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By: - 1st January 2015 at 13:20 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
A couple of years ago, the last Catalina fire Bomber was still working in the Pacific North West, I'm not sure whether it is still operational or not. The Mars are, for all intents and purposes, retired now I believe.
Several Tiger Moths still earning their living training new taildragger pilots. Many others hauling rides.
By: - 1st January 2015 at 13:57 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
One Harvard still used for trials at Boscombe, I think.
By: - 1st January 2015 at 14:50 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
A couple of years ago, the last Catalina fire Bomber was still working in the Pacific North West, I'm not sure whether it is still operational or not.
Mike - this was PBY-6A N85U of Flying Fireman Inc. It is not currently operational and is undergoing an overhaul. Latest pictures I have seen show one engine off. It is probably a couple of seasons at least since it was actively 'bombing'.
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By: - 1st January 2015 at 15:01 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Buffalo Airways have a DC3 that served in D-day
By: - 1st January 2015 at 15:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Another D-Day C-47, converted to a DC-3 was giving sightseeing rides. I flew on it 20 years ago, but I believe its still current.
Plenty of Stearmans out there, though most are toys, but as has been mentioned, they still do their share of pilot and tailwheel conversion training.
The Martin Mars firebomber in Canada was not used this year, but the decision was one of politics rather than a lack of capability or maintenance.
And although certified post-war (and many of them still being used were made later in its long production life) the Bell 47 helicopter was developed during the war and many are still used for agricultural work.
Regarding the Beech 18, many (or even most) of the working survivors are probably post war build or the factory rebuilds of WWII units done in the early 50s.
By: - 1st January 2015 at 16:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
With apologies for a degree of drift but the B52, first flown only 8 years after the end of the war, in service 2 years later, 10 % of the total built still in service and scheduled to remain in service until 2045, 90 years all told, remains the most outstanding of service longevity.
By: - 1st January 2015 at 16:57 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
C-47s of the South African Air Force are still in service with 35 sqn and a replacement has yet to be ordered. Although to be fair the SAAF Dakota's are the turbo prop remanufactured versions.
Do C-46's still fly in Alaska ? Any DC-4 still used as firebombers ?
By: - 1st January 2015 at 17:13 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Appears Buffalo Bill still going strong
By: - 1st January 2015 at 19:00 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
With apologies for a degree of drift but the B52, first flown only 8 years after the end of the war, in service 2 years later, 10 % of the total built still in service and scheduled to remain in service until 2045, 90 years all told, remains the most outstanding of service longevity.
I take your B-52 and raise you the Antonov An-2 - first flight 1947 - and STILL in service in Russia - and probably still in production in China!!
18,000+ built.
Ken
By: - 1st January 2015 at 19:55 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I take your B-52 and raise you the Antonov An-2 - first flight 1947 - and STILL in service in Russia - and probably still in production in China!!
Ken
In that case...how about the DHC Beaver?
...or to stretch the point a bit further....the Cessna 172 which is still in production. It's basically a stretched nosegear version of the Cessna 140...ff.28 June 1945....before Japan surrendered.
If that's too big a stretch, the prototype 170 (the tail dragging father of the 172) ff. in late 1947.
By: - 1st January 2015 at 19:56 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Don't forget the Lockheed Neptune, it's a WWII type though we don't think of it as such. Design authorized on 6 Dec 1941 as a replacement for the Hudson/Ventura/Harpoon...ff 17 May 1945.
Some are still used as firebombers.
And although they're no longer working for a living...there are some Lockheed Constellations still flying.
By: - 1st January 2015 at 20:12 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
To extend the comparisons I wonder if any of those you have both mentioned will still be operational in 2045.........
By: - 1st January 2015 at 21:40 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The list can go on and on and on. We have Tiger, Fox, Dragon, L4 Cub, Auster and Proctor operating, with Moth Major, Messenger and Gemini on the way
By: - 1st January 2015 at 22:11 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
To extend the comparisons I wonder if any of those you have both mentioned will still be operational in 2045.........
The B-52 will be gone by then...after all it's latest versions will be 83 in 2045.
This is where time favors the small, inexpensive easy to maintain "light" civil types. I'm sure there will still be Cubs, Stearmans, Tiger Moths flying then.
Governments can't afford to keep ancients around for nostalgia (except for the BBMF) but private owners can.
By: - 1st January 2015 at 22:47 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The USAF announced its intention to maintain it in service until 2045 and the upgrade programmes were announced in 2013. Or have they been rescinded?
By: - 2nd January 2015 at 01:16 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The USAF announced its intention to maintain it in service until 2045 and the upgrade programmes were announced in 2013. Or have they been rescinded?
I'm no longer on their mailing list. :)
I thought it was 2030....but could be wrong.
But with budgets being what they are, I wouldn't etch anything is stone.
By: - 2nd January 2015 at 01:34 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
New computer & communication systems, including full data-links between B-52s and between B-52s and ground controllers, increase in JDAM capacity from 12 to 20, etc.
http://www.dodbuzz.com/2013/07/12/air-force-begins-massive-b-52-overhaul/
Possible re-engining as well as other upgrades:
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/local/2014/12/02/upgrades-eyed-fleet/19806993/
Upgrades eyed for B-52 fleet
John Andrew Prime, [email]jprime@gannett.com[/email] 7:43 p.m. CST December 2, 2014Air Force Global Strike Command head Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson recently shared strategic bombing thoughts with other military and industry professionals at the Billy Mitchell Institute in Washington and noted that while the plan now remains to keep the B-52 in service "through 2040, I think that (we) will go beyond that. We've got another 25 years of the B-52. Plus."
Possible AESA radar for BUFF:
http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/2014/03/aesa-bomber-upgrades.html
By: - 2nd January 2015 at 05:49 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Sounds positive for life extension!!;)
By: - 2nd January 2015 at 12:22 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Not planes I know, but the Royal Marines are still using 4 DUKWs ("Ducks") at Instow in Devon as part of the trials unit there.
By: - 2nd January 2015 at 16:51 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Probably the most numerous must be the Piper J3 / L-4 Cub. Certainly several hundred, if not thousands still airworthy.
....including Propstrike's!
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By: Propstrike - 1st January 2015 at 12:34
With the end of the war now 70 years in the past, how many 'wartime' era aircraft are still working ?
Dakotas of course, especially in South America, C-46's in Canada, some Beech 18's, Grumman Geese, but what else I wonder.
If you (loosely ) call Meteors a WW2 type, there are 2 of them still used for trials, and B25's have recently been employed as camera ships.
I think the last spraying Avengers are retired now, as well as the Privateer water bombers.