The A2A Simulations Community

If you have a nice resource available, please post here and we'll move it up to the top post for easy access for all.

Tutorials by Oskar
Pressurization Tutorial
Turbo Handling Tutorial


Great 377 resources here:
http://www.ovi.ch/b377/

Nice stories:
http://www.ovi.ch/b377/articles/statusc ... index.html

THE STRANGE EPIC OF THE UGLY AIRPLANE THAT GOT US TO THE MOON
BY ROBERT S. TRIPP
http://www.americanheritage.com/article ... 4_30.shtml




Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjp7GwkDPKA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAKRYiTHhZ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hALwqu1N ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KyP7hB ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjfNGHLu ... re=related


Boeing Promotional Videos:
http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/vie ... 37&t=15739

Scott

You might want to grab that link from the Smithsonian Air & Space on the Guppy program in that post down below.

FAC

Here is an interesting one.

Stratocruiser Disaster Movie.

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrJsGzVsoIQ

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFVp5UV8YOg

Here is another video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx6OXeq4F78

And here is yet another video.
The plane is at 6.04 in the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu84sI1fQj0

Another video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K72dj2zUFVU

Some sites

http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.s ... entry=true


http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/ ... k/Anak.htm

http://www.spiritoffreedom.org/

Boeing Historic Models
http://www.boeingstore.com/catalog/inde ... rent_id=81

There is a very good book in the Airliner Tech Series (Volume 9) by Nicholas A. Veronico entiltled Boeing 377 Stratocruiser (available for a reasonable price from Amazon at least here in the US). For those who are enjoying this wonderful addon from A2A (I can't wait for more of the Silver Wings series--any Douglas DC-3 thru DC-7 would be fantastic) this book provides a very thorough history of the 377 including the individual histories on each of the planes. If you're interested in more detail on this plane, I can't recommend it enough.

Christian Boe
Dumont, MN USA

I just picked that book up earlier today, very good book.

Just found this
AOA pilots manual http://www.tailwheel.nl/b/boeingstratoc ... index.html

Here is a link to a Time magazine story about the Stratocruiser Circa 1949
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 59,00.html

Hi Guys,
Found this link for a period poster of the Stratocruiser.
http://www.art.com/asp/display-asp/_/id ... ruiser.htm

Heres is some more links to keep you Strat somniacs occupied


http://www.tpt.org/lostcity/strato.html
http://www.airteamimages.com/search.php ... atocruiser
http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/Pan%20Am%2 ... t%20EN.htm
http://www.transoceanairlines.com/
http://united-states-lines.org/letterpanam.htm
http://betteronacamel.com/Kenya-Nairobi ... e-Flanagan
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... id=googlep
http://www.thejadedtraveller.com/thatwasthen.html

Has anyone come across any information on the C-97's use as a SAC airborne command post? I found a mention of it on the boeing site (http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/c97.html) and I was wondering if anyone had anymore information on the use of the C-97 as a SAC command post? Thanks for you help,

redrooster

Red

I took a look around and the only other thing I could find was on a USAF history site with the entry:

"Nov. 4, 1960
The U.S. Air Force revealed the use of a converted C-97 as an airborne command post."

It appears they were designated VC-97s.

FAC

Thanks FAC, at least I have the correct designation for the aircraft now. It seems from what (very) little I've been able to gather on the aircraft, it was the predecessor to the LOOKING GLASS aircraft i.e. providing communication relays for SAC.

Red

Regarding Flying Command Post C-97. In August 1960, the AFCS (Air Force Communications Service) directed that a prototype flyable communications "facility" be developed to conduct operational tests and evaluations as a model command and control aircraft to serve as an initial, on-site communications facility for contingencies. Ultimately, the result of this directive was "Talking Bird," an air-transportable communications package designed to be loaded into a C-97E (and later C-130) and operated from within that aircraft after landing in a contingency area. The aircraft and flight crew for the C-97E were from the Oklahoma Air National Guard while the communications crew were regular Air Force. The name of of plane was "Miss Oklahoma City". Doyle Hastie was the C-97E aircraft commander for the "Talking Bird". From 1961 to 1963, it was used to maintain constant secure communications between the nation's capital and President John F. Kennedy during his visits to foreign countries.
Airliners Net has a picture of the Miss Oklahoma City taken at an air show in London:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA---Ai ... 0216142/M/

My father was a senior member of the Air Force Commications Crew at the start of program and through its days in the C-130.

Pan Am flight 943 ditching in 1956:
http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_11602402

I dont have time to read that, but quite a bit of technical background on 943 can also be seen on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_943