For all my friends in Aces High,
for your concern and the primary report from doc is good, but have to wait on pathology report for all clear.
Douglas 13300 was a DC-3 which, at one time, flew for Piedmont airlines in the Carolina's and the southeast. I first became acquainted with the bird in 1968, working part time for a flight school in the Atlanta area. We used it for charter work and the veterans flight school which they operated. It and the flight school were owned by a gentleman who owned a large share of Coke and instead of using more modern aircraft, we had 2 Beech Barons, B models, he just enjoyed the slow lazy trips across the country. Here are two of the trips which I flew the bird on.
American Airlines DC-3
Some EC-47 during the Vietnam war...sure it will bring back some memories for some of you!
It was a scheduled 2PM departure and it was above average temp for late spring takeoff. After preflighting the bird, I watched as my passengers drifted in in 2 and 3's. All worked for a large power company in the Southeast and this was an annual golf trip to Crystal River, Fla. I could tell right away with the luggage and golf bags, no way were we going to be able to load all that in the baggage compartment. After discussing it with the manager of the group, I asked him to take about 1/2 of the people and carry their luggage on board and just leave it sitting in the floor beside them. This was supposed to be a 4 day, 3 night trip, but some of these guys had 2 pieces of luggage. I found out later that three of those extra pieces of luggage was actually filled with their favorite beverage, to share with the group of 16 men.
I knew we were going to be at gross weight, maybe a little above, but it should be OK. I did some quick calculations because of the runway in use at PDK was the shortest, 3900 feet and after calculating the density altitude, I knew I was going to use a lot of the runway. I calculated 3200 feet as best I could, if I remember correctly, which would leave me 900 feet for cushion. I told Tom, my co-pilot for this trip, we would have to have 80 knots by 3,000 feet or we would abort and try a different runway, one of which was 6,000 feet long. This is where things started getting interesting! After firing up and calling for clearance, a small thunderstorm had moved in the airport area and we now told we had to use runway 34, which was only 3967 feet long. But we now had a 20 knot wind, gusting to 30 knots right down the runway, so everything considered, should be a easy departure. Only problem with 34, about 1/4 mile from the runway end are some buildings and a few antennas thrown in for good measure.
Lined up on the runway, lock tail wheel and instead of leaving cowl flaps full open, I placed them in trail, thinking that would give us a little less drag on takeoff roll. I pushed the throttles full open and started the takeoff roll and the first thing in my mind was, "Tater", this thing feels like its dragging a anchor or something, but slowly at first, it begin to accelerate and about 1/2 down the runway, we are showing 60 knots, so everything going to be OK. As soon as I showed 75 knots, was having Tom call out the numbers to me, I begin to apply back pressure on the yoke, as it was really beginning to feel light on its feet at that point. We broke ground and got the gear up and I decided to accelerate to 90 knots as quickly as I could and if I had to do a little zoom by the antennas for good measure, a little safety measure.
We cleared everything just fine, contacted ATL departure and was given heading of 240 and he was going to take us right over the ATL international airport and then we could intercept V-97, with unrestricted climb to 9,000 feet. I did some quick mental calculations and knew we were going to be awefully low when we passed over ATL airport. We were showing 600FPM on the "ROC". PDK is 1003 feet above sea level, and as I turned to 240, I knew we were only going to be about 3500 feet when we passed over the airport and I am thinking, hope non of those new jets have to make a go around, but after discussing it with departure, he said everything would be cool!
We begin to pop in and out of "scud" clouds at about 3,000 feet which was associated with those thunderstorms which had moved into the area and we were starting to get bumped around a good bit as we climbed. I inquired of departure if we could deviate a little to the South and he said it will be about 5 more minutes before I could, but I could turn back right to 270 if I like, that way good, just some heavy rain, but no clear cell in the way. I begin to worry a little about all that loose luggage sitting in the floor and sure enough, a big down draft, followed by an updraft and with a bump like that, I knew those bags had to be moved, so I looked back down the aisle and one guy had removed his belt to try to recover his bag and we hit another big bump and I knew he was going to thrown around, so told Tom, watch what they are doing back there. Tom said the guy was laying in the aisle and he was holding his left arm with a pained look on his face.
We then hit the heavy rain, lasted about 30 seconds and we popped out into the clear behind those little boomers that we just flew through. Everything smoothed out then and the manager of the group came forward and said he thinks the guys broke his arm. Oh, crap this aren't good. He must be returned to PDK! OK,, I told departure was going on and that I had to RTB to PDK as soon as possible. Approach had me turn to a new heading 360 and maintain 4,000 feet, so I had Tom get out the plates for PDK and we started getting our heads around the fact we were going to have to land in a few minutes.
The thunderstorm which had moved into the airport area had moved a little East by now, but approach sets me up for ILS runway 21. Turning to new heading of 060 and descending to 3000MSL With a right turn in to the ILS, I quickly reviewed in my mind, there is something about approaches to that runway, so had Tome read off the info on the approach. A pole of some kind, 490 feet from end of runway, but 550 feet tot he side, right. As we crossed the middle marker, tower reports winds, 160 at 15 knots with gusts. Oh, crap, as heavy as we are and have to deal with a cross wind is not good, but doable. We had broke out of the scud at 1800MSL, so I had the runway in sight, I begin to set up my cross wind approach, planning on landing on left side of 150 foot wide runway, that way I would have a little room to play with. I am holding a little left aileron and a little right rudder all the way to touch down, touching down on left main first. I was carrying 75 knots or there about as we touched down, so directional control was no problem, and roll out was normal.
The tower knew was going on and they had called for an ambulance if the guy wanted one. He declined the ambulance ride, instead, he and his buddy droved to the hospital and sure enough, he had broke his left arm. What was bad, the bag he was trying to retrieve had JD in it and the inside of 13300 was smelling like a bar by now.
We refilled, launched again for Crystal River and this time, everything when smooth until we passed Albany, Ga and by now it was approaching 5PM in the afternoon and big thunderstorms standing all around Albany VOR, so we asked for and got permission to deviate around 2 big cells and then crossing the Ga./Fla state lines, things started to clear up a little. The only thing I now dreaded was that grass runway at Crystal River airport! its short, 2600 feet I think it was at the time. As we got closer to CR, I could see a lot of clouds up ahead and at that time, they had no approach into the airport, but they had a Unicom, which I tuned to and talked to some guy, not sure who he was, so had to take what he said with a grain of salt. Its raining he said and puddles were starting to appear on the runway! He said it looked like it was clearing to the West a little, so I canceled IFR and decided to at least take a look, so turned 210 and started descending. I could look in the direction of the airport, but I knew there was a radio tower, West of the field somewhere, so I was going to have to be extra careful as I approached the field. Field in sight now and we saw the big antenna off to our right and I set up the approach for 23 and I could not see any puddles of water from my distance, so I decided to go ahead and land. Oh boy, was he right, 4 or 5 big puddles right in the middle of the runway, but I was committed to land, so when ahead and touched down OK, pressed the binders just a little to test the grass and I could feel it slip a little, but the tail was coming down now, so I just kept it straight ahead and then we hit the puddles, it skidded right a little, then back left and the runway end was coming up, so I got on the binders as much as I thought I could and I told Tom, we are going to ground loop this thing to get it stopped. Sure enough, with about 200 feet left, yoke in my lap, hard left brake and at first I though it wouldn't turn because of the wet grass, but finally grabbed enough to slew us slowly around to the left. Wheeeee!
I told Tom, are you sure this what you want to do for a living? He was only 23 I think!
