That's a great story. Imagine the planning behind the scenes. What do you do if you forgot a tool or a part? Not to mention the complications of storms and whatnot. Very cool (no pun intended )!
Pretty doggone cool (no pun intended). I have never seen turbines on a C117 (DC 3 or R4D) before. I worked on one of the last that the Marine Corps had in active service (Buno 017253), and I believe that it was built before i was born. Marvelous aircraft!
Very cool video ski thanks. Those are sweet old birds for sure. When the Forest Service retired the old DC-3 from service for smokejumping a few years ago, it was immediately bought and put into service for Arctic/Antarctic service. They are worth saving as this so well showed.
Way back when, they did not have metalurgy down to an exact science, so they overbuilt.
If we stopped making all planes today, in a hundred years or so the last plane flying would be a DC-3.
Reminds me of the "Kee Bird", a B-29 that sat for 50 years on a glacier in Greenland. They were not quite as successful as the DC-3 recovery team.
I remember seeing this when it was first on PBS.
It was so sad then and even sadder now.
But it was nice to watch again,even if sad.
I had chills watching.
Thanks for posting.
Frank