Remembering
an Unsung Giant
C-133B 71614 Offloading Atlas missile at FE Warren AFB 3 Nov 1959 USAF via Jim Widlar
The Douglas C-133 Cargomaster
and
Its People
Project Development Units Operations Mission
Tech Data
Tail Nrs
Accidents
Gallery Links
C-133 Book Ordering
Remembering an Unsung Giant: The Douglas C-133 Cargomaster and Its People is the definitive history of the C-133. Click here for the order form. . If you are paying by personal check, print out the order form and mail to the publisher with appropriate funds payable in US dollars. If you are paying by PayPal, go to the order form and follow the instructions. Resellers please contact me for information on pricing and to make final arrangements for a purchase. I can accept dealer payment by PayPal. All orders to US addresses are shipped with delivery confirmation included, to be able to track when the order was delivered.
All other Firstfleet Publishers products are available on the order form.. These are: 2-DVD set of 2,000 C-133 pictures and video of the last flight of 61999 (Item INDIA); the C-132 package and a DVD of more than 400 WWII unit patches (Item KILO). The pictures DVD in the 2-disc set includes 146 pages of the 84th ATS/MAS scrapbook, scanned at double size..
I also accept personal checks with direct mail orders to:
Firstfleet Publishers
2154 Beverly Beach Dr NW
Olympia, WA 98502
e-mail: Cal Taylor at firstfleet@aol.com
I welcome entries from anyone associated with or interested in the C-133.
61999 at Travis
Here is a shot of 61999, in its new old MATS markings, taken by Terry Juran.
New C-133 DVD set is now shipping
A 90-min DVD details the final flight of 61999. A 24-min video was taken on a mission to deliver three school buses to the North Slope. It is paired with a DVD containing over 2,000 photos and illustrations dealing with the C-133. Click here for Item I(INDIA) on the order form.
Please continue to contribute to the C-133 Fund at the Travis Museum, at the address below, after coodinating with the musem. These funds will be dedicated to restoration and upkeep of the C-133 display. Donations can be sent directly to:
PROJECT C-133
TRAVIS AIR MUSEUM
400 BRENNAN CIRCLE
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, CA 94535
New Gallery Photos
Check the Gallery page for more photos and info about the move from Alaska to Travis. Mark Meltzer has an excellent package.
Dover - Check with Dick Hanson on his blog for the latest on Dover's mid-May reunion.
Travis -
The
next
Travis reunion will be 18-19 May 2012. The banquet will be the evening
of 18 May, in Vacaville. The luncheon will be at the Travis Museum, 19
May. The info
pages give current information on events and lodging. This is open to
ALL C-133 and C-124 people from the 84th, C-133 folks from both bases, plus families, tech reps, etc.
C-133A 61999 should be located on the site of the new air museum, by that time, west of the Travis main gate.
The Jimmie Doolittle Air & Space Museum is raising funds toward the new museum. Check out their site for more information. The C-133 page is at this link.
C-133 Blog
Dick Hanson's blog provides another point of contact for those who flew the airplane or are interested in it. If you want to be on the Dover email list, contact Dick Hanson at rehanson342@me.com. Check out the blog.
Firstfleet Publications Available
Firsfleet Publishers has two publications in addition to the DVDs.
1. Available Now A disc with over 470 WW2 unit insignia (90+ USN/USMC). They are in 300 dpi tif format, capable of much enlargement. They include many units besides fighter, bomber and troop transport squadrons. There are little-known Air Base HQ units, liaison, weather, service (maintenance), recconaissance and other functional squadrons. The price is $25 plus S&H and applicable sales tax.
Go to WWII Patches page for information and to order.
2. Available now! A facsimile edition of a 146-page report on the Douglas XC-132 logistics transport together with a magnificent 36 x 72 general arrangement drawing in 1:72 scale. The report gives a high level of detail about how the C-132 would have been equipped, had it gone into service. There are two additional chapters. One gives more background on the C-132. The other is a history of aerial refueling, which would have been a C-132 mission. The history carries into the 1950s and concludes with an "alternative history" section, written as if the C/KC-132 had been bought. Pricing is $60 plus $4 S&H (add $5 sales tax for WA addresses).
If interested in the C-132 product, contact Cal Taylor at firstfleet@aol.com or send your check and order to the address below.
