Any DC-7C survivors?

[JohnB]

Sorry, I know it's not a warbird, but there isn't much action on the civil forums here...

This morning I was reading my McDonnell Douglas book, playing particular attention to the DC-7 entry...which got me wondering if any 7Cs survive?
Hopefully one does since it was the first airliner capable of crossing the Atlantic non-stop in either direction.
I know the NAME has a cockpit, but is there s while one around?
I assume all the former fire bombers are grounded.

I would hope that Seattle's Museum of Flight would get one since they have a healthy population of air transports gee, I wonder why?

[C VEICH]

There is one, complete with original interior, languishing in outdoor storage at Goodyear airport in Goodyear, Arizona.

[T J Johansen]

The Goodyear one is still owned by the family who owned the dirt strip which housed the Bob Bean Corsairs I believe.

One C is stored by the French museum at Le Bourget.

An ex SAS C (and later T&G fire bomber) is sitting in a park in Cordoba, Spain.

One C sitting on a top next to a general aviation airfield at Las Palmas, Canary Islands.

Possibly one displayed in Bogota, Colombia.

Possibly one still extant stored in Anchorage (ex- fuel hauler).

Even more uncertain is ex- N869TA in Kinshasa, Congo.

T J

[Jerry O'Neill]

Another sits in Charlotte, NC with a bad engine It's been there for a couple of years now.

[K5DH]

Another sits in Charlotte, NC with a bad engine It's been there for a couple of years now.

That one's a "B" model. Shame it's languishing like that. I donated some $$$ for the restoration to flight a few years back.

[Fearless Tower]

The Goodyear one is still owned by the family who owned the dirt strip which housed the Bob Bean Corsairs I believe.

I thought the all those airplanes left at Goodyear technically belong to the Indian Tribe now?

[T J Johansen]

You're talking of Chandler Memorial, southeast of Phoenix. This one is closed and whatever airframes left will apparently be there forever. Don't think any 7s were left though. One was flown down to Coolidge, and is very likely still sitting there. The others were scrapped in 2006. The worlds DC-7 population was cut down by 1000% that year.

Goodyear - Litchfield Park is west of Phoenix. Former Naval base where lots and lots of WWII fighters qwere stored, sold, or scrapped. The Moseley family have owned this 7C (N777EA) for many, many years. Think the plan was to utilise it for missionary work. The interior is quite nice.
http://www.ruudleeuw.com/dc7-n777ea-duis-04.jpg

T J

[Fearless Tower]

The Goodyear one is still owned by the family who owned the dirt strip which housed the Bob Bean Corsairs I believe.

I thought the all those airplanes left at Goodyear technically belong to the Indian Tribe now?

Understand. I grew up only a few miles away from Memorial and back then it was occasionally referred to as Goodyear Memorial (separate from the Goodyear airport on the west side of PHX).

[jdvoss]

JohnB;

If you are a Facebook participant you probably would be interested in the "Douglas Big Props" group. There is near daily input for DC-3, DC-4, DC-6 and DC-7 information...historic and current.


JDVoss

www.fuselagecodes.com

[JohnB]

Thanks, I'll try to " borrow" my wife's account.

Also, I thought the "memorial" airport in SW Phoenix that held the propliners (and a hundred H-19s) was called Chandler Memorial, not Goodyear Memorial. And THAT Chandler is not to be confused with Chandler Municipal.

[exhaustgases]

http://www.eaavideo.org/detail/videos/m ... Start=true

This plane was restored a few years ago, and had some big maiden flight I forget the details.

http://www.conniesurvivors.com/1-n836d_ ... rticle.htm

[jdvoss]

Great video on the DC-7!!! Although I never flew on the type I do have a number of flights on DC-4's and DC-6's.

jdv

[michaelharadon]

Chandler Memorial is SE of Phoenix, bordering Sun Lakes. The rest of John B's quote is correct.

"Also, I thought the "memorial" airport in SW Phoenix that held the propliners (and a hundred H-19s) was called Chandler Memorial, not Goodyear Memorial. And THAT Chandler is not to be confused with Chandler Municipal."

Last edited by michaelharadon on Sat Aug 11, 2018 9:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

[exhaustgases]

Another sits in Charlotte, NC with a bad engine It's been there for a couple of years now.

So is that the restored DC-7, why sitting so long, can't be doing it much good.

[Cubs2jets]

Yes, the DC-7B in Charlotte is the same one you posted the EAA video of. As a matter of fact, the video has some of it's flight from Florida to Charlotte in it.

Why has it set for so long?

Well, she arrived in CLT with a sick engine (number 2, I think). Greg Day, the flight engineer, told me they expected to replace it on return to Florida. Then, on departure they blew number 3 (the nacelle looked to be finished in brown metal flake paint when they taxiied back in). So, now they are facing the expense of TWO engine changes.

She had a significant fuel leak in the left wing (not drips, but fuel running down the left gear). Due to the hazard, over 700 gallons of 100LL was sucked out of the tanks.

Then there was the expense of insurance - incredibly expensive due to the pax carrying capacity.

There were constantly accrueing parking fees in Florida and none in CLT.

There were three owners at the time she arrived in CLT. Frank Moss told me at the time that two of them wanted to stop flying the plane due to expense and liability.

Could she have been made airworthy again? Of course. But at significant expense. As neat as the nostalgic flights were, there weren't enough Brits (or anyone else) to make continued operation worthwhile (couldn't do anything except fly enthusiasts).

She came in on a Friday and by Saturday afternoon the crew was gone back to Florida. To my knowledge, no one from the owners has ever returned to her. She was essentially abandoned in place with no effort made to secure or preserve her. Too bad the Carolinas Aviation Museum can't do much to take care of her (they don't even have a volunteer staff to wash her).

C2j