Gainsville, TX - classics suffer high wind damage

[Rob Mears]

I drove through Gainsville a few hours ago but had no idea they had sustained substantial damage from last nights big storm. There are images on CNN showing numerous DC-3, DC-4 types cobbled together at one end of the municipal airport's ramp. Any idea who operates those planes??

[Randy Haskin]

Looked like a Martin 404 and two DC-3s in the photo I saw on CNN.com.

[L. Thompson]

It looks like four DC-3's were there with two still attached to the Martin. Eight big vintage twins on that end of the ramp. Maybe a Convair 580 or two among them.

[soko121]

Hi all, just wanted to fill you in, there are 4 DC-3's and 4 convair 340's and 440's at Gainsville. My dad, Rob Diver, operates 3 of the 3's and a couple of the Convairs. I had just flown one of the 3's a couple of weekends ago. they all have various damage, "vera Lynn II" has the most damage of all the 3's with a convair nose gear sticking through the left wing , a broken rudder and vertical fin, and a broken right wing tip. the other 3's had similar tail damage with all i believe sustaining damage to flight controls. I got the full report from him over the weekend. His "T" hangar is also damaged with a door off as are several other hangars on that side of the field, and many more planes.Luckily a parked trailer stopped one of the DC-3's from joining the rest and it only sustained scrapes and bruises and a broken rudder and aileron cables.Not a good score at all.
We had a family operation at Georgetown Tx (GTU ) for several years and he has since moved to Gainsville after a couple of years at Denton Tx. He plans to try to get one 3 back up in a couple of weeks as they are operated on a 135 freight certificate.
Winds can be extremely dangerous, I was flying "Vera" down in Mexico in the late '90's and blew an engine resulting in us being stranded in Chihuaha. While pulling the engine a microburst associated with a storm front came across the field and as we stood under the wing, it ripped both elevators from the plane and they were flapping in the breeze held only be the trim cables. Very powerful!. the only good thing to come from that adventure was a few days to sample the local "oak" tequila and a jumpseat ride out in a DC-6!
if any of you are in the Gainsville are, stop by and offer a hand i know he would appreciate it now!
Simon