Imagine the guys flying the Hump in WWII. They were loaded to the gills, barely able to stagger into the air and flying over the Himalayas, delivering the critical supplies for the troops in the far east. Amazing and largely unknown. I'm glad to see you remembering their service.
@@antimimoniakos they overbuilt these things because they didnt have the archival aviation history yet to know they didnt need double rows of rivets etc. Later on they were like whoah, we can actually have a strong aircraft that's half as heavy.
Remark at about 7:15 is pretty profound. We've so many young people that aren't getting that life-changing experience today. Travel, explore outside your home town. For pleasure, for your curiosity, for school, for work, for the military, for an aid agency, you name it. It matters.
Without doubt retracing the pioneering DC-3 flights from North America over to the European war are jaw dropping feats. As they were flying over Greenland, I wish they had shot that vast ice cap a little longer. It IS monumental and absolutely a pivotal element of our natural world that few people get to see real time. Can you imagine that seemingly incalculable ice sheet...gone by our children's lifetime?!
The camera work and editing has been excellent in this series. Doesn't hurt that the DC-3 is one of my favorite planes in history. Cars are all about fashion, but planes are all about function, which is probably why a plane built in 1945 is still going.
The engineers creed since before the time of my Dad, who flew Curtis, "Iron Pants" Lemay around the Pentagon in his Cessna 190 is the three "F's" - Form, Fit and Function.
As a boy, I flew with my big brother on an FFAA (Fuerzas Aereas) DC-3 from the Bolivian Air Force over the Andes Mountains. My stepdad was an officer in the Bolivian Army. The plane actually still had the same hard metal seats from when the US carried airborne troops in Europe. The seats were dented in to fit the backsides of the passengers while facing away from the windows against the wall. The DC-3 were on, her sister ship another DC-3, the one we were supposed to fly on had engine problems and we had switched planes. That one crashed somewhere over the jungles of the Amazonian rainforest in the state of Santa Cruz. Since DC-3s didn't have oxygen for the passengers, we flew rather close to the Andean peaks which made the flight incredibly turbulent where many of the passengers vomited, some cried. I was too young to understand fear. Yet still, it had a lasting effect on me when I rode a rollercoaster years later and would never again because it felt the same flying over the Andes.
Had this happen in a DC6 back in the late 60s. It was Xmas and the airline over booked a flight over water, from Melbourne to Launceston in Oz.This was the days of Electras. They refitted a DC6 cargo plane for passengers. When we had boarded number one engine wouldn't start. They spent an hour getting it going while we watched the covers come off. It was no problem once they got it going. Cheers Mike from Adelaide Aus.
My Dad flew C47s in WW2. Exactly story they described about the 7 minute mark. Midwestern farm boy, 21 years old, headed to England. In the next 18 months he flew to 5 continents, and then back home to Iowa to resume his studies at ISU. He never piloted an aircraft again. I sure miss him. Thanks for this tiny peek into what some of that was like for him.
I know first hand how that is. Was out flying in Northern Iraq in 2007 when a Dyess C130 belly landed at Baghdad airport and word got back to the states faster about a crash than it took us to get back to Balad later that day. Not fun for the family at all.
That conversation combined with the engine trouble did make me wonder if the DC-3 could have made it safely to Iceland on 1 engine if the other had failed halfway there...
My dad flew the path you folks took only he did it mostly in B-17s. He was too old to fly combat so he ferried B-17s, DC-3s, A-20s, etc., to England. Most flights were 4-planes, complete radio silence most of the way.
Wow. I landed in Greenland in a DC3 in 1949. I was a 5 year old being taken from Curacao in the caribbean to the Netherlands. We stopped in Havana, Montreal, Greenland, London, and finally Amsterdam. I was very excited about the trip and very impressed with it all. I don't remember much about Greenland, just that we had stopped there. Seeing the title of this video, I had to check it out. Boy, you sure had a lot of cameras on that plane. For such an old plane, I'm sure there must have been many upgrades done over the years, particularly in the electronics. How lucky that you get to make flights like this and see so much.
i flew over Southern Greenland at 40,000 feet, it was a magical leg of my flight from Zurich to Dallas many years ago. I can wait to try it in a Msfs dc-3!
The commentary about the 18-20 year-olds, establishing this route more than 75 years ago, paired with the view out the cockpit, in near ideal weather was perfect. Truly awe-inspiring video, and extraordinary teamwork. Your editing provided all the angles. This was worth waiting for!
My grandfather flew C-47's toward the end of the war and DC-3's for TWA and Delta at the start of his aviation career. He said the DC-3 was a delightful airplane to fly, though he ultimately preferred the stretch DC-8 and the L-1011 Tristar, the latter of which he ended his career flying. He said the best thing about the DC-3 was the ease of flight and how robust, even overbuilt, the entire plane was. It was one of the greatest aircraft ever designed, and so many flying, many with turboprop conversions, the DC-3 will likely remain flying after my middle aged self has long ago taken the last flight west. I miss my grandfather, but seeing something he flew makes me feel just a little bit closer.
My grandfather also flew in _C-47's_ before transferring to Medium and Heavy Bomb groups, and flew them again after the war before being honorably discharged. I never got to meet him before his passing but he had similar feelings about it according to my father.
I would imagine that sooner or later, Basler will some how acquire the DC-3 certifications (and manufacturing rights from Boeing... if they haven't already), and start building them from scratch (which they kinda do with the conversions).
@@hawkdsl Boeing isn't about to let the rights to the DC-3 escape their possession anytime soon. If Basler could make money selling new DC-3's, Boeing would just start building them again for themselves. Neat thought though!
L- 1011's will always be my Fav'd ship to work on. So far ahead of its time by 20 years. And they were 14 years old when I started back about 85' Twin Cities MSP & 35 below zero. Cheers.
Enjoyed the comment about the airplane doing things for the mechanic and not the pilot. That’s why I’m a A and P mech as well as corporate pilot. This way the airplane always did as it was supposed to. NOT !!!! BTW. I’m now retired. After seeing these videos I want to get back in the cockpit and start flying again.
