Round Engines

[Wenger 0]

Don't know where this came from but for all who have ever flown a round engine.

We gotta get rid of those turbines; they're ruining aviation and our hearing.
A turbine is too simple minded, it has no mystery. The air travels through it in a straight line and doesn't pick up any of the pungent fragrance of engine oil or pilot sweat.
Anybody can start a turbine. You just need to move a switch from “OFF” to “START” and then remember to move it back to “ON” after a while. My PC is harder to start.
Cranking a round engine requires skill, finesse, and style. You have to seduce it into starting. It’s like walking up to a mistress. On some planes, the p9ilots aren’t even allowed to do it.
Turbines start by whining for awhile, then give a ladylike poof and start whining a little louder.
Round engines give a satisfying rattle-rattle, click-click, BANG, more rattles, another BANG, a big macho FART or two, more clicks, a lot more smoke and finally a serious low pitched roar. We like that. It’s a GUY thing.
When you start a round engine, your mind is engaged and you can concentrate on the flight ahead. Starting a turbine is like flicking on a ceiling fan. Useful, but hardly exciting.
When you have started his round engine successfully you Crew Chief looks up at you like he’d let you kiss his girl, too!
Turbines don’t break or catch fire often enough, which leads to aircrew boredom, complacency and inattention. A round engine at speed looks and sounds like it’s going to blow any minute. This helps concentrate the mind!
Turbines don’t have enough control levers or gauges to keep a pilot’s attention. There’s nothing to fiddle with during long flights.
Turbines smell like a Girl Scout camp full of Coleman lamps. Round engines smell like God intended machines to smell.
Pass this on to anyone who flew them, ever in remembrance of that “Greatest Generation”

[topdocker 0]

You also knew exactly where to park the airplane with round engines....just line them up to the dark spots on the tarmac!


top

Jump more, post less!

[africapete 0]

" You have to seduce it into starting " - pure poetry right there ! I remember my first jump from a Turbine DC-3 - nice, but just not the same as the old radial ones....

[captain1976 0]

They’re not only ruining aviation, they’re ruining skydiving as well.

I used to be able to take a good nap between jumps, now we have to get up early.

And how about them stupid roll-up doors that don’t allow the air to circulate (especially important for clearing out the stench on Sunday mornings).

Turbines with their stupid green lights mean we don’t get the opportunity to spot, and I miss that added protection of getting my gear oiled up like we did with the rounds.

To hell with the turbines!

You live more in the few minutes of skydiving than many people live in their lifetime

[skybill 22]

Hi Wengy',
Yup, "Round engines" goin' the way of the Rotary telephone!! 'Ta say "Real Airplanes" have "Round engines" is only part of the story, like cars goin' from stick to slush box trannys! Dono' which "they" did first but they stuck another wheel on the front and made "Trikes!" then someone got rid of the stick and put in a wheel to control pitch and yaw!! and of course unless yer flyin' a Pitts or the like, "they" got rid of one wing! So to say real airplanes had Round engines, two wings and two wheels calls up a few great planes!! 'Remember bein' 5 years old and watchin Duane Cole in his "Super Stearman," smoke, wheel pants and all with a wing rider on top doin' the up-side-down ribbon pick up over runway "36" at Hammond Airport, La. with smoke pouring outa da stacks an' the "Sound!" yeah man, the "SOUND!!" of that round engine!!! That was an "Airplane!!" an' "That was Flyin'!!!!!!!"

'Saw my first two "Live!" Parachute jumps that day too, but that's another story.

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[377 22]

I love round engines. Even jumped from three WFFC planes that had four of em, a C 54G (DC 4), the ATL 98 Carvair (DC 4 double deck nose door mod) and the mighty B 24 bomber.

Also did plenty of DC 3 and Beech 18 jumps and even a few Lodestar jumps.

Two weeks ago I rode a King Air 200 jumpship to 18,000 in ten minutes. I miss those 40 minute DC 3 rides... gave a person time to think about things. Glad I lived through those times.

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[dudeman17 343]

I guess it goes both ways...

I've always referred to DC-3's (and twin Beeches) as 'the Harley-Davidson of airplanes'.

Then one day I was sittin' at a DZ with an old timer when someone rode by on a classic ol' Harley. He said, "There goes the DC-3 of motorcycles".

[lekstrom10k 0]

Tom Collins Master Rigger for the Para-Hawks @ Marine city and for the Jump Shack had a comment about that. "In the piston engine DZ's you make your money last all weekend Turbine DZ's your broke by 11:00 AM Saturday. Now what are you going to do? Hope somebody has to buy beer later?

