Good cold Sunday video- U.S. COAST GUARD 1956 RESCUE OF PAN AM FLIGHT #6 DITCHED IN PACIFIC OCEAN

[GON]

A PAN AM flight from HNL to SFO lost two engines while in flight over the Pacific Ocean-just beyond the point of no return. Now flying with only two engines, the PAN AM's flight crew determined the aircraft would now run out of fuel over the Pacific Ocean.

The captain of the airliner made the decision to ditch the aircraft into the Pacific.

When I watched the video- I first wondered why a sailor was armed standing guard while the airliner ditched... then it hit me......sharks.

Absolutely worth the 10 minute watch time- awesome video and audio.

 

[Passport1]

Wonderful rescue, tks for posting this.

My buoy tender was involved in a couple of rescues not quite as dramatic as this. My son's cutter, Resolute was the command ship during the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in 2010. The CG never gets the recognition it deserves.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

Wow, thanks for posting. Never heard about that one.

I will take two jet engines over 4 piston engines with complex propellers.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/16-october-1956/

 

[GON]

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/16-october-1956/

Great once in a lifetime captured still photography in that link/ article. Thanks for posting!

 

[GON]

Wow, thanks for posting. Never heard about that one.

I will take two jet engines over 4 piston engines with complex propellers.

That answers for us non aviators why the aircraft would run out of fuel with two engines but not four engines. The propellers on the two disabled engines cause a huge drag/ wind resistance.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

That answers for us non aviators why the aircraft would run out of fuel with two engines but not four engines. The propellers on the two disabled engines cause a huge drag/ wind resistance.

Exactly.

A simple propeller design is fixed pitch but that doesn’t optimize efficiency, hence the variable pitch propeller.

Knock on wood, so far, I haven’t had ANY problems with a jet engine.

I am eligible to retire this year and to be able to fly your entire career without a single problem with a jet engine is very impressive but not uncommon today.

 

[loneryder]

Do you think the audio was realtime or added later?

 

[Exhaustgases]

Yeah that plane had some very bad propellers on it. Much improved on the KC and C 97's.

Many jet engines have variable pitch, cough cough propellers nowadays.

It is amazing what was done in those days on aircraft, and how well it really worked, like the engine mounts all welded steel tubing, supporting an approximate 3500 lb engine and 1500 lb propeller, and all accessories, on the ground or when its shut down inflight and the plane pulls some G's wow.
And then of course the torque (moment) when pulling power from the engine and the pulling the plane through the sky.
Then of course attaching all that to the wings, all back in the days of no computers and no special design software like FEA etc.
Engineers were engineers back then.

 

[Exhaustgases]

That answers for us non aviators why the aircraft would run out of fuel with two engines but not four engines. The propellers on the two disabled engines cause a huge drag/ wind resistance.

Not so much when the propeller blades are feathered.