I was about your age when I started flying DC-3's. They are a wonderful old tin bird & just like a wood burning stove you have to keep messing with them to get the heat right.
Hello Mr. Matt Guthmiller, Very nice work sir, a great job with the videography in my humble opinion. You got some great shots, in under less than smooth, vibration, noise, or wind free conditions you managed to keep the shots clean, stable, and consistent. May all your landings be happy ones. JB Your DC-3 story triggered a memory of a story my mother told me about one of her DC-3 experiences, so I decided to share it with you. My mother flew in a DC-3 from Toledo, OH to Anchorage, AK in late 1945. It was just three pilots, a flight navigator, a flight mechanic and some cargo, and my mother about 3 months pregnant with #2, and my eldest sister in her arms, a 10 month old baby back then. As my mother would say, to give you young people a little ribbing. Hey Matt at least you and your flight crew weren't changing baby diapers in a cold, turbulent DC-3 for hours on end ! I'm pretty sure her DC-3 rear "cabin" didn't have the modern interior upgrades yours looked like it had gotten, at some point in the 73yrs sense her flight. Mom said that flight was one of the scariest and dumbest things she had ever done, but she was in love, and love can make you do dumb things. Anchorage was dads first assignment with the Corp of Engineers after WWII. It began almost immediately following his service in the Army 94th. Infantry Combat Engineers (rank captain) during WWII, European theater. Their first real home together was a log cabin in what is now downtown Anchorage. It had a well for water in the bathroom's bathtub, to keep it from freezing over in winter, a wood stove burning almost 24/7. A loaded sort barrel shotgun near the door, it turns out a shot gun shot is an effective deterrent for bears and wolves, without doing them any real harm. It was a necessary tool when just a half dozen or so yards away from the cabin you have a shed with curing racks and a smoker full of the deer, elk, and salmon meat your husband shot or caught earlier in the year. There are pictures of the snow being so deep it reached up to the bottom of the cabins roof overhang, so 10 to 12 feet of snow outside your door for months. I think she must have been head over heels, because there is no way in HELL that I would have moved to pre-statehood Alaska in 1945 with a baby in my arms, and another on the way. No way, no how, and for nobody. Mom was right, it was just a dumb thing to do. Hope you enjoyed her DC-3 story. All the best, JB
All I could think about when watching this series is how it provides a visual backup to "Fate is the Hunter". Seeing the fjord leading to Bluie West One (now Narsarsuaq), the ice cap etc... exactly as Gann described it is amazing.
i love these videos! I was a maintenance mechanic on an L1049 Super Constellation here in the states for many years, and she was a pretty maintenance intensive bird. I look back fondly on those days when we were flying. We also had a an ex-TWA DC-3 that we were restoring, I don't know the status of it now,but I sure would love to see it flying. it is a beautiful restoration
Well in this video the take off was magic again...listening to those engines...then V1...up up and away...memories... I am 66 now and was 8 when we hopped from 1 island to the other.. This is the first time in all those years that the memory has flooded back. Quite outstanding Thank you... More take offs 😁😁👍please I suspect you have an electrical/water problem... The slight misfire would give you an intermittent vibration...as it clears then returns My dad would have found it and fixed it ...great planes
My first passenger flight was on a DC-3. I was too young to think is writing down the n number. Ps. The R-1830 was the first engine we trained on in my HS.
Just superb video quality Matt, with the little cameras! - I feel I'm right there with your guys feeling the vibrations and soaking up the Greenland mountains, icebergs, clouds and the wild expanse of the North Atlantic! There's definitely 40000+ rivets flying in superb DC3 shaped formation. That P&W symphony on takeoff with full boost... just delightful!
Thank you for this great tour and informational video! As was mentioned before the camera work and editing are amazing. What you guys did to fly that plane and share this story was such a gift. I'm not a big traveler but I really enjoyed the trip! Thank you so much. Glad I stumbled upon this incredible documentary.
I was at Duxford for the massed take off of DC-3/C-47s. I must say, it was a surprise to see Clipper Tabitha May there on the grass - I had no idea you guys were coming over. I'm an avid flight simmer, and so I recognized her as PMDG's aeroplane straight away.
@@alienb1212 A type A personality for sure. Deciding on the VFR approach into Greenland was interesting as the Co-pilot comments" ah, the airports over there, what are you thinking". It wasn't what he said, it was how he said it. I thought, he's not pleased. As one of my instructors famously said, " I know what I'm thinking, I just don't know what you're thinking". We both laughed.
The terrain didnt help at all, plus the downgusts of wind at that place is bad and low speed having to worry about stalling is another factor. But he did a good job.
Thanks Matt! Words can't express the joy this video brings to the heats of more than a few of us for a few moments were able to relive the transcendental magic of an epic flight such as this 💕
With the length of delay until this video, I have to admit I was concerned whether we'd get this update or another update. Congratulations. I'm sure my relief pales to insignificance. Congratulations to the whole team, and that lovely old bird.
Wow, this one definitely made my mind up, this is a straight up great channel. Technical, produced extremely well, no added drama, obnoxious music, dizzying camera work... the list goes on. I especially like the angle where we can see you guys working the controls, hear you talking, and also see out of the windshield. I always have been curious about the sensation of the tail coming up during takeoff, and for the first time I saw it in this video. Thank you for sharing this.
Radials...Got to love 'em. Try keeping a P&W R-4360 going. Been there-done that! Boeing KC-97L aerial refueler. Yeah, I'm old. Calling out position reports in the blind....that's got to be a unique experience few get! Great crew coordination too. That's also got to be the cleanest DC-3 wheel well I've ever seen too.
I was amused at 16:54 when he said "Fourteen cylinders total on each side...kind of a lot to keep working all the time". Thought of Pan Am's Boeing Model 377 Stratocruisers (airliner versions of your KC-97s) and their four R-4360s: fifty-six cylinders per side to keep in working order, on regular ocean-crossing flights, with passengers paying a pretty penny and expecting safety and reliability to match the fare. Hard to find a better practical demonstration of just why the gas turbine would take over... (Not that I would ever dream of claiming to have any experience remotely close to yours-never done any piloting, nor engine maintenance of any kind. I'm just a nut about aviation history, that's all.)
