A wheeled Douglas C-124 Globemaster unloading on a snow runway at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, to deliver a smaller ski-equipped plane in 1956. Photo by Jim Waldron.
Somehow, that seems like a plane ( the Globemaster ) that would be really fun to fly.
Once upon a time, I was fortunate enough to fly on a C-124 "Globemaster", probably one of the last flights, as it was obsolete.
ReplyDeleteIt was hauling two UH-1 "Iroquois" helicopters from McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma, Washington, to Gray Army Airfield at Fort Hood, Texas, and then continuing on to Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
I was on leave from the war in Viet Nam, and was catching a free "Military Hop" back to North Carolina.
From Kelly Air Force Base, I caught a C-141 "Starlifter" to MacGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey, from where I caught a bus down to North Carolina.
The first time I ever took a "Military Hop", it was a C-141 "Starlifter" from Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina to Travis Air Force Base in California.
Because it was such a long flight, they required each passenger to purchase a box lunch, an unexpected benefit which I really enjoyed.
That was the only "Military Hop" I ever flew on that included a box lunch.
In Viet Nam, I usually flew on C-130 "Hercules", but one time, I caught a flight on a C-7 "Caribou".
Of course, those were all Air Force fixed wing aircraft.
Being a soldier in the United States Army, a lot of my short distance local flights (i.e., Phu Bai to Da Nang, et cetera) were on UH-1 "Iroquois" or CH-47 "Chinook" helicopters.
The worst military aircraft crash in history was a C-124 "Globemaster" taking off from Japan with a load of troops headed home from the Korean War.
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ReplyDeleteMy brother and his wire are in McMurdo right now. It's what they do for 'summer' fun...spend 4-6mo on the ice fueling vehicles and sorting trash. Once 'summer' is over, they either travel or take 'real' jobs in NZ. http://annehellie.blogspot.com/
DeleteWife, not wire. Jesus I need more Baileys in my coffee.
DeleteThanks for the link, that was fun.
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