Not a warbird but it towed a few in it's day

[kenlyco]

That brings back memories,we use to take or clark's out in the snow at Bridgeport and put about a fifty foot rope on it and sit on a piece of
plywood.We had to quit that because one of the lineguy's got clothslined
by a tailrope,it really was not funny then but when I think about it now

[astixjr]

This has turned into an interesting topic. I have to admit, I've got a thing for GSE stuff. I've always wanted to find one of those vintage AirStair trucks, you know the ones that had passenger loading stairs mounted in the bed of a 1960s vintage step side p/u truck. Now that really would be cool.

Love Taigh's shot of the Clarktors playing "Tug Polo" or what ever they are doing. Django's shot of the restored NTX makes me want to go out and find one. It reminds me of an Allard or an Arnolt Bristol race car! I want a NTX!

Here's a shot of the Clarkat I gave Eric D. I'll try to find some photos that show what a heep of junk it was when I gave it to him. This is what it looks like now.

[bdk]

Hey, that looks like my tug, only much better! What diameter is the steering wheel in that tug? My belly rubs the steering wheel, although I see that there isn't a backrest on that one which might explain a few things (besides my own girth).

I guess you don't need slots in the side panel for cooling because it never gets hot in Mizzery?

[Jase]

So, here's a pic of one of my two Clarktors (that's right, Al, I have a
COLLECTION of Clarktors!!! ). This one has no cab, and dual rear
wheels. The other one has a cab and single rear wheels but is identical
otherwise. Except that it needs re-wiring and the flywheel ring gear is
roached.....


We also, for some of the lazy pilot types, have an automatic tranny
newer Clark, as seen here:


And Al, since you mentioned you like GSE stuff, I was lucky enough to
scavenge this B-1 stand which I got donated to NCS. Not an AirStair,
but reasonably close enough... especially for the price!!


And the yellow trailer in both shots is BigYella, my equipment trailer. I
can put about 11,000# on it... 22'8'' bed. I have found this to be
invaluable in my scavenging of treasures hither and yon. However,
sometimes one's friends come up with something that just begs for a
bigger hauler. Luckily, I can accommodate this as well. New addition to
the NCS museum, owned by a member, and just DRIPPING with
coolness. (Also oil, probably, since it's Rolls powered):


And since I mentioned "scavenging of treasures" I must put this pic up.
This was a Two-fer trip to Florida a few years back that led to my
getting BigYella since a "normal" 16 or 18 foot car trailer was obviously
not nearly enough room for all the loot one can come across. (The car
is a body shell of a Mil-Spec 53 Packard-Henney Jr ambulance or hearse,
and in the truck is a B-4 stand, since restored by an NCS member, and
an engine stand for an R-2000 that went to Berlin Airlift Foundation).


I am more than likely certifiably nutz, but at least my friends share parts of my sicknesses.... I think!

Last edited by Jase on Mon Sep 29, 2008 11:05 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Tulio]

There is a place in South Wichita, who stocks and sells GSE; last time I was there in 2007, they had several types of ladders, trucks with stairs, and non-motorized units, too.

The place is a huge junk yard, with a whole structure full of, for example, aircraft electronics, another with cockpit instruments, and so on.

Maybe this will be a good place for the GSE you want?

Saludos,


Tulio

[Second Air Force]

Albert,

Would you be interested in a self-contained airstair from the fifties? We had an ancient stair powered by a Wisconsin engine that was retired a few years ago and is probably in our GSE boneyard now. I don't know if we still have it, and I have no idea if it could be gotten, but it was a really neat machine (albeit totally beaten-up by airline employees).

We still use a 1969 Ford pickup/airstair combo and an early seventies F-600 stairtruck--when they can be coaxed into running . The little one is known as "the Sanford & Son" stairtruck.

Scott

[Old SAR pilot]

Jase,

Another out-of-the-way surplus yard down in Fla is located about 30 miles west of Tallahassee, Parramore's Surplus. Never can tell what you'll find there. Buildings full of STUFF you have to dig through. In the past, he's had a CH-21, half tracks, WWII Marine Alligators, quad fifty mounts, Vietnam era LARCs. Haven't been there in a number of years, so dunno what's there now. website is at:
http://www.parramore.com/

[Second Air Force]

Speaking of tugs, I hinted to Ellen a few years ago that this would look good in our back yard. It's a Coleman powered by a big Buda six, and I fell in love with the twinned late forties Chevy pickup cabs. Unfortunately, my lovely wife pointed out that we didn't have a B-36 to tow and it would be a little impractical to drive it home from Nebraska to Texas.





The hangar in the background is Building #1401, one of the four WWII hangars still in use for grain storage at Fairmont Army Air Field near Geneva, Nebraska.

Scott

[muddyboots]

Hey, that looks like my tug, only much better! What diameter is the steering wheel in that tug? My belly rubs the steering wheel, although I see that there isn't a backrest on that one which might explain a few things (besides my own girth).

I guess you don't need slots in the side panel for cooling because it never gets hot in Mizzery?

GUT! GUT!

[kenlyco]

Scott,that thing looks like it can pull a house ,what happened to it?

[Second Air Force]

Scott,that thing looks like it can pull a house ,what happened to it?

I was forced to leave without even getting a price on the old girl, and I don't know if the seller found a buyer that day or not. It was EXTREMELY cool but a little too large for us to latch on to. I've seen a couple more of the same style tug on the web, and there was also an open-cab version of the tractor. I've got a photo of a "convertible" towing a B-36 at the Convair San Diego modification facility. I'd really like to know how many of these behemoths were built and when they were constructed.

[astixjr]

Second Air Force, I'm really glad I've never run into one of the giant Colemans because I would not be able to resist buying it. I'm sure you could go broke restoring something like that but what a chick magnet!!

I would be interested in any motorized airstair system. My budget microscopic but I would sure be interested. The one we have is modern, and it is not self propelled. It does have it's own lighting system and it will reach the upper deck of a 747 but alas, no stearing wheel. We got it at the surplus property division here in Missouri. It was brand new with an original govt purchase price of $68,000.00 but we only paid $1,200.00 for it. Imagine how much stuff they could purchase and re-sell at a loss if they get $700 Billion? But I digress......

Here's two more shots of Eric Downing's Clarkat as it looked when it showed up in my hangar seven or eight years ago. Compare to the photos in my post on Sunday. Much better now.

[Second Air Force]

I'll go back in the boneyard tomorrow to see if they haven't gotten rid of the self propelled stairs. I used to get a kick out of trying to climb the very slight grade on our ramp with it--that poor old Wisconsin would wheeze and pop but we usually had to help it over the expansion joints to get it going. If it's still there only 1/3rd of the battle will be won, the other 2/3rds will be in fighting the bureaucracy in order to acquire it. They'd rather scrap surplus stuff than sell or donate it where I break rocks.

I pouted most of the way to Fort Worth when I didn't get my big Coleman, but she was probably right about that project.
Scott

[Glen]

The DFW Wing of the CAF had a couple of classic Tugs back in the Eightys .Dose anybody know if they still do ?

[Glenn Maude]

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