@@colindhowell Hey that's OK. Take that interest and if there's an aviation musuem or a non-profit keeping a vintage military plane flying close by, think about volunteering. Bet you'd find they would love to have you. Great way to get your hands dirty and have a ball! Speaking of turbine, we considered an engine on the old '97 with 700 hours as "high time". When I was at TWA, we routinely got 7000+ on wing time on an overhauled engine and 15,000+ on a new factory fresh one. Turbine technology is still progressing too! Of course when turbines were in their infancy, they were doing good the equal their piston counterparts. Keep the faith!
@@blueboats7530 21 of September they will have a parachute drop of 1000 men at the Airborne monument here in the Netherlands. Also a historic convoi of US and British commenwealth vehicels started driving the 6th of June in Normandy to start the 75 years Liberation memorilas thru Europe.
7:02: great comments on “a life-changing experience” for a young pilots during WWII. I would add that every pilot on this route during the war was handed an awesome responsibility that required uncommon skill and courage-getting to Europe in itself was an immense challenge. Far too many planes were lost during the transit. Most planes were sent out alone, and every crew had to figure out their own plan for navigation, weather, and mechanical issues. The approach in the fiords of Greenland in bad weather and low overcast would have been a nightmare. Look up how Andrews AFB got it’s name and you will see an example of how dangerous this transit could be for anyone, regardless of rank.
Greenland is a unique and often unforgiving landscape, but jaw droppingly spectacular. Everything about it, the massive ice bergs, the huge areas of sea ice, the flora and fauna, the marine life, the geology, the history is fascinating, but I think the sheer size of the place is what sticks in my mind. Fifteen years or so ago I was lucky enough to take a trip around the east coast, probably one of the most inspiring and humbling experiences of my life. Certainly not a place to have an incident while flying. Fly safe everyone. Thanks for the video.
I remember many years ago, I enjoyed a pleasure trip around the block in a DC3 , G AMPO, from East midlands airport , UK. I think it was operated byAir Atlantique who were based at Coventry Airport at the time, and specialised in using vintage aircraft. They also used , if I remember, a DC6 and possibly a Lockheed Electra, an amazing fleet, although I don’t know what has become of them now. Later on, I took up weekend gliding, and some of our tug pilots were hours building towards a commercial licence, at least one of them began their careers flying for aAir Atlantique in “Daks” . We were all pretty jealous! Happy days.
It’s always a joy for me watching your flight adventures. I get (good) anxiety when you cross water and especially enjoyed your earlier trip when you and two others did this same route. Thank you very much for sharing this. It is a unique experience for all of us. Cheers, Colin.
The one and only time I flew in a DC-3 was from Nassau, Grand Bahama (after a flight from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on the first jump in a Convair 440.) I was about 10 years old. My Dad worked for Joe Mackey (Mackey Airlines) What I remember most was how when we went to our ceiling (between Nassau and Georgetown, Exuma Bahamas out island)… my inner ears were not right - very painful. The DC-3 had live chickens and goats onboard. Wild! DC-3 “What a beautiful bird” my Dad would say! Thanks for all the air-time Pops!!!
What an amazing channel! I started watching this before going to work. It was so captivating I got lost in the journey and was late to work. Good thing I own the joint or I’d be in trouble. Anyways, thank you so much for sharing this wonderful journey!
My grandpa was a US-NAVY LDC-Operater during the D-Day Invasion it is awesome to see them flying the same route that our WW-2 C-47 pilots flew in 1942 ( lot's of respect).
Been waiting for this video for a long time and now its here, BRILLIANT. Already looking forward to the video from Iceland to the UK. Good work. Regards.
Nothing like high moisture, low temps & and Magneto infiltrated by cross fire moisture. I always kept a can of high grade silicone handy to eliminate high voltage distributor arc tracking by moisture. Instant cure. Great Show,, I prepped many converted aircraft for sale to missionaries - installing floats and hand made 250 gallon fuel tanks to make the trip to Africa from here. Cheers
Man this channel is so underrated. it's channels like this that make me proud of this platform. Other big channels like pewdieshit and the others are big and a waste of time. But smaller channels like this have the best content. Keep up the great work matt. Cheers
My uncle was 21 year old B-17 pilot in 1943 when he and his crew of 9 other guy's flew this same north atlantic route on their way to their 8th AAF base in England, along with a few other B-17's on their way as well to England.
@@robertgordon5562 No unfortunately I don't. 3 hundred something. Another relative was with the 15th based in Italy as a tail gunner on a Liberator nearing the end of his tour, and volunteered to go on a night time mission in late 1944, and unfortunately the Lib was shot down by a German night fighter over the Italian Alps. The whole crew was listed on the tablets of the missing at the American Cemetery in Naples but evidently they have been recently recovered, or more like what little remains of them were. I'm trying to find out more about it. He was with the 348th bomber squadron, 99th bomber group heavy.
Excellent series. Really impressive. Having been a ground engineer myself I can totally relate to this adventure. Loved the comment about engines more willing to start at the hands of a mechanic than those of a pilot!
Well! You inspired me Mr Guthmiller I'm going to apply for a Douglas Bader Disability Flying Scholarship here in the UK. Live right under the flight path of Liverpool UK's flight School for 15 years. SICK of watching everybody else fly over. For once I want to do it!! ;)
This continues the theme set from the first vlog about the effort put into this trip to get to the D-Day 75 commemorations. Pretty amazing. Let’s not forget that a similar amount of effort put in to get back home. Truly awesome! Can’t wait to see the work going into the D-Day flights themselves.
You have most certainly outdone yourself with this series and might I add that you obviously couldn't have been in better company for the trip. Those guys are amazing.
