Nothing is more powerful when a story is based on life experience. I really hope you don't have another nightmare like this in your life, Sensei.

Oh but Werty... there is so much more. I had just met the love of my life and I took her with me on that trip. We had to make a trip to San Francisco to get the airplane repaired and in the middle of the night our crew had to walk through the lunchroom in a huge hangar. When she walked in, it went totally silent. You could have heard a pin drop.

Vix

Thanks for sharing the wonderful history and story. Those stunt guys back then were interesting guys, the movie magic was a lot more practically magic that is for sure. Always fascinating to hear about. Being a part of something like that and then seeing its end is pretty cool.

I wouldn't say it invented zombies. The word is kikongo in origin meaning spirit. Though a big change from its African perception into the slave religions that developed in South America, the caribbean, and the non British American colonies. The word began to enter the lexicon in the early 19th century with a need to exploit stories of mystic and cannibalism of the other and reinforce a poor image of people of African heritage for shock and awe value. Penny dreadful stories often would pick this. Early films like Vodoo 1914, White Zombie 1932, etc. Rod and Lewis's work pulled on the more fear of Rednecks/hicksploitation that was common in film at the time. Uncivilized "white trash" that did not "develop" with the rest of the post world war II United States. This though did impact and mix with Romero's Night of the Living Dead for certain. So speaketh the local folklorist.

*smiles... thank you Helix. As to zombies, you are correct, of course - but I am simply relating what the fellow told me.

Vix

What I want to know is what fool flew that plane from Opa Locka back to Miami after an explosion under its wing?

*laughs... aviation is full of such adventurous idiots. How many people would purposely stall a DC-8 at altitude? Then there was the flying down below a mountain ridge so you could zoom up and over. I remember haring the flight engineer telling the pilot, "Shouldn't we pull up now?" I was standing behind them and could see no sky through the windshield.

Vix

Being that we weren't born with the ability to fly, climbing into mans invention... built by the lowest bidder... and hurtling yourself into the sky with no viable options (for most) should things go awry... I would say you crazy. Then there are us who take it a step further and jump OUT of those flying machines... with a cloth back pack and a silk canopy that we hope like hell was packed correctly and the stiches hold. (grins). Double insane.

man seems to like pitting himself against death... go figure...

Vix

Viva Bill Johnson!

*smiles... which Bill Johnson?

Vix

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2e07h

And there it is. I thought he was going to lose it at that one point.

Vix

You and all of us watching that! Was an amazing save he did.

Did you really pilot a plane for a movie?
You might be able to look back at this fondly, but I find it an awful experience.

I didn't fly it Silent, I was the mechanic.

Vix

This sounds like a rather incredible thing to go through, and I bet thinking about it puts a smile on your face! I hope it does at least, thank you for sharing!

Oh yes... certain things in your life will always stick with you, and this was one of them.

Vix

I remember that song... *laughs...

Vix

there is always a story behind the story, yes?

Vix

I'm reading this and feeling my irrational fears of flying are totally justified, even if it were just for a movie! (Teasing, of course.)

Sounds like it was a most exciting opportunity for you though I will admit to thinking these "stunts" might have ended in disaster as I was reading over it. Glad to hear it all turned out okay. Shame what happened to that plane though, as you said, history just gone now.

If you'd seen all that I've seen, you would never fly again. (not kidding)

As dangerous as all of this was, it was certainly great fun. It was over Christmas, and it was such a great Christmas.

Vix

oh absolutely...

Vix

I feel grateful that there have been very few explosions in my life. Though if I got a chance to 'pretend' explode some stuff, I'm sure I'd have jumped at the chance.

*laughs...

We had a gun shoot once when I was the gunners mate on the CGC Steadfast. I had a 3 inch 50 cal for a deck gun. I have pictures of my grandfather next to one during WWI. The navy actually made fun of us because they had only ever seen them in saluting batteries. I had my back to the gun when it was firing, and the entire superstructure lit up, and it felt like I'd been hit on the back of my legs with a rubber hose. Come to find out, the rounds were not the usual flashless/smokeless rounds; they were labeled non-flashless (the old military use of a double negative). I think they were leftovers from WWI.

Vix

Those are quite some memories V!

"At altitude, they would activate the thrust reversers on the inboard engines and dive as if on a
bombing mission. Yes, the aircraft was designed to do that."

OK, what's the story behind this?

These airplanes were built like tanks, and designed by brilliant minds. Being designed to dive like that was a response for a rapid decompression at altitude. I don't know the exact story of this design, but it was meant to get the airplane down quick - and it worked really well. The DC-8 and the B-707 used straight jet engines at this time. There were essentially two types, *from Wiki: The DC-8-10 was powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojets, and had a 273,000 lb (124 t) MTOW; the DC-8-20 had more powerful JT4A turbojets, for a 276,000 lb (125 t) MTOW. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-8

I want to say this aircraft was a -30, and it did have the JT4A. The thrust reversers were hydraulically stowed for cruise aerodynamics, and deployed aft for landing. Many people misunderstand the simplicity of the TR. The engines always run just one way with the thrust coming out the back. Our type of reversers had something called clam shells which when operated, banged closed like a dam gate, diverting the thrust outward and slightly forward to effect reverse thrust. Only the inboard engines would do this.

I had the rare opportunity of speaking with a really old Douglas Rep, and he told me he was in on the original design for the DC-8. The aircraft was originally designed to have reciprocating engines (propellers), but when the B-707 debuted as a jet, the design was changed to accommodate jet engines.

The test aircraft had nothing inside it except water tanks. During the test flights, the crew could move the water around to different tanks testing for balance. He said they would fly for four hours, and then sit on the ground for two weeks while the engineers worked the numbers. (slide rule math)

The B-707 and DC-8 would still be flying today except the FAA, to help out the modern manufacturers, instituted the 'aging aircraft' maintenance program. That happened in the 80's. This simply said, after an aircraft reaches a certain age, the maintenance requirements basically doubled, making them to expensive to keep flying.

Vix

Ah I see, thanks V! The Japanese did something similar with the domestic car market, that cars more than about four or five years old won't pass deliberately stringent maintenance checks, so people would have to buy a new car.

Our governments at work.

Vix

Seems about right :/

Stunts with real life aircraft. Better get it done in one take.
Back then.
I never saw the movie, but that was real Hollywood magic, not the computer wizardry nowadays.
shaking cane

*laughs… don’t we sound old?

Vix