[ARC5] Re: Collings Foundation

[Roy Morgan]

At 09:54 AM 5/21/2007, David Stinson wrote:

>----- Original Message -----
>From: <flood at Krohne.com>
... had no
> > interest, at that time at least, on old working radio gear.  The weight of
> > the gear was heavy and weight = fuel consumption ...
>
>That's a straw-man argument
>lesser "restoration" groups have used for years.

D.S. and others.

I have had the very good fortune to ride in the Collins Foundation B-17 and 
their B-24 (the ONLY genuine one still flying!), both times on cross 
country flights between show airfields.  A buddy of mine is a strong 
supporter of their work, and gets the chance to invite a guest on such flights.

Here are some of my thoughts on this:

First, there is a LOT of equipment on both of these aircraft that is 
non-operational: night lights, all bomb equipment, bombsight, original 
navigation systems, all old radios, most parts of gunnery positions, all 
oxygen systems, many parts of the original inter-communication system.

They seem to get by keeping the aircraft in the air and safe to fly, but 
making them full up operational as originally used would not be possible.

It seems to me that the real reasons for this situation include:

  - the aircraft is authorized to fly in daytime, visual flight conditions 
ONLY. Though it may well have modern radio navigation and communication 
systems, the NAV systems are not counted upon so they can plan and carry 
out intentional instrument condition flights.

  - though the upkeep of the modern systems may cost something, the 
reliability of those systems is way higher than the old ones, and you can 
get service if you have to most anywhere in the country. I could only guess 
what it would take to keep a suite of the ARC-5's,  the BC-375 and BC-348 
running.  Shipping a spare BC-348 across the country to replace a dead on 
on the aircraft would likely not be cost effective.

  - The goal of the Collings Foundation is to show off the old war birds as 
well as possible to as many folks as possible:  "... The Collings 
Foundation dedicates itself to preserving the machines that helped build 
the world and helped keep it free; displaying these machines to honor those 
who were influenced by them; and to educate future generations about 
them... "  Unfortunately, those of us who would love to see the radios in 
working condition are in the very small minority of show visitors.

  - I have the inclination to make every old radio work as well as new. 
This is NOT a practical way to live a life. It is a nice hobby, though.  So 
it was sad to see the ARC-5's with no cabling and the same for all the 
other radios.  I thought, "Gee, if they would just let me take all this 
stuff home for a few months, I'd get it running...."  My guess is that the 
flying with all it's dampness, shaking and rattling, would be kinda hard on 
the old radios.

  - I would have loved to sit at the BC-348 and tune around, or even more 
to fire up the companion BC-375 and talk to another aircraft or some hams 
who'd been alerted to listen.  What finer thrill than to make a QSO with a 
fellow who had flown these things when he was a kid or even run the radios, 
and was just not able to get to the airfield to see the thing in 
person.  He might have a quiet moment to clear his throat as he listened to 
the engines drone on across the sky.  (I say this because I flew behind 
these same engines, one at a time and seldom four at once, in Navy flight 
training.)

  - The folks who fly the Collings aircraft are for the most part genuine 
old buzzards with huge amounts of experience and skill with these old war 
birds.  (One exception is the son of the Collings who started the 
foundation, and his co-pilot wife, who have learned to fly them much later 
on.)  These pilots' lives have been spend flying airplanes of all sorts in 
all sorts of circumstances for years and years. They are not radio 
folks.  They just don't identify with the smell of rosin solder and the 
dynamotor whine and earphones crackle of a BC-348 coming back to life. It's 
the sweet smell of AVgas and engine oil for them.  I can tell you that 
there is nothing quite like a big rotary engine chugging to life early in 
the morning as the fog lifts off the runway and there's three hours of 
countryside to see from a thousand feet up.


Oh what did they ever do with 115/145!
(Very high test aviation gasoline no longer available due to lead content.)


By the way, the website for the Collings foundation is:
http://www.collingsfoundation.org/menu.htm
Do have a look.

Roy




- Roy Morgan, K1LKY since 1959 - Keep 'em Glowing
13033 Downey Mill Road, Lovettsville, VA 20180
Phone 540-822-5911   Cell 301-928-7794
Work: Voice: 301-975-3254,  Fax: 301-975-6097
roy.morgan at nist.gov --