Im not a pilot or even an airplane geek but watching these guys fly this thing a LONG ass way is fascinating. This aircraft was constructed much more recently to Kittyhawk and that papermache experiment that spawned flight than it is to the current time. The guys, (and lets be honest they were guys) that designed this plane only had about 15 - 20 years of worthwhile aviation history to draw from. (think back to 2004, do you really trust what we have learned about anything since then?) And so they were still scared to death of things like weather and the structural stresses of normal flying. So it's understandable but hilarious when you see the double rows of rivets at basically every connection point even as they trust in cloth for the flaps lol. It really is a flinstonian beauty and i love it.
IN THE USAF IN FRANCE 1958-61 ,,IT WAS OUR SQUADRON PLANE, CALLED A C-47 AKA GOONIE BIRD. IT WAS USED AS OUR MOBILE MAINTENANCE TEAMS TRANSPORTATION TO GO REPAIR MATS AIRCRAFT THAT HAD TO DIVERT TO AIRPORTS THAT HAD NO USAF MAINTENANCE. IT ALSO SERVED TO GIVE OFFICERS ON FLYING STATUS THEIR HOURS..IT WAS A WORK HORSE..
Talk about "fly by the seat of your pants" !! Great vision and fun ! The scenery is stunning !! One of the best flying videos I have ever seen !! Well done crew !! Safe travels!
I have to say that there's something about watching this beautiful aircraft that makes me smile! Wonderful series - great job Matt (and everyone else involved!)
Well that answers my earlier question about the engines. P&W. Good stuff. P&W on Bever, Otter, Caribou and C-47.. Flew them all. U.S. Army fixed wing pilot. I have enjoyed this †rip with you guys, Photography and naration is excellent. Brings back a lot of memories when flying the C-47 for the U.S. Army Parachute Team. Now I watch another leg. Thanks you so much. Charles Hill , Fayetteville, NC, USA,
The -94 engines have the mags in the front of the engine and they can have a moisture problem. Carry a bottle of nitrogen, open up the mags and blast the moisture out.
Nice having two mechanics on board even with how reliable those old Pratt & Whitney's are, I remember when the CWH Lanc flew across the pond with Craig Brookhouse as the chief engineer babysitting those four Merlins.
From a historical perspective, this airframe and powerplant is a site to experience and behold. Brave men and women have flown and are currently flying this great DC-3.
Very interesting series of videos! During WWII, my late father worked as an engine mechanic on C-47's, the military equivalent of the DC-3, as well as other aircraft on the AAF Air Transport Command airbase at Casablanca in Morocco. He would have loved watching these videos--and I'm quite sure that he would have had an opinion about what may have been causing the engine trouble!
Love what you guys did and the sacrifice your wives made to make this happen for you. Those who support you are great too. Amazing photography after having flown over some of this at 35,000 ft or so. Very different perspective. Love it.
@Matt Guthmiller Worked on a 172 most of the day and didn't get to fly. Got home and stumbled upon this. During the takeoff roll the sound of those engines damn near made me tear up. Excellent work Sir. Subscribed! PP ASEL, A&P, IA
Imagine the guys flying the Hump in WWII. They were loaded to the gills, barely able to stagger into the air and flying over the Himalayas, delivering the critical supplies for the troops in the far east. Amazing and largely unknown. I'm glad to see you remembering their service.
Wow
Mostly
Curtiss C-46 Commandos (R-2800s)
Consolidated C-87 cargo versions of their four (R-1820) engined B-24 bomber...
ALTITUDE!
Carrying ability...
And, yes, C-47s....
Thru the passes...
J.C.
It's absolutely amazing to see an aircraft that was designed and engineered 84 years ago still flying.
It's a shame that they don't build stuff like they used to
@@thomasbeck9075 They build it better. But the DC-3 is a gorgeous piece of history.
They made them strong those days.
@@antimimoniakos they overbuilt these things because they didnt have the archival aviation history yet to know they didnt need double rows of rivets etc. Later on they were like whoah, we can actually have a strong aircraft that's half as heavy.
THANK YOU for using the music judiciously, and not overwhelming the engine sound with aural nonsense!
copy that.
10:37 "...you know like most engines, they're far more eager to start in the hands of a mechanic... then in the hands of a pilot." ROFL
yep and how the engineer makes it look dead easy like "what y'all been doin"
Computers are like that, too. Especially 1980s/1990s ones. It's a pain sometimes, you actually want them to fail so you can see what's wrong!
Remark at about 7:15 is pretty profound. We've so many young people that aren't getting that life-changing experience today. Travel, explore outside your home town. For pleasure, for your curiosity, for school, for work, for the military, for an aid agency, you name it. It matters.
Without doubt retracing the pioneering DC-3 flights from North America over to the European war are jaw dropping feats. As they were flying over Greenland, I wish they had shot that vast ice cap a little longer. It IS monumental and absolutely a pivotal element of our natural world that few people get to see real time. Can you imagine that seemingly incalculable ice sheet...gone by our children's lifetime?!
Only problem is that it's expensive
The camera work and editing has been excellent in this series. Doesn't hurt that the DC-3 is one of my favorite planes in history. Cars are all about fashion, but planes are all about function, which is probably why a plane built in 1945 is still going.
The engineers creed since before the time of my Dad, who flew Curtis, "Iron Pants" Lemay around the Pentagon in his Cessna 190 is the three "F's" - Form, Fit and Function.
@@sitarnut I will add that to my kit bag. Thanks.
As a boy, I flew with my big brother on an FFAA (Fuerzas Aereas) DC-3 from the Bolivian Air Force over the Andes Mountains. My stepdad was an officer in the Bolivian Army. The plane actually still had the same hard metal seats from when the US carried airborne troops in Europe. The seats were dented in to fit the backsides of the passengers while facing away from the windows against the wall. The DC-3
were on, her sister ship another DC-3, the one we were supposed to fly on had engine problems and we had switched planes. That one crashed somewhere over the jungles of the Amazonian rainforest in the state of Santa Cruz. Since DC-3s didn't have oxygen for the passengers, we flew rather close to the Andean peaks which made the flight incredibly turbulent where many of the passengers vomited, some cried. I was too young to understand fear. Yet still, it had a lasting effect on me when I rode a rollercoaster years later and would never again because it felt the same flying over the Andes.
