Alaska these days. ;) He was using it to fly cargo into a new gold mine.
Is this a cool state to be a pilot in or what?
Phil
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: Mic on August 22, 2006, 08:23:57 AM
It seems that the transponder is still a mode A ! ... or isn't working ...
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: Stef on August 22, 2006, 09:14:38 AM
I met the owner a couple years ago, and apparently this is the very aircraft used in the movie "Con Air".
It can't be! As far as I remember, they crashed the plane into Las Vegas! I doubt it could be fixed after that landing... Please don't tell me it was all just fake!! :o ;D ;D
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: fireflyr on August 22, 2006, 12:43:40 PM
I agree ;D The short stint I did up there in 91 was made interesting by all the different kinds of cool airplanes I saw. The only 123 I've seen here in the lower 48 was at Reno, it had "LARGE MARGE" painted on the nose.
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: BrianGMFS on August 29, 2006, 02:33:41 PM
There's a C-123 parked at the Schenectady NY airport. It looked airworthy to me. it was painted up in a SEA camo sceme.
Brian
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: Baradium on August 31, 2006, 12:33:34 AM
I think seeing the ATL-98 Carvair takeoff is cool by itself. ;)
That is one of 20 produced... of which I can only tell you of 3 that still exist.
The Carvair is the one that looks like someone took a small 747 and decided to put radial engines on it. ;) Even though the Carvair was built before the 747...
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1085792/M/
Nevermind that I see C-46s and DC-6s on a daily basis as well. Now, the C-123... I want to see that one. ;)
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: tundra_flier on August 31, 2006, 05:38:34 AM
Yeah the Carvair is pretty cool. I swear he uses half the runway to get airborn and the other half to clear the trees at the end. LOL And I can confirm the existance of the cockpit placard "FLARE HIGH".
Phil
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: Baradium on August 31, 2006, 07:32:53 AM
Yeah the Carvair is pretty cool. I swear he uses half the runway to get airborn and the other half to clear the trees at the end. LOL And I can confirm the existance of the cockpit placard "FLARE HIGH".
Phil
Haha, yeah someone commented once as we watched it takeoff that it's hard to tell sometimes if it lifts off the ground of the gear just retracts underneath it. ;) I want to stop by there and see if I can tag along for a ride one of these days.
Everts is cool to watch too. You know that on the DC-6s they have they can MEL an*engine* to get back to base! They have to be empty with no passengers (no jumpseaters and no cargo), but they can actually depart and come back to fairbanks with an inoperative engine. I wonder how those things takeoff with an engine feathered!
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: tundra_flier on August 31, 2006, 03:50:08 PM
Baradium, you'll have to come by our EAA meeting this winter. I'll introduce you to one of the DC-6 captains, or the owner of the C-1 COD that's usually parked over by Wrights, or the T-28 pilot, or our handfull of RV builders. It's a pretty diverse group, everything from ultralights to warbirds and all aircraft in between.
3'd Thursday of the month, 6:30pm at the Alaska Land aviation museum (pioneer park for you cheechakos). Meetings start again in October. We gave up on summer meetings, no one ever showed.
Phil
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: Baradium on September 01, 2006, 01:48:43 AM
Baradium, you'll have to come by our EAA meeting this winter. I'll introduce you to one of the DC-6 captains, or the owner of the C-1 COD that's usually parked over by Wrights, or the T-28 pilot, or our handfull of RV builders. It's a pretty diverse group, everything from ultralights to warbirds and all aircraft in between.
3'd Thursday of the month, 6:30pm at the Alaska Land aviation museum (pioneer park for you cheechakos). Meetings start again in October. We gave up on summer meetings, no one ever showed.
Phil
Thanks, I'm looking forward to it.
Pioneer park? Where's that? Ok, just kidding. Havn't been inside there though. How big of a museum is it?
-Ryan
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: tundra_flier on September 01, 2006, 06:16:36 AM
It's not a very big museum, but packed. And the guys running it have been here since WWII, so they have first hand knowlege of much of Alaska's aviation history. It's the big gold dome at the north west corner of the park.
Phil
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: Baradium on September 01, 2006, 07:03:05 AM
What is the deal with the park anyway? I was assuming an amusement park with admission etc?
When it comes down to it I have no idea what it is. ;)
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: tundra_flier on September 02, 2006, 04:23:49 PM
It's more of a historic theme park. Many of the buildings are original log cabins from a century ago that were moved to the park from down town. There's a couple of small museums, aircraft, Rail Road, mining and the riverboat. All sorts of little novelty shops too. It's worth a stop.
Phil
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: Baradium on September 03, 2006, 01:20:19 AM
It's more of a historic theme park. Many of the buildings are original log cabins from a century ago that were moved to the park from down town. There's a couple of small museums, aircraft, Rail Road, mining and the riverboat. All sorts of little novelty shops too. It's worth a stop.
Phil
Does it cost money? ;)
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: tundra_flier on September 03, 2006, 05:08:49 AM
Not at the gate, some of the activities do though. I think the aviation museum just asks for a couple bucks donation.
Phil
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: Baradium on September 03, 2006, 05:22:38 AM
LOL, well they do have mini golf too. And train rides, but one of the trains is the original Alaska Rail Road Engine No. 1.
Phil
New question: I thought they closed for the winter? Do they just let the EAA use the museum during the winter?
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: tundra_flier on September 03, 2006, 06:15:35 AM
They are closed in the winter, that's why we can use the museum for our meetings in winter. And our EAA groups reciprocates by doing the spring cleaning before they open. That's a pretty good time, pick your favorite airplane in the museum and start dusting. :D
Title: Re: Con Air
Post by: Baradium on September 03, 2006, 07:08:05 AM
They are closed in the winter, that's why we can use the museum for our meetings in winter. And our EAA groups reciprocates by doing the spring cleaning before they open. That's a pretty good time, pick your favorite airplane in the museum and start dusting. :D
