Traditions…
This post won’t make a lot of sense to most people, but go with me here…
It’s a ‘tradition’, origin lost in time, that the last flight to the boneyard is always at max power…
This is a P-3 panel (steam gauges) on a bird going to the boneyard at Tucson. 1010 is the max allowable TIT in non-emergency situations, and this crew did it in style. 390 TAS with a 10Kt headwind at FL280, so they took the old girl out in style!
Photo courtesy of TC Sherman
The birds are old and tired, most are over 50 years old (this one is ONLY 46 years old), as you can tell from the flaking paint, but they all have stories to tell. Thousands of flight hours, hundreds of crewmen, pilots, navigators and maintainers sweated over these birds on the ‘hot’ deployments, and froze their asses off on the ‘cold’ deployments all over the world.
And they pretty much brought us home every time… Thankfully…
I miss those old birds. They were our constant companions on Adak, even though the crews & planes rotated back to Moffett Field every six months. It was always reassuring to know they were on patrol – and many a seaman & pilot is alive today because of the aircrews’ vigilance.
Rev- That we did… Not much luck with the sinking fishing boats, but if they got to a field we could get in, they were transported ASAP (always at 1010).
I know they’re old, and deserve their rest, but it still saddens me to see them shuffled off like this. They deserve better!!
The first time I saw one of these ‘in the flesh’ was on my first honeymoon. We were driving North from L.A., through Frisco.
Our first overnight stop was in Carmel (lovely little town), and we drove the 101 through Frisco.
As we went by Moffett, I saw a bunch of them on the runway and taxi strip. There must have been 5 or 6, all taking off one after the other.
She didn’t understand why I was getting excited, but then she wasn’t an airplane person.
Really cool to see them roaring down the runway and then off to who knows where.
Take it to the limit boys. May she rest in piece.
RS- Concur, but time marches on… sigh
drjim- I did my time at Moffett. And the low approaches caused a few wrecks every year…LOL
Euripides- Exactly!
Too bad Lochhead didn’t have Boeing management and political skills. They built some fine aircraft.
Being an SH-3 driver I never got more than a ride or 2 in the old bird. May they rest in peace. FWIW I do have some P-2 time in my logbook.
Ah, the P-3 Orion. I remember we had to modify a bunch of equipment to fit in those for a rapid expansion of Guardrail, back in about 2001, late September if I recall correctly – can’t imagine why we had to do that. I don’t know if they ever unloaded that gear.
390 TAS…..smoking fast for a prop….
Hey Old NFO;
it is sad to see an old bird to go to the boneyard, it is always hoped that they will bring a bird back from the boneyard for another mission or a different mission. That has happened before. I always want to take one home with me…although I don’t have the room for it.
I would like to know the stories of these old birds. But sadly I never will. But then again you have told their stories.
For that I Thank-you