Had this happen in a DC6 back in the late 60s. It was Xmas and the airline over booked a flight over water, from Melbourne to Launceston in Oz.This was the days of Electras. They refitted a DC6 cargo plane for passengers. When we had boarded number one engine wouldn't start. They spent an hour getting it going while we watched the covers come off. It was no problem once they got it going. Cheers Mike from Adelaide Aus.
My Dad flew C47s in WW2. Exactly story they described about the 7 minute mark. Midwestern farm boy, 21 years old, headed to England. In the next 18 months he flew to 5 continents, and then back home to Iowa to resume his studies at ISU. He never piloted an aircraft again. I sure miss him. Thanks for this tiny peek into what some of that was like for him.
Pretty powerful discussion about the impact of this kind of flying on family.
I know first hand how that is. Was out flying in Northern Iraq in 2007 when a Dyess C130 belly landed at Baghdad airport and word got back to the states faster about a crash than it took us to get back to Balad later that day. Not fun for the family at all.
my first thought was, "bring her along" on a flight. Experience can help relieve fear or stress.
The kind of conversation men have with each other that women think we don't have. Your always on our minds ladies.
That conversation combined with the engine trouble did make me wonder if the DC-3 could have made it safely to Iceland on 1 engine if the other had failed halfway there...
Radials are just plain deadly, only one bearing on master link to crank, that fails the whole engine is dead.
My dad flew the path you folks took only he did it mostly in B-17s. He was too old to fly combat so he ferried B-17s, DC-3s, A-20s, etc., to England. Most flights were 4-planes, complete radio silence most of the way.
still a big part of the war effort they needed them plans
Wow. I landed in Greenland in a DC3 in 1949. I was a 5 year old being taken from Curacao in the caribbean to the Netherlands. We stopped in Havana, Montreal, Greenland, London, and finally Amsterdam. I was very excited about the trip and very impressed with it all. I don't remember much about Greenland, just that we had stopped there. Seeing the title of this video, I had to check it out. Boy, you sure had a lot of cameras on that plane. For such an old plane, I'm sure there must have been many upgrades done over the years, particularly in the electronics. How lucky that you get to make flights like this and see so much.
i flew over Southern Greenland at 40,000 feet, it was a magical leg of my flight from Zurich to Dallas many years ago. I can wait to try it in a Msfs dc-3!
The commentary about the 18-20 year-olds, establishing this route more than 75 years ago, paired with the view out the cockpit, in near ideal weather was perfect.
Truly awe-inspiring video, and extraordinary teamwork. Your editing provided all the angles. This was worth waiting for!
5:06 that take off sounds SO GOOD!
Yeah wow, huh? Those engines sound awesome.
My grandfather flew C-47's toward the end of the war and DC-3's for TWA and Delta at the start of his aviation career. He said the DC-3 was a delightful airplane to fly, though he ultimately preferred the stretch DC-8 and the L-1011 Tristar, the latter of which he ended his career flying. He said the best thing about the DC-3 was the ease of flight and how robust, even overbuilt, the entire plane was. It was one of the greatest aircraft ever designed, and so many flying, many with turboprop conversions, the DC-3 will likely remain flying after my middle aged self has long ago taken the last flight west. I miss my grandfather, but seeing something he flew makes me feel just a little bit closer.
My grandfather also flew in _C-47's_ before transferring to Medium and Heavy Bomb groups, and flew them again after the war before being honorably discharged. I never got to meet him before his passing but he had similar feelings about it according to my father.
I would imagine that sooner or later, Basler will some how acquire the DC-3 certifications (and manufacturing rights from Boeing... if they haven't already), and start building them from scratch (which they kinda do with the conversions).
@@hawkdsl Boeing isn't about to let the rights to the DC-3 escape their possession anytime soon. If Basler could make money selling new DC-3's, Boeing would just start building them again for themselves. Neat thought though!
L- 1011's will always be my Fav'd ship to work on. So far ahead of its time by 20 years. And they were 14 years old when I started back about 85' Twin Cities MSP & 35 below zero.
Cheers.
Oh my...that cockpit discussion about their wives, that made it so real to me. Thanks for including that Matt.
Enjoyed the comment about the airplane doing things for the mechanic and not the pilot. That’s why I’m a A and P mech as well as corporate pilot. This way the airplane always did as it was supposed to. NOT !!!! BTW. I’m now retired.
After seeing these videos I want to get back in the cockpit and start flying again.
I was about your age when I started flying DC-3's. They are a wonderful old tin bird & just like a wood burning stove you have to keep messing with them to get the heat right.
Hello Mr. Matt Guthmiller,
Very nice work sir, a great job with the videography in my humble opinion.
You got some great shots, in under less than smooth, vibration, noise, or wind free conditions you managed to keep the shots clean, stable, and consistent.
May all your landings be happy ones.
JB
Your DC-3 story triggered a memory of a story my mother told me about one of her DC-3 experiences, so I decided to share it with you.
My mother flew in a DC-3 from Toledo, OH to Anchorage, AK in late 1945. It was just three pilots, a flight navigator, a flight mechanic and some cargo, and my mother about 3 months pregnant with #2, and my eldest sister in her arms, a 10 month old baby back then.
As my mother would say, to give you young people a little ribbing.
Hey Matt at least you and your flight crew weren't changing baby diapers in a cold, turbulent DC-3 for hours on end !
I'm pretty sure her DC-3 rear "cabin" didn't have the modern interior upgrades yours looked like it had gotten, at some point in the 73yrs sense her flight.
Mom said that flight was one of the scariest and dumbest things she had ever done, but she was in love, and love can make you do dumb things.
Anchorage was dads first assignment with the Corp of Engineers after WWII.
It began almost immediately following his service in the Army 94th. Infantry Combat Engineers (rank captain) during WWII, European theater.
