Warbird Information Exchange

This is from one of our retired KC-97 Flight Engineers.

McConnell AFB, Kansas was mentioned recently. Another experience with Col. Doug.

Heading back to Dallas after his 1 hour visit, #3 starter on our handy KC-97 of the day failed, nothing new about that too much. We had one as #1 item in our "cross country fly-away" box, but we didn't have a box that day - too near Dallas to fool with it. 24 handy items were in the "Box", if ya had one aboard.

Col. Doug says " want to try a windmill start ?", " sure sir, always wonder what speed it would take".

We planned what to do whatever happened. I could see #3 prop thru my little round observation hole, and during a quickie 5 engine (3 piston engines and 2 jet engines) roll into 80 knots she started turning, a quick jam of the mixture lever to rich and she was running real good.

Takes a mans strong body and arms just to pull the prop thru by hand, so I was amazed at the good "act" of the prop.

The Boomer also called on the phone, "shes turning", I think it was Bobby Taylor back there interupting his coffee break just to scan.

Info too: in the early days of KC-97-G's, preflighting called for pulling all the props thru by hand, twas hard to do in the winter/ (stiff oil). Later in the G to L buildup, all prop turning was done by starters. This was an "official" change. 4360s were bad about bending pushrods by brute strength, so the change after many years. Oil slowly pooling into the lower row of cylinders took too much toll. We sarted running all engines on the 3rd day of inactivity, wherever we were.

When we came home from Germany for Christmas holidays, Uncle Milford Simmons (being single), voluntered to stay and do the job. Milford was uncanny about making friends with maintenance guys wherever he ventured, so no problem with fire guards or brake riders on runup day. He knew where to get a quick "wurst" on the flight line. Some days we did'nt have time to go to the mess hall, funny; the wurst was cold and the cokes were hot.

I spent 3 years flying KC-97s in SAC out of Lincoln NE back in 1954-57 and the only time we moved a prop by hand was to put them at "Attention" after running an engine. The starter was torque limited to prevent lock-up damage, something that young airmen pulling on the prop weren't. Nothing in the -1 euther about hand-propping before a start.

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It's what you learn after you think you know it all, that counts.

Like everything in the military, just wait a while and it will change. How many times have they changed the design of the class A uniform for example.

On FIFI, we turn the engines with the starter to check for hydraulic lock.

Things do change allright. In the "Old" days you could wear flight suits and fatigues only on base and while driving directly to your home. Now days even the Generals wear camo suits to press breifings and public appearances! Hardly never see the Blue Suit.

The only time I saw anyone pull the props through was at B-29 Transition Training at Randolph and after I got involved with the Devil Dog in the CAF. Probably all for physical conditioning of the troops..... Didn't seem to make any difference to the engines!!!

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It's what you learn after you think you know it all, that counts.

I remember Col. Doug for his Salem cigarettes, ever-sharp pencil and never empty coffee cup.
I took him to the Mojave air races on one of our "lightweight fighter" support trips at Edwards. I was his copilot. Being an old Mustang pilot he had a good time.

I remember Milford Simmons had a habit of putting his Jack Daniels in the freezer. He and Jim White could make that stuff disappear faster than a Las Vegas magician. Jim would open the freezer and say, "Well, well, well".

Bobby Taylor was mischievous, and still is.

We had a starter shear a shaft one time in Denver. The weather took a cold turn while we were there and we had not diluted on shutdown. We didn't have one with us, but that was OK. A couple of extra days in the snow was fun.