Our Forefather's Thoughts And Memories

[Goatwhiskers]

Been thinking about Dad a good bit. I posted about his service back in the thread on giving our servicemen credit. Made me think about my brother, a private pilot, who would fly a little Cessna 172 up here and take Dad flying. Said dad didn't seem too impressed. At least not till he bought a Cessna 195 with a 350hp Shakeyjake turbo'ed radial hanging on the nose. Said the old man really sat up and took notice, even flew the thing. Would love to know what was going thru his mind. God protect our servicemen. GW

[kaiser]

The "radial engine" used on Cessna 190 and 195 aircraft brings a sound and smell (oil) that reminds "old timers" (like he and me) of a "bygone" time when most engines hung on aircraft were "round" had the sound of power and prestige like no other. I'm sure it brought back to him "memorable" experiences and situations of an era without cell phones and computers where human relationships, coupled with machines with a "personality", were more than a mere "vehicles with wings".

[DIRT Farmer]

I am old enough to have been around to have my Mom point out different piston engines as they flew over. She built P-47s, big round motors. I was at work one day not long ago, I heard the destictive sound of multiple round motors, a Ford Tri motor flew over. Made my day

[Goatwhiskers]

Yeah, I always enjoyed the sound of the Ag-Cat bi-plane crop sprayers with the radial engines making their runs. The modern turbine engines that whine just ain't the same. GW

[woodbutcher]

:grin: Oh yeahhhhhhhhhhh.P-47.PW R-2800 at full song at 50ft on a flyby at an airshow.Will raise the goose bumps for sure.And the sound at idle on the tarmack is delightful.Sounds like a cammed up V8 on steroids.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[DIRT Farmer]

One of the local ag sprayers flew out of a field near me. He was known to point that round motor up and give it all it has

[Alstep]

I remember jumping out of a radial 195 at a drop zone near Zepherhills, FL. That thing would climb up to 13000' in half the time of anything else on the airfield. A real workhorse. That was over 50 years ago, but never forget that sound.

[Harter66]

Having a lust for horse power ........ and airplanes .....
There's nothing like the big old round motors .
I spent several seasons on the dead line at the Reno air races . Yeah the splap-splap-splap of an idling Rolls V12 was nice but nothing like that big block lope , glorpity-glorpity-glopity Pratt , Wright , yeah even the Sidleys . Nothing an I mean nothing ever stood the hair up on my neck and turned me into a goose bump faster or with such a depth as to make me wonder if my skin was just going to straight up crawl of as Rare Bear on the 496 mph course record run !!!!! It's just not something you can explain .

We ran with the T6/SNJ/Harvard crowd . I replaced every nut and bolt in a T6 up at Truckee Cal owned by Fredrick Kohler III , his Dad played in the 193? Pecos Kid movie . After the war they bought surplus airplanes by the barge load making a fair living over the years . His Uncle's however made all the money in generators and porcelain .....
Dad and I crewed with Likity Split , best known for it's NC17 artwork , Sheba , Slo' Yeller , and Miss Iris and Undecided owned by the Clinton's personal pilot during their Governor and Lady of AR stay . Miss Iris was flown by a little known astronaut David Griggs , he was the guy that came up with the "fly swatter" cargo net to recover the satellite brought back by the shuttle . (Stay with me)
Dave had come out a week early that year with Miss Iris to see some friends in CA and made arrangements to borrow a 182 to go over the hill but needed a check ride for insurance . My Dad having had 150 hours or so in type was happy to help him . In return RrAdm David Griggs let my Dad fly the take off landing and flight from Fallon Nv to Stead Nv and signed his log book off for the T6 .

Unfortunately Dad and Dave are gone now , but I'll always have that that big round motor sound .