Project on hold

m-11 · Post by **m-11** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 10:18 pm

I thought once I retired from the military I would never be in the sand box again. Well I'm in the stateside sandbox of So Cal. it might not be the middle east but just about as dangerous. I'm in Lancaster Cal. at Fox Field but don't know if I will stay here or get sent elsewhere. Depends on if any wild fires pop up in other areas of the country. I'm the crew chief on the aircraft in the photo.

Since I was in the area I decided to checkout Edwards AFB. I was stationed here back in the early 90's. I was going to visit the NASA museum but it was closed so instead I seen this and took a picture.

rixm37 · Post by **rixm37** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 6:00 am

What a beautiful bird. WOW must be great to be the crew chief on that. Is it a P2V? I thought the FAA grounded all the old war birds that were used in fire fighting. Nice to see one in such great shape still at work!! I'd love to see some more pics.
What kind of performance do you get out of the turbines? Do you use them in flight or just on take off ?
2 turning and 2 burning must one great sound!!!!

cuz · Post by **cuz** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 6:01 am

Hello M-11,
I noticed the Registration data shows Wright TC18DA engines. I thought they had 3350's and J34's? I'm just anoth retired USAF MSgt A&P/IA and was just a little nosey!

Lifer · Post by **Lifer** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 9:11 am

Your daily ride is one sweet bird! Too bad the museum was closed, but you made good use of the opportunity with that shot of the shuttle prepared for its return to Cape Canaveral.

m-11 · Post by **m-11** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 9:52 pm

rixm37 wrote:What a beautiful bird. WOW must be great to be the crew chief on that. Is it a P2V? I thought the FAA grounded all the old war birds that were used in fire fighting. Nice to see one in such great shape still at work!! I'd love to see some more pics.
What kind of performance do you get out of the turbines? Do you use them in flight or just on take off ?
2 turning and 2 burning must one great sound!!!!

Yes it's a P2V-7. The FAA had no part in the grounding it was all the forest service. We have 9 operational aircraft. 5 -5's and 4 -7's. We use the turbines for takeoff and in flight during the drops.

Hello M-11,
I noticed the Registration data shows Wright TC18DA engines. I thought they had 3350's and J34's? I'm just anoth retired USAF MSgt A&P/IA and was just a little nosey!

They are R3350's and J34's

Your daily ride is one sweet bird! Too bad the museum was closed, but you made good use of the opportunity with that shot of the shuttle prepared for its return to Cape Canaveral.

It's nice having that retired ID card. Anytime I'm around a base I always stop by. I was stationed at Edwards back in early 90's assigned to the B1 flight testing. I usualy don't take a camera with me when I travel but this time I decided to.

Here's more photos of the old girls lined up on the pit ready to get loaded.

Had a surprise vistor. This B-17 was a tanker that was retired and restored back to original.

This is a P2V-5 taking off. Easiest way to tell the difference between a -5 and -7 is that a -5 has flat canopy.

This is the R3350 on my aircraft.

HingsingM37 · Post by **HingsingM37** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 1:25 am

M-11,
Wow great pics! You should be proud of the work you do and the fact you are crewchief of such a nice bird. Thanks. The one with the 17 is a great shot.

Is the CDF still flying any S2's?

m-11 · Post by **m-11** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 5:49 am

Is the CDF still flying any S2's?

Yes. In fact they modernized them by switching from radial engines to turbines. Sure are noisy bastards now.

Lifer · Post by **Lifer** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 6:11 am

I attended the NCO Academy at McGee-Tyson ANG Base (Knoxville, TN) back in Feb & Mar of '71. The Forest Service had several B25s stationed there. These are another sweet bird. Love the sound of those Pratt & Whitneys warming up in the dawn mist.

It almost made me look forward to the morning open ranks inspection. Note that I said "almost!"

jbxx · Post by **jbxx** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:23 am

I used to love sound of those radials, sort of like a Harley in the sky.
Now the signature is the turbine whine.

See the section (pdf) on the left labled S2-A.

http://www.fire.ca.gov/fire_protection/ ... rogram.php
J.B.

rixm37 · Post by **rixm37** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 6:47 am

Thanks for posting more pictures. I can't believe nine of them. That is truly awesome. The only P2V I have ever seen up close is at the Pima Air and Space Museum here in Tucson.
I think JB said it all Harley in the sky. When ever I hear that sound I drop what I am doing and run out side to see what it is!!!

Lifer · Post by **Lifer** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 7:20 am

I ain't sayin' exactly how old I am, but I remember when the local ANG unit was flying P-51 Mustangs, my first commercial flight was on an Ozark Airlines DC-3, I got to my first overseas assignment in the back of a C-24, and came back to the states 3 years later on a Lockheed Constellation. Low and slow is the way to go!

cuz · Post by **cuz** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 7:34 pm

The reserve unit at Barksdale still had C124's (Ole Shakey) when I got there and base flight still had C97's and T29's. We rode the 124's and T-29's back and forth to our satelite alert base for our B-52's at Shepard AFB (Wichita Falls Tx.).

Lifer · Post by **Lifer** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 4:15 am

Besides my first overseas trip on the C-124 (ummm..I left out the "1" up there, didn't I?)

Anyway, I had another good ride in "Ol' Shaky" when I rode with the cargo from Tyndall AFB, FL to Elmendorf AFB, AK. I'm not sure which trip was the longer of the two. Both seemed to take forever!

vtdeucedriver · Post by **vtdeucedriver** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 8:28 am

Lifer wrote:I attended the NCO Academy at McGee-Tyson ANG Base (Knoxville, TN) back in Feb & Mar of '71. The Forest Service had several B25s stationed there. These are another sweet bird. Love the sound of those Pratt & Whitneys warming up in the dawn mist.

It almost made me look forward to the morning open ranks inspection. Note that I said "almost!"

Sweet Pratt & whitneys.............huh........................sorry charlie, B-25's had Wrights

cuz · Post by **cuz** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 1:08 pm

He's right!

Specifications (B-25J)
Data from Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II[11]

General characteristics

Crew: six (two pilots, navigator/bombardier, turret gunner/engineer, radio operator/waist gunner, tail gunner
Length: 52 ft 11 in (16.1 m)
Wingspan: 67 ft 6 in (20.6 m)
Height: 17 ft 7 in (4.8 m)
Wing area: 610 sq ft (57 m²)
Empty weight: 21,120 lb (9,580 kg)
Loaded weight: 33,510 lb (15,200 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 41,800 lb (19,000 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Wright R-2600 "Cyclone" radials, 1,850 hp (1,380 kW) each
Performance

Maximum speed: 275 mph (239 kn, 442 km/h)
Cruise speed: 230 mph (200 kn, 370 km/h)
Combat radius: 1,350 mi (1,170 nmi, 2,170 km)
Ferry range: 2,700 mi (2,300 nmi, 4,300 km)
Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
Rate of climb: 790 ft/min (4 m/s)
Wing loading: 55 lb/ft² (270 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.110 hp/lb (182 W/kg)
Armament

Guns: 12 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns
Hardpoints: 2,000 lb (900 kg) ventral shackles to hold one external Mark 13 torpedo[12]
Rockets: 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) bombs + eight 5 in (130 mm) high velocity aircraft rockets (HVAR)
Bombs: 6,000 lb (2,700 kg)