Their first real home together was a log cabin in what is now downtown Anchorage. It had a well for water in the bathroom's bathtub, to keep it from freezing over in winter, a wood stove burning almost 24/7. A loaded sort barrel shotgun near the door, it turns out a shot gun shot is an effective deterrent for bears and wolves, without doing them any real harm. It was a necessary tool when just a half dozen or so yards away from the cabin you have a shed with curing racks and a smoker full of the deer, elk, and salmon meat your husband shot or caught earlier in the year. There are pictures of the snow being so deep it reached up to the bottom of the cabins roof overhang, so 10 to 12 feet of snow outside your door for months.
I think she must have been head over heels, because there is no way in HELL that I would have moved to pre-statehood Alaska in 1945 with a baby in my arms, and another on the way. No way, no how, and for nobody.
Mom was right, it was just a dumb thing to do.
Hope you enjoyed her DC-3 story.
All the best,
JB
All I could think about when watching this series is how it provides a visual backup to "Fate is the Hunter". Seeing the fjord leading to Bluie West One (now Narsarsuaq), the ice cap etc... exactly as Gann described it is amazing.
I'm reading that book for the first and just got done with that chapter. Nice coincidence!
i love these videos! I was a maintenance mechanic on an L1049 Super Constellation here in the states for many years, and she was a pretty maintenance intensive bird. I look back fondly on those days when we were flying. We also had a an ex-TWA DC-3 that we were restoring, I don't know the status of it now,but I sure would love to see it flying. it is a beautiful restoration
Well in this video the take off was magic again...listening to those engines...then V1...up up and away...memories...
I am 66 now and was 8 when we hopped from 1 island to the other..
This is the first time in all those years that the memory has flooded back.
Quite outstanding
Thank you...
More take offs 😁😁👍please
I suspect you have an electrical/water problem... The slight misfire would give you an intermittent vibration...as it clears then returns
My dad would have found it and fixed it ...great planes
That moment of the guys talking about their wives, the things they said, beautiful
Couldn’t be more accurate
She really is a beautiful old girl. Love DC-3s!
My first passenger flight was on a DC-3. I was too young to think is writing down the n number.
Ps. The R-1830 was the first engine we trained on in my HS.
Just superb video quality Matt, with the little cameras! - I feel I'm right there with your guys feeling the vibrations and soaking up the Greenland mountains, icebergs, clouds and the wild expanse of the North Atlantic! There's definitely 40000+ rivets flying in superb DC3 shaped formation. That P&W symphony on takeoff with full boost... just delightful!
Thank you for this great tour and informational video! As was mentioned before the camera work and editing are amazing. What you guys did to fly that plane and share this story was such a gift. I'm not a big traveler but I really enjoyed the trip! Thank you so much. Glad I stumbled upon this incredible documentary.
I was at Duxford for the massed take off of DC-3/C-47s. I must say, it was a surprise to see Clipper Tabitha May there on the grass - I had no idea you guys were coming over. I'm an avid flight simmer, and so I recognized her as PMDG's aeroplane straight away.
This is really wonderful. The part about their families was a lovely insight into all of this. Loved all the info about the engines.
These videos are sensational, love the crew moral. The 747 pilot seems so professional
I'd want him as my copilot any fucking day. What a guy!
@@alienb1212 A type A personality for sure. Deciding on the VFR approach into Greenland was interesting as the Co-pilot comments" ah, the airports over there, what are you thinking". It wasn't what he said, it was how he said it. I thought, he's not pleased.
As one of my instructors famously said, " I know what I'm thinking, I just don't know what you're thinking". We both laughed.
The terrain didnt help at all, plus the downgusts of wind at that place is bad and low speed having to worry about stalling is another factor. But he did a good job.
Thanks Matt! Words can't express the joy this video brings to the heats of more than a few of us for a few moments were able to relive the transcendental magic of an epic flight such as this 💕
Boiler up! My son is a senior there now, and my primary and instrument instructors all came thru PU. Be safe!
With the length of delay until this video, I have to admit I was concerned whether we'd get this update or another update.
Congratulations. I'm sure my relief pales to insignificance. Congratulations to the whole team, and that lovely old bird.
That was fun, I'm a huge fan of the DC-3. What a plane.
Wow, this one definitely made my mind up, this is a straight up great channel. Technical, produced extremely well, no added drama, obnoxious music, dizzying camera work... the list goes on. I especially like the angle where we can see you guys working the controls, hear you talking, and also see out of the windshield. I always have been curious about the sensation of the tail coming up during takeoff, and for the first time I saw it in this video. Thank you for sharing this.
Loving this series ... we flew in one of the Daks Over Normandy on D-Day ... what an experience!
Radials...Got to love 'em. Try keeping a P&W R-4360 going. Been there-done that! Boeing KC-97L aerial refueler. Yeah, I'm old. Calling out position reports in the blind....that's got to be a unique experience few get! Great crew coordination too. That's also got to be the cleanest DC-3 wheel well I've ever seen too.
I was amused at 16:54 when he said "Fourteen cylinders total on each side...kind of a lot to keep working all the time". Thought of Pan Am's Boeing Model 377 Stratocruisers (airliner versions of your KC-97s) and their four R-4360s: fifty-six cylinders per side to keep in working order, on regular ocean-crossing flights, with passengers paying a pretty penny and expecting safety and reliability to match the fare. Hard to find a better practical demonstration of just why the gas turbine would take over...
(Not that I would ever dream of claiming to have any experience remotely close to yours-never done any piloting, nor engine maintenance of any kind. I'm just a nut about aviation history, that's all.)
@@colindhowell Hey that's OK. Take that interest and if there's an aviation musuem or a non-profit keeping a vintage military plane flying close by, think about volunteering. Bet you'd find they would love to have you. Great way to get your hands dirty and have a ball! Speaking of turbine, we considered an engine on the old '97 with 700 hours as "high time". When I was at TWA, we routinely got 7000+ on wing time on an overhauled engine and 15,000+ on a new factory fresh one. Turbine technology is still progressing too! Of course when turbines were in their infancy, they were doing good the equal their piston counterparts. Keep the faith!
First video in this "series" June 7th.
Last Video August 13th.
This one 5th of September.
Dude... You are going to be late to the war! :P
Looks like we'll make it in time for Operation Market Garden though
@@blueboats7530 21 of September they will have a parachute drop of 1000 men at the Airborne monument here in the Netherlands.
