#1
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426 Squadrom-Korean Airlift.
For you air force types I am now going to share various snippets from my brothers' autobiography,at least the funny parts.They flew the North Star,a converted US design with four Rolls Royce engines.
"On one flight from Anchorage Ding Dong(the pilot's last name was Bell) had to shut down one of the engines and feather the propellor.so he advised Air Traffic Control that our airspeed would now be 175 knots versus the normal four emgine speed of 200 Knots.The USAF immediately dispatched a Rescue B-17 ,which had a small boat strapped to its underside.W saw our Rescue escort as we met north of Vancouver Island and that was the last we saw of him as the North Star was faster on three engines than he was on four".That was the last time a B-17 was sent to intercept a North Star. T.J.Upton,our USAF exchange pilot soon became well indoctrinated on the aircraft.During a flight to Itami AFB to pick up a load of Airrevacs for a trip back to the States,we came up alongside a C-54 travelling in the same direction,so it was decided to formate on and fly alongside the American aircraft.As T.J. was in the captains' seat he decided to impress his fellow countrymen in the C-54.He had the flight engineer shut down one of the engines which the other aircraft could see,and then to really show off he shut down the engine next to it.The Americans must have been impressed to see this aircraft with two engines shut down on the same side maintaining the same speed as they were.T.J. certainly enjoyed that bit of showmanship. More to come |
#2
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Great story, Garry!
Didn't know about that Canadian-built Merlin-engined DC-4. Do you know one is being restored in Canada? http://projectnorthstar.ca/
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#3
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Hi father!!OOPS I mean Hanno dad
North Star # 14 is sitting at the old Rockliffe airbase,now our aeronautical museum in Ottawa.My brother is part of the commitee along with his old pilot friend collecting funds to restore the old North Star.I'm looking through his autobiography and will post more amusing anecdotes,especially the one where they get lost over the Pacific Ocean,and another,landing in Alaska in a fog storm.BUT,a little at a time.
Regards friend,OOps DAD |
#4
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Snippet Two
By the way,Jimmy(Jamie as mom called him-was born in Kingston,Ontario.My mom and a Mrs Cherry used to go to the park together,pushing little Jim amd little DON CHERRY in their prams) Shipton,now retired in Nepean near Ottawa is now deaf in one ear from the merlins om the North Star,flew for over 37 years with the RCAF.He was posted to Winnipeg 433 Squadron as a navigational instructor,then to the US West Coast as an electronic warfare navigator.Afterward he flew the Yukon,Comet and Cosmopolitan Convair aircraft.Just last year he finally received his UN Medal for service in Egypt,Cyprus,The Golan Heights,Africa.He also flew Dakotas and North Stars into Alert,did rescue and topographiacal surveys in the Arctuc,and was the navigator on the North Star that found and named Air Force Island,never before on a map.Some of you air force guys probably flew with him at one time or another.Be that as it may,I'm going to revert back and forward through his career.
End of snippet two |
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