I got the opportunity to ride a C-119 when I was a Cadet in the Civil Air Patrol. We were going to summer encampment at Seward AFB in Tennessee. The flight was from Smith Field, in Fort wayne, IN. to Seward AFB, TN. It wasn't all that long of a flight, but one to remember, especially for a kid 15 years old.
I had ridden in C-123B's before (later would be a loadmaster on one). Be this was a lot different. We approached the aircraft from the rear, walking up the ramp through the clam shell doors. The smell of hydraulic fliud was very strong. The interior has lines, wires and cables running all over the place. Both side on the plane had fold-down web strap seats with traditional military style seat belts. We carried out duffle bags into the cargo hold and the loadmaster instructed us where to pile them. we were free to roam around the cargo hold until time to depart. Everything in the plane was worn badly as though it had been neglected. I remember the "bathroom facilities"...not a pleasant place.....no one used it during the flight either and for good reason! We were allowed to look into the flight deck, but not allowed to climb the steps to enter it.
The aircraft skin seemed to have a lot of small patches over what appeared to be small arms fire holes. This old bird had seen action in her lifetime, but this was going to be a cakewalk for the old lady! The loadmaster instructed us to be seated and strap in. He came arouind and checked every passenger with interest. He couldn't help but notice the wide-eyed enthusiasm of his young guests. I remembered the noise and vibrations in the C-123's, but this was way more intense. As the engines coughed and belched to life with clouds of blue smoke billowing out the exhaust pipes. Once the engines are running and excess fuel and oil cleared out, you would have thought the smoke would stop coming out of the exhaust, but it didn't on one of the engines. It was apparent this was a tired old bird. The noise was deafening, even while taxiing.
As we reached the run-up area, the pilots were going through their checklists. The engines roared to life as he ran them up to RPM. The plane shook and the brakes were groaning under the stress of holding the plane back. That smoke belching engine was blowing even more now! We weren't concerned because we knew that we were in the hands of professional military pilots....they knew what they were doing (we hoped). As the plane taxied onto the runway the engines throbbed as they were out of sync. The pilot began his takeoff roll. The sound and vibration was so intense, but we weren't picking up much speed. Ever so slowly we bagan accelerating and accelerating. Finally the nose pitched up slightly as we trudged along the runway. I was used to the C-123's getting off the ground quickly...this old bird was dragging her feet, I thought! With a thump of the landing gear reaching the end of there oleo struts, we left the ground. I watched the main gear as it retracted into the boom. We were airborne and climbing, not fast, but climbing. We had to be close to gross weight, maybe even above it a little. When we attained cruising altitude (I estimated at 3500 feet), the loadmaster allowed us to roam the cargo bay. Thinking back, we had to driving the pilots nuts trying to keep the plane's trim level as we moved around....LOL.
I'm not sure how much oil that one engine consumed during our flight, but it had to be considerable. You could see the smoke trail behind the aircraft. The rest of the flight was uneventful. As we approached Seward AFB, the loadmaster instructed us to strap in. The sound of the engines picking up RPM as the pilot as he decreased the manifild pressure and prop pitch during the descent. The flaps slowly extending. The main gear doors opened and the long main gear struts slowly coming out of their resting places. With a noticable thump, the gear locked down. As the pilot lined up on final approach, we could hear the engines as he jockeyed throttles to maintain the correct approach angle and airspeed. When the plane passed over the threshold, the engines suddenly idled back just as we touched down. This old plane slowed down about as quickly as it accelerated. The brakes groaned and the whole thing shook. We had reached our destination in what I would call "style", as only a C-119 could deliver! After the pilot shut down the engines, the loadmaster told us to get up and grab our duffle bags......with the whine of the hydraulic pump opening the clam shell doors, we exited down the ramp onto the tarmac with the blistering heat of the Tennessee summer hitting us in the face......MAN, WHAT A RUSH THAT WAS!
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I realize this didn't have anything to do with the model, but I seldom have a chance to relate this story to anyone who really cares about the C-119's It was the olny time I ever got to ride in a C-119, but I'll never forget it. The C-123's are a different story ....I lived in one of those for awhile...LOL
Rod
