What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today?

In the latest installment of my poor financial decisions... New Redline struts!

 

Got it all cleaned up for the weekend.

 

To each his own. I love my RTT. I just put it on when I’m going camping, otherwise it stays stored in my garage.

 

Not everyone is an aviation professional so I disagree here. Base jump? Yeah, that's apples and apples....but the apparent assumed risks are really different. More like you're base jumping after an 8 year old packed your chute.

Waivers did not include poor maintenance practices or unqualified maintenance personnel. It's one thing to take your friend out in an old plane, but another to provide 'fun' rides to paying passengers.

 

Nine-o-Nine has been doing flights as long as I can remember (I’ve been in it a bunch of times - used to fly to my airport in Indiana every year, song with a b-24 [dragon and his tail]). As with most aviation incidents, from what I read it was (at least largely) pilot error (though there are always a lot of links in the chain with aircraft crashes).

But to each his own. I’ve been on jets with IFEs and ‘donated fluids’ after Class A mishaps. You gotta know there are risks involved in anything you do - and if the juice is worth the squeeze. For many folks it is.

p.s. ‘Merlin’ refers to a v-12 (mostly used in fighters). B-17s had radial engines. Not sure if that’s more or less impressive

 

Are you measuring hub to fender or ground to fender while including new 285's?
Hub to fender then larger tire would be irrelevant. Thx

 

yeah, the R1820 - not that impressed, the R4360 is wild though.

 

Common sense isn’t reserved for aviation professionals. You are completely correct in the difference between taking a friend up, which is why the FAA requires more inspection of aircraft used for hire. These are also covered even further under FAA accepted Aging Airframe Inspection Programs.

To assume that any of the companies and organizations are using “poor maintenance practices” or “unqualified maintenance personnel” is an unfair assumption that they lack professionalism and are intentionally braking Federal Aviation Regulations.

There is very little profit in offering these rides to the public. Every organization I’ve worked with who fly vintage aircraft are complete professionals who only do it to share their love of aviation. Much more so than any air carrier who hires employees who are simply there to collect a paycheck.

 

After 3 months of waiting, my Advanced Wheels Locks showed up right after getting my TE37’s put on.

 

That is an awesome setup. What kind of rack do you have on your (Snugtop?) topper?

 

These aircraft should not be used for revenue flight. They were sketchy in their day, never mind 70 years later. IMO that is poor judgement, not professionalism.

 

True dat! There's a risk with me running off to pick the kids up from school... bye now.

 

There's more of a risk if you don't.

 

Washing my truck this weekend. i havent in about a month.

 

In this neck of the woods it was the Wings of Freedom Tour. They had a B-24, B-17, P-51 and a B-25. You could and I and my wife did crawl through the B-17 and B-24. Quite amazing as the planes were much smaller than I thought they would be. And talk about cramped. I cannot imagine being in one of the lower ball turrents. They were designed for a very small stature man, that is for certain.

 

With CA drivers it’s not a low risk… pack a chute!

 

I completely disagree. They weren’t sketchy; they were designed to take extensive damage and still keep flying. They were over-designed. And with the level of inspection and restoration that most of these have had, they’re more like flying in a fairly new airplane than a 70 year old one.

There is risk in flying in one. There is also considerable risk in driving to the airport. But people are used to accepting that risk, so they don’t even think about it.

 

You've definitely got a solid point, no doubt. But, I'm back now, kids are safe, if I didn't go the wife would have, if neither of us could go we've got back up plans in place. I think the bigger risk is when they start driving next year.
Reality is, their is risk to everything we do and all the choices we make and we need to measure risk vs. reward. I'm probably getting off subject. Have a great Friday & weekend.

 

do you have a source for this claim of them being sketchy?