C-133 Model Sources
Anigrand, in Hong Kong, is producing a resin cast 1/100 C-133, available from Rare-Plane Detective. Go to the site and click on Nostalgic Plastic. Scott van Aken did a very positive review of the kit. Check it out.
Island Enterprises, in Angeles City, PI, will become the Gold Standard of C133 models. They also make a wide array of models of other aircraft.
Book Preview
For a preview of my C-133 book, I have posted the two-page Table of Contents and the first page of each of the 24 chapters. The Title Page has links to each succeeding page.
Book Reviews
Phil Brandt, a Dover C-133 nav before he went to F-111s, wrote a great (of course, it's about my book) review on the HyperScale site. Lee Coll did a very nice review in the May/June 2006 IPMS Journal. Paul Schmidt just sent some nice comments. Click here to read them.
Sales Outlets
Wind Canyon Books now stocks the book.
Autobooks-Aerobooks carries the book, serving the US from Burbank since 1951.
In the UK, the book is available through Midland Counties Publishing, Air Britain and the Aviation Book Centre. Go to their sites and search on C-133.
In The Netherlands, Luchtvaart Hobby Shop, in Aalsmeerderbrug has the book. Contact Henk Timmers for pricing and to reserve a copy.
In Germany, purchase the book from Fachbuchhandlung Christian Schmidt, in München.
In Japan, the book is available from Nishiyama Yoosho. Check out their site for the huge inventory.
Several museums now stock the book. So far, they are:
AMC Museum, Dover AFB, DE
Hill AFB Museum, Ogden, UT
New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks, CT
Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum, Travis AFB, CA
National Museum of the USAF, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
Air Force Flight Test Center Museum, Edwards AFB, CA
Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, AZ
Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, OR
C-133 Model Available
Gene Hooker's vacuform 1:72 C-133 model remains available on special order. The kit has a 40+ page illustrated instruction manual, excellent decals and all the trimmings to build a truly impressive model. Contact Gene for production and availability details and go to the Gallery page for more info on specifications and costs, plus a photo of a completed model.
Other Great Books
Jerry McAuliffe's book, U.S. Air Force in France, 1950-1967, is excellent. The C-133 flew through Chateauroux a lot, so here is the source for everything about that base and the rest during those years. It has 464 pages, hundreds of photos and color shots of wing and squadron insignia for all flying units stationed in France, including US Army and Royal Canadian Air Force. Contact him at milspecpress@aol.com . Click here for a new website for Jerry's book. I have read the whole book, and it is excellent. It gives a fascinating picture of the way that French and American government policy changes impacted the lives of USAF, RCAF and Army personnel serving in France. There are excellent diagrams of all the airfields, summaries of facility development and insights into living in France in those years.
Lou Martin's book is available now. Close Encounters With the Pilot's Grim Reaper details Lou's close encounters in 60 years and 19,000 hours of flying. Starting when he was 17, the book includes 22 years in the USAF, five years as a JAL captain, three years in Iran before the Shah's fall and 19 years as an FAA inspector and time as a war bird pilot for the Planes of Fame Museum. Lou provides an excellent picture of life as a pilot in the transition from the WWII Air Force to Korea and beyond. The book has 540 pages and more than 80 illustrations. It lists at $24.50 plus S&H. Contact Lou at 13268 Huntington Terrace, Apple Valley, MN 55124 or by e-mail at pilotlou@aol.com. For an enthusiastic review by James Etten, in the London Flight Times, go here.
Spitfire Wingman from Tennessee: My Love Affair With Flight is the excellent and exciting autobiography of Col James Haun, whose career spanned the period from the late 1930s into the 1960s. Haun was sworn into the Tennessee National Guard by then-Major William Tunner, who became the key proponent of airlift. The updated the book includes added photos and a cover painting featuring the Spitfire Col Haun flew with an RNZAF squadron. He also has an audio tape version, read by Col Haun. There is also an audio version. Go to the book website for pricing and ordering info.
S.A.C. Great Years is MSgt Tom Kaye's fascinating story of his life as a Cold Warrior in the Navy and the Air Force. He was an aircraft mechanic ashore and afloat on CVA-42, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, before enlisting in the Air Force. He started working the B-47, which remained his favorite airplane. A tour at Midway introduced him to the C-133. Kaye's tale tells how it really was for a young enlisted troop in the years from 1950 to 1972. Lots of fun and full of great detail. The book is available from Trafford Publishing for $17.95 plus S&H.