[PROGRESSIVE 0]

Everytime I hear those old radial engines flying over my house in Salt Lake, I have to either look out the window, or run outside to see what it is. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but than again, shes never jumped out of a DC3, Twin Beech D18, etc.

Pete

[bozo 0]

Quote

Everytime I hear those old radial engines flying over my house in Salt Lake, I have to either look out the window, or run outside to see what it is. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but than again, shes never jumped out of a DC3, Twin Beech D18, etc.

Pete

I live in Cedar City right next to the airport. Theres one guy over there that flys in once a week with a C45.......just like you , im there watching when he sets up for the pattern over my house.
Those were the days.

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

[muff528 3]

You pilot-types probably already know about this guy. I watched his performance at Sun-n-Fun yesterday. Amazing routine with a Twin Beech! One of the best demonstrations of the show. Interesting to note that the website mentions that this a/c was formerly owned by a DZ.

http://www.younkinair.com/

[captain1976 0]

As a kid in upstate NY (late 50's), I would often see formations of military aircraft since we were pretty close to some base. I remember especially the interference with the TV set. I didn't know what kind they were at the time but mostly C-119's and DC6's.

Today I heard that familiar sound again. When I looked up it was a B-25 flying from Sun & Fun. What memories.

You live more in the few minutes of skydiving than many people live in their lifetime

[skybill 22]

Quote

As a kid in upstate NY (late 50's), I would often see formations of military aircraft since we were pretty close to some base. I remember especially the interference with the TV set. I didn't know what kind they were at the time but mostly C-119's and DC6's.

Today I heard that familiar sound again. When I looked up it was a B-25 flying from Sun & Fun. What memories.

Hi cap,
You want "Round engines!!!!" Remember the 2nd weekend after labor day in Sept...."The Reno Air Races!!" Lotsa Round engines big and small!! come one come all!! Wonder if the "Bear" #77 will be there??

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[captain1976 0]

I have never been to the Reno races but would like to go sometimes. As an airplane dealer I actually use to deal in warbirds in the days before they got price prohibitive and I even owned a couple T-6's and my own personal plane was a T-28A model.

Blue Skies to you too

You live more in the few minutes of skydiving than many people live in their lifetime

[skybill 22]

Hi Mike,
Ya gotta go man!! Check out the air race web site for more details. T-6's and T-28's have their own Class Race!! Walking around you'll run into old flyin' and skydivin' friends ya' haven't seen in a coon's age!! Too Much FUN!! Maybe I'll see you there!! Havn't been in a few years, gettin' the itch again to see those Unlimited pony's pushin' props at high speed around pylon 8 kickin' up dust and tumbleweeds, makes' yer Blood Boil!!!!

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[jumpwally 0]

Got any pics of the 28,,man i love that thing,,how was it to fly ?

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[muff528 3]

Quote

Got any pics of the 28,,man i love that thing,,how was it to fly ?

Here are a couple of 'em lined up on the flight line at Bartow Air Base, during the early 1950's.

[riggerrob 643]

T-28s!

I just repacked four PEPs for T-28 owners.
Must have packed a hundred for another T-28 owners when I worked for Butler.
I have also packed for Tiger Destefani and a bunch of Harvard race pilots.
My only loss was the pilot of the Pond Racer.
Sad!

[totter 2]

captain1976;
Here's what we use our round engines for. Another use for a Beaver also.
The 2nd picture is my son going for his first ride in a Beaver on his second birthday.

[feuergnom 29]

thats a round engine - if this one doesn't leak oil, it's broken

The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle

dudeist skydiver # 666

[33zulu 22]

Nothin' beats a round engine. Here's the Stinson V-77 we jumped in El Paso back in the 70's and early 80's. Hell to land in a stiff crosswind.....

[RogerRamjet 0]

Quote

Nothin' beats a round engine. Here's the Stinson V-77 we jumped in El Paso back in the 70's and early 80's. Hell to land in a stiff crosswind.....

I have some Stinson jumps at the Miami Glider Port back in the mid 70s. All I really remember is it was LOUD and seems like there was some effort required to taxi if there was any wind...

-----------------------
Roger "Ramjet" Clark
FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

[JerryBaumchen 1,436]

Hi 33,

I made my first jumps out of an old V-77.

We went out of the left door, behind the pilot.

We had removed both left-side doors; and then one day much later some FAA-type told us that what we had done would cause the fuse to collapse.

What did we know; we just wanted it easier to get out of.

JerryBaumchen

[muff528 3]

Quote

.........................
We went out of the left door, behind the pilot.
............................

You might want to rephrase that. I had to read your post a couple of times to get it.

[JerryBaumchen 1,436]

Hi muff,

Well, I did say: 'I made my first jumps . . .'

If I had followed the pilot out it would have been only the one jump.

JerryBaumchen