Also a historic convoi of US and British commenwealth vehicels started driving the 6th of June in Normandy to start the 75 years Liberation memorilas thru Europe.
7:02: great comments on “a life-changing experience” for a young pilots during WWII. I would add that every pilot on this route during the war was handed an awesome responsibility that required uncommon skill and courage-getting to Europe in itself was an immense challenge. Far too many planes were lost during the transit. Most planes were sent out alone, and every crew had to figure out their own plan for navigation, weather, and mechanical issues. The approach in the fiords of Greenland in bad weather and low overcast would have been a nightmare. Look up how Andrews AFB got it’s name and you will see an example of how dangerous this transit could be for anyone, regardless of rank.
Greenland is a unique and often unforgiving landscape, but jaw droppingly spectacular.
Everything about it, the massive ice bergs, the huge areas of sea ice, the flora and fauna, the marine life, the geology, the history is fascinating, but I think the sheer size of the place is what sticks in my mind. Fifteen years or so ago I was lucky enough to take a trip around the east coast, probably one of the most inspiring and humbling experiences of my life. Certainly not a place to have an incident while flying. Fly safe everyone. Thanks for the video.
I remember many years ago, I enjoyed a pleasure trip around the block in a DC3 , G AMPO, from East midlands airport , UK. I think it was operated byAir Atlantique who were based at Coventry Airport at the time, and specialised in using vintage aircraft. They also used , if I remember, a DC6 and possibly a Lockheed Electra, an amazing fleet, although I don’t know what has become of them now. Later on, I took up weekend gliding, and some of our tug pilots were hours building towards a commercial licence, at least one of them began their careers flying for aAir Atlantique in “Daks” . We were all pretty jealous! Happy days.
It’s always a joy for me watching your flight adventures. I get (good) anxiety when you cross water and especially enjoyed your earlier trip when you and two others did this same route. Thank you very much for sharing this. It is a unique experience for all of us. Cheers, Colin.
The one and only time I flew in a DC-3 was from Nassau, Grand Bahama (after a flight from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on the first jump in a Convair 440.) I was about 10 years old. My Dad worked for Joe Mackey (Mackey Airlines)
What I remember most was how when we went to our ceiling (between Nassau and Georgetown, Exuma Bahamas out island)… my inner ears were not right - very painful. The DC-3 had live chickens and goats onboard. Wild!
DC-3 “What a beautiful bird” my Dad would say!
Thanks for all the air-time Pops!!!
What an amazing channel!
I started watching this before going to work. It was so captivating I got lost in the journey and was late to work. Good thing I own the joint or I’d be in trouble.
Anyways, thank you so much for sharing this wonderful journey!
5:19 that sound is music to my ears of props
You would love the sound of the merlins on the Lancaster firing up in Nanton, Alberta. Music to the ears.
*Finally i was waiting for this video* !!
My grandpa was a US-NAVY LDC-Operater during the D-Day Invasion it is awesome to see them flying the same route that our WW-2 C-47 pilots flew in 1942 ( lot's of respect).
Been waiting for this video for a long time and now its here, BRILLIANT. Already looking forward to the video from Iceland to the UK. Good work. Regards.
Nothing like high moisture, low temps & and Magneto infiltrated by cross fire moisture.
I always kept a can of high grade silicone handy to eliminate high voltage distributor arc tracking by moisture.
Instant cure.
Great Show,,
I prepped many converted aircraft for sale to missionaries - installing floats and hand made 250 gallon fuel tanks to make the trip to Africa from here.
Cheers
Love the audio on those engine sequences.. something else!
Another realistic situation, they have over-came. Love watching these. Great stuff!
Thank you Matt for documenting this flight. Your excellent videos and editing make the viewer feel like they are right there with you.
Like most everyone else I'm totally enjoying this!!!! What a gorgeous airplane. I've turned green with envy.
Man this channel is so underrated. it's channels like this that make me proud of this platform. Other big channels like pewdieshit and the others are big and a waste of time. But smaller channels like this have the best content. Keep up the great work matt. Cheers
Fantastic series Matt, thanks for putting these all up. Such a privilege you had to be part of this trip, and glad you could share it!
I don’t understand how this channel doesn’t have way more subs
Because most people find aviation boring -_- well most people i know anyways in my country. Fine by me, less competition when I’m job hunting 😂
Plus it's not really for the usual suspects of RUclips i.e. the kids, and they don't use silly clickbait titles to try and get more attention.
Wow what a beautiful job has been made of this aeroplane,and paint job is brilliant.
Finally Matt is back to the videos he should be focussing on, not the crap he was doing the last few weeks.
That is seriously nice!
My uncle was 21 year old B-17 pilot in 1943 when he and his crew of 9 other guy's flew this same north atlantic route on their way to their 8th AAF base in England, along with a few other B-17's on their way as well to England.
Do you know which bomb group your uncle was in?
@@robertgordon5562 No unfortunately I don't.
3 hundred something. Another relative was with the 15th based in Italy as a tail gunner on a Liberator nearing the end of his tour, and volunteered to go on a night time mission in late 1944, and unfortunately the Lib was shot down by a German night fighter over the Italian Alps. The whole crew was listed on the tablets of the missing at the American Cemetery in Naples but evidently they have been recently recovered, or more like what little remains of them were. I'm trying to find out more about it.
He was with the 348th bomber squadron,
99th bomber group heavy.
@@arkansaswookie I was curious because my father was in the 97th bomb group.
@@robertgordon5562 Was the 97th part of the 15th air force? Cheers and much respect to your father.
@@arkansaswookie My father was with the 8th.
Without doubt some of the very best flight vlogs I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Thank you
I look forward to each episode. Thank you for creating these videos.
Excellent series. Really impressive. Having been a ground engineer myself I can totally relate to this adventure.
Loved the comment about engines more willing to start at the hands of a mechanic than those of a pilot!
I think that was a true moment of three old wise men, very powerful!
