And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
My dad flew these "over the hump" in WWII at age 20. I have some NDB approach plates they used for getting down into mountain valley airports. Pretty challenging and scary stuff looking at it from the perspective of current GPS navigation capabilities in aviation today. He was part of the Austin Hump Pilots Association until they had to disband because most of the membership had died.
I will send you a picture if I can find it of them loading 55 gallon barrels into a C-46 in India with an elephant to lift the barrels. Living conditions were very basic.
The C-46 had many nicknames including Dumbo and the Curtiss Calamity. There is an interesting article about the history of the aircraft at http://www.historynet.com/going-commando.htm.
There is one flying fuel up in Alaska. They show it once in a while on "Life Below Zero" on the National Geographic channel.
ReplyDeleteI think the Burmese Hump just plain wore out most of them.
They didn't make as many of these as they did of the venerable C-47
ReplyDeleteMy dad flew these "over the hump" in WWII at age 20. I have some NDB approach plates they used for getting down into mountain valley airports. Pretty challenging and scary stuff looking at it from the perspective of current GPS navigation capabilities in aviation today. He was part of the Austin Hump Pilots Association until they had to disband because most of the membership had died.
ReplyDeleteKudos to your dad, Scott. Indeed, the greatest generation.
DeleteI will send you a picture if I can find it of them loading 55 gallon barrels into a C-46 in India with an elephant to lift the barrels. Living conditions were very basic.
ReplyDeleteThe C-46 had many nicknames including Dumbo and the Curtiss Calamity. There is an interesting article about the history of the aircraft at http://www.historynet.com/going-commando.htm.
there was one that I used to see on the ramp in Norman,OK haven't seen it in a few.
ReplyDeleteThe CAF has one in Camarillo, CA
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cafsocal.com/our-aircrafts/our-aircraft-and-history/c-46-china-doll/
A quick search of the FAA registry, shows 26! C-46/C-46A/C-46R's still registered in the US of A. Or were still in the FAA database.
ReplyDeletehttp://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=CURTIS&Modeltxt=C-46&PageNo=1
C-90