Rarest Sound in Aviation - Have you heard ?

[LoneRanger]

Have you ever been going about your business doing whatever and heard it? The resonating thrum-thrum-thrum of radial engines(s) up at cruise altitude over flying your location? Very rare delight in our modern times. Not talking about a local radial flying around, but one up around, I don't know 15,000+ or better in cruise flight. So very rare. At least where I live.

 

[Win]

No. Never.

But our primary residence is at the point where folks generally turn from downwind to base ( if RWY 7 is in use ), so I do hear it up close once in a while. I was outside getting ready to mow a month or so ago, heard that radial sound, looked around and saw a B-17 ( Callings Foundation- sp?) overfly. I live on a good hill, so AGL wise, I get a good view and sound.

Back when they used to fly checks to the federal reserve, a Beech 18 would overfly every evening so regularly you could almost set a clock by him.

Bits of the tv movie The Tuskegee Airman were filmed at an old Army base outside of town and, for a while, I almost got bored with the sound of Packard - Merlin's, if you can imagine that.

 

[bdcardinal]

I live under the flight plan of SBA and always look up when I hear a radial engine or a jet that is obviously military. We recently had some Harriers and F/A-18s come in and they put on quite a show when they left.

Before my time the Guppys were built at SBA and they were always flying in and out. My grandpa was a VP at Aero Spacelines so that is why we live here.

 

[Astro14]

When it was fire season in Colorado, the fire bombers were often flying from JEFFCO, 4 miles from our house. I used to love hearing the sound of the big radials as the PB4Y Privateers (a single tail, USN version of the B-24) would climb out over our house...with all 4 PW R-1830s at full power...

There's just nothing like them...

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Love to hear that hacking and clanking

made by a radial engine.

 

[IndyIan]

Only a couple times and we seem to live under a small plane flight path. Once it was a set of 3 WW2 planes going to an air show. It sure got my attention, but they were more like 2-3000'. 4 big radials on the bomber, but even the inline engines of that era sound different than the modern piston planes. 50 or 100 at once sure would've been impressive/terrifying depending if they were on your side or not!
Also we had a set of 4 old crop dusters roar over at pretty low altitude on their way to somewhere.

 

[sasilverbullet]

Many times! It's awesome!

I live under the flight path for Randolph AFB. WWII planes have visited there many times. One time I saw a fly over of over 17 of them! (Air Force anniversary fly over)

 

[Astro14]

Also, remember that the airplanes of that vintage lift off at 110-130 MPH, and then climb out at 150 MPH...so they're moving slow over the ground...and the noise lingers overhead as a result...

Not like a jet that's climbing out at 250 KTS, nearly twice as fast, and with a much greater rate of climb...

 

[andyd]

Yah probably only once or twice a year, now-a-days.A 4 engine war bird gives rides out of Plymouth. Multi-engine radials are very distinctive and I always look up. 20 yrs ago, I heard the SST going sub sonic and then later in the day, the Cape airways DC3 heading for Hyannis

 

[AlaskaMike]

There are many DeHavilland Beavers on floats operating out of Lake Hood here in Anchorage, so whenever I hear a radial it's almost guaranteed to be a Beaver. We also have an old T-6 Texan that gets up and about occasionally. A couple years ago I was driving north out of Anchorage and saw a DC-3 in bare polished aluminum fly over the highway on short final for Birchwood airport. Radials definitely have a sound all their own!

What's even more rare here than radials though is the sound of Pratt & Whitney JT-8Ds. We used to have huge numbers of 727s and 737-200s operating out of Anchorage International, but not anymore. I haven't seen a 727 here in many years, and the only operator of a 737-200 is ConocoPhillips, flying workers to and from the North Slope oil fields. Alaska Airlines used to operate large numbers of MD-80s, but those disappeared in the late 1990s or early 2000s I think. As much as I love the sound of radials, I also love the sound of those early turbofans!

