[Milsurplus] 1960s Military Aircraft Radio

[Mike Hanz]

On 2/9/2012 10:07 PM, Ray Fantini wrote:
> Mike Wrote:
>
> How about a late-1960's version?  Late Vietnam War UH-1D/H models
> carried typically:....
> -------------------------------------------------------------
> I personally would rather rip all that stuff out and carry extra
> ordnance and  and fuel.
>
> Don’t know about that being the stories I heard including from someone who use to fly with you that in addition to the manifest sometimes locals, their animals or anything laying around unattended would be stuffed into the C-7. How often did you exceed max takeoff weight?

In three years of my career spent in Saudi Arabia, one of the men from 
whom I learned a great deal was a British gentleman who had spent the 
better part of his life in the Middle East working for Aramco and 
several other firms.  His circle of friends included an airline pilot 
who flew DC-3s with the predecessor of Middle East Airlines, and he was 
based in Bahrain.  His flights were much like the ones you suggest, with 
goats and sheep sharing space with the passengers.  The aircraft were 
spartan, to be sure - no carpets in the floor, just bare painted 
aluminum.  One day after he took off on a flight to Dubai, he was nudged 
in the shoulder by one of the passengers and offered some of the rich 
Arabian coffee for which the region is well known.  Surprised but 
pleased, he accepted with alacrity.  It was only until he was offered a 
second cup that he began to wonder where they were brewing the coffee.  
Looking back down the aisle, he saw a nice blazing charcoal fire on the 
metal floor of the aisle, with a coffee pot merrily sending out twirls 
of tantalizing vapor.  After he righted the aircraft from his 
involuntary reaction, he spent some time in the rear of the plane 
explaining to the Bedouins he was transporting why this was not a good 
thing to do in a craft carrying thousands of gallons of highly flammable 
gasoline in its wings.  He was not sure he got through to them, but at 
least he experienced no more campfires in the back of the plane.

I can well imagine Zorro doing no less....:-)