So glad you guys went to the Sweet Pig. My father and I ate there during our transatlantic flight 6 years ago. Brings back memories
Matt, did you ever speak about how you got involved in this (or got invited to be involved)? If not, I'd love to hear the story.
He has done that route before. Don't know if the others have.
Well! You inspired me Mr Guthmiller I'm going to apply for a Douglas Bader Disability Flying Scholarship here in the UK. Live right under the flight path of Liverpool UK's flight School for 15 years. SICK of watching everybody else fly over. For once I want to do it!! ;)
You can do it 💪
I fully hope that you succeed and wish you the very best. Cheers.
do it you will never regret it
rock that dream Chris!!|!!|! cheers brother
This continues the theme set from the first vlog about the effort put into this trip to get to the D-Day 75 commemorations. Pretty amazing. Let’s not forget that a similar amount of effort put in to get back home. Truly awesome! Can’t wait to see the work going into the D-Day flights themselves.
Living the Dream Matt. I'm sure that you have many envious viewers.
Thankyou for the video , I also have been waiting . I didn't like Vietnam ,but I do have fond memories of my EC-47 .
Thank you for your service, sir. Especially there. What a horrible place that must have been.
RSR has the probably most beautiful DC3 in the world. I just love it. great videos!
Thank u Matt for a this entire great DC-3 trip! Awesome experience even observing it via the laptop screen!! Enjoy your day!
Crossing the North Atlantic in a older plane is stressful, even on a C130. Some of the coldest temps I have ever seen were at 18,000ft
@Agent J I saw -67c on the OAT gauge. That is about 15c lower than the pour point of JP8
You have most certainly outdone yourself with this series and might I add that you obviously couldn't have been in better company for the trip. Those guys are amazing.
Im not a pilot or even an airplane geek but watching these guys fly this thing a LONG ass way is fascinating. This aircraft was constructed much more recently to Kittyhawk and that papermache experiment that spawned flight than it is to the current time. The guys, (and lets be honest they were guys) that designed this plane only had about 15 - 20 years of worthwhile aviation history to draw from. (think back to 2004, do you really trust what we have learned about anything since then?) And so they were still scared to death of things like weather and the structural stresses of normal flying. So it's understandable but hilarious when you see the double rows of rivets at basically every connection point even as they trust in cloth for the flaps lol. It really is a flinstonian beauty and i love it.
IN THE USAF IN FRANCE 1958-61 ,,IT WAS OUR SQUADRON PLANE, CALLED A C-47 AKA GOONIE BIRD. IT WAS USED AS OUR MOBILE MAINTENANCE TEAMS TRANSPORTATION TO GO REPAIR MATS AIRCRAFT THAT HAD TO DIVERT TO AIRPORTS THAT HAD NO USAF MAINTENANCE. IT ALSO SERVED TO GIVE OFFICERS ON FLYING STATUS THEIR HOURS..IT WAS A WORK HORSE..
Talk about "fly by the seat of your pants" !! Great vision and fun ! The scenery is stunning !! One of the best flying videos I have ever seen !! Well done crew !! Safe travels!
Excellent stuff Matt, great video, superb work on go pro angles, a lot of work, appreciate it.
I'd comment exactly the same! Top class.
Great video Matt.....And it was great to have met you at KOSH this year. Take Care :)
I always wanted to be a pilot as a kid but didn't make it due to eye condition but envy you guys so much. Great video.
Wonderful Video and you guys should make it into a regular movie. I was an FO on a DC3 back in the 70's. Thanks for it.
I have to say that there's something about watching this beautiful aircraft that makes me smile! Wonderful series - great job Matt (and everyone else involved!)
Loved listening to the radio while they established the location relay
Well that answers my earlier question about the engines. P&W. Good stuff. P&W on Bever, Otter, Caribou and C-47.. Flew them all. U.S. Army fixed wing pilot. I have enjoyed this †rip with you guys, Photography and naration is excellent. Brings back a lot of memories when flying the C-47 for the U.S. Army Parachute Team. Now I watch another leg. Thanks you so much. Charles Hill , Fayetteville, NC, USA,
Love watching the DC-3 you did a great job. Looking forward to the return trip if you on it.
Thanks Matt, what a wonderful life you lead. No envy, but some jealousy!!!
The -94 engines have the mags in the front of the engine and they can have a moisture problem. Carry a bottle of nitrogen, open up the mags and blast the moisture out.
Read the investigation into the Windsor Locks Connecticut crash and how a bad magneto "fixed" with the nitrogen trick worked out.
It would be a real dream to go together with you guys on this trip. At least it's awesome to watch this beautiful video. Congratulations!
13:06 had me smile so wide. Real genuine human beings here.
Nice having two mechanics on board even with how reliable those old Pratt & Whitney's are, I remember when the CWH Lanc flew across the pond with Craig Brookhouse as the chief engineer babysitting those four Merlins.
Outstanding!!! Keep up the good job Matt!!
What a nice piece of equipment at 9:20.
From a historical perspective, this airframe and powerplant is a site to experience and behold. Brave men and women have flown and are currently flying this great DC-3.
You never see this kind of quality content in TV. Thanks Matt! You are great guy.
Unbelievable, flying in a airplane of that age to the other side of the world, that's certainly what you call making memories, awesome!
the sound, has to be the best sound in the world. What a treat!
Very interesting series of videos! During WWII, my late father worked as an engine mechanic on C-47's, the military equivalent of the DC-3, as well as other aircraft on the AAF Air Transport Command airbase at Casablanca in Morocco. He would have loved watching these videos--and I'm quite sure that he would have had an opinion about what may have been causing the engine trouble!
Love what you guys did and the sacrifice your wives made to make this happen for you. Those who support you are great too. Amazing photography after having flown over some of this at 35,000 ft or so. Very different perspective. Love it.
STUNNING!!! Can only imagine what that is like in person...
The take off sound is amazing
@Matt Guthmiller Worked on a 172 most of the day and didn't get to fly. Got home and stumbled upon this. During the takeoff roll the sound of those engines damn near made me tear up. Excellent work Sir. Subscribed! PP ASEL, A&P, IA