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Some years ago there was a DC-3 flight directly over my house at fairly low altitude. Came from the SW to the NE. Never saw a return flight so it must have been on a circuit. About 2-3 times a week. Apparently some sort of delivery service. I haven't seen it since 9-11.

 

[4WD]

Used to catch a Beaver for flights into the marsh. Seems they pulled an engine swap as it came back with a long nose and being called a turbo beaver ... STOL for sure ...

 

[AlaskaMike]

Oh yeah, those turbo Beavers are pretty common up here as well. And you're right about that long nose--from what I understand it's a balance/CG thing. The turbine engine is so much lighter than the radial that it needs to be mounted farther out front. The larger Otters and twin Otters are also pretty common with turbines up here.

I've read that DC-3 turbine conversions used to be pretty common, but I've never seen one in person.

 

[Kestas]

We regularly have WW2 bombers (B17 & B25) flying low altitude over our area from the Willow Run airport, birthplace of these bombers. The sound of their engines is unmistakable -- just like in the movies.

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: AlaskaMike
....

I've read that DC-3 turbine conversions used to be pretty common, but I've never seen one in person.


I used to fly into Mena Intermountain Regional Airport a lot - during the heyday of the late Adler Berriman ( Barry ) Seal. DC-3's being converted to turbines were a common sight at the engine shops - there were always three or four being converted. Many had Colombian markings .....

A DC-3 with turbines would have to be an awesome airplane.

edit: Crimony - they still have a DC-3 on their cover picture http://menaairport.com/index.php

 

[4WD]

TEO's ? Been on one of those in a bad T-storm with lightning passing through. The big wings beat us around hard - but you know they are solid ...
On the the engine swap - I recall it changed how we disembarked. (Could not pull up forward).
One of them had a hard situation - picked up PAX in marsh headed for airport. Upon initial descent - only the forward LG would deploy. Pilot could not land at airport - and water seemed too risky. He asked them to flood the grass adjacent to runway and the fire mains did the deed.
One of the best landings on "the green" ...

 

[L_Sludger]

The rarest sound would be
"WOOP WOOP! Pull up! WOOP WOOP! Pull Up! Sink rate! Sink rate! Terrain! Terrain!

 

[DeepFriar]

Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: AlaskaMike
....

I've read that DC-3 turbine conversions used to be pretty common, but I've never seen one in person.


I used to fly into Mena Intermountain Regional Airport a lot - during the heyday of the late Adler Berriman ( Barry ) Seal. DC-3's being converted to turbines were a common sight at the engine shops - there were always three or four being converted. Many had Colombian markings .....

A DC-3 with turbines would have to be an awesome airplane.

edit: Crimony - they still have a DC-3 on their cover picture http://menaairport.com/index.php


There are still many DC-3 converters operating. Turns them into fine airplanes capable 5 ton payloads out of 2000-2500 ft. strips.

There is a good paint shop at Mena used frequently by Twin Otter operators for some reason.

 

[LoneRanger]

All great stories !!

What prompted the post was a while back on a partly cloudy day I'd heard the distinct thrumming of radials way up in the flight levels or at least high enough to be in cruise flight going somewhere far. I never could spot it though, but the sound resonated and lingered for a while before fading to inaudible.

 

[Malo83]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
When it was fire season in Colorado, the fire bombers were often flying from JEFFCO, 4 miles from our house. I used to love hearing the sound of the big radials as the PB4Y Privateers (a single tail, USN version of the B-24) would climb out over our house...with all 4 PW R-1830s at full power...

There's just nothing like them...

Back in the 60's and 70's the airtankers, (Borate Bombers) as they were called back then would fly over our house when they would turn east towards the Sierras fighting another wildfire, the sound of those recips was like music to my ears, B17's,F7F's,TBM's, C119's,DC4's,DC6's AND 7's and an ocassional PB4Y, PBY. They would fly out of the Porterville Air Attack Base.