Remembering
an Unsung Giant
The Douglas C-133 Cargomaster
and
Its People
Project Development
Units
Operations
Mission
Tech Data
Tail Nrs
Accidents
Gallery Links
61999 at Travis
Update on the status of 61999. The airplane has been restored to its 1960
appearance, when it was assigned to the 1501st ATW from Feb to Nov. The airplane will be displayed during the reunion, on 15 May. Here is a shot of 61999, in its new old MATS markings,
taken by Terry Juran.
The C-133 DVD is still in production. As soon as it is available from the Travis Air Museum, the info
will be posted here. Having helped do filming at McChord AFB, I can
guarantee that there will be sight and sound to brighten the heart of
all C-133 devotees.
The disc to come,
with video of the flight from Alaska, will be more comprehensive than just that
flight. It is being developed by Greg Sheffer, of Inversion Productions, in
Olathe, Kansas. Greg intends to do a complete program that can be sold to
someone like Discovery, Wings, or History Channel. He wants to cover the total
context of the C-133. If anyone has movies of any phase of operation, contact
Greg at
gsheffer@inversionproductions.com
and discuss what you have with him. As Greg says,
"The C-133 grows on a person."
Please
continue to contribute to the C-133 Fund at the Travis Museum, at the
address below. Donations can be sent directly to:
PROJECT C-133
TRAVIS AIR
MUSEUM
400 BRENNAN
CIRCLE
TRAVIS AIR
FORCE BASE, CA 94535
All PROJECT C-133 designated donations received by the Air Museum will be placed
in a special account and used for the C-133 only. The account will be used
for expenses such as restoration, maintenance, site preparation, etc. The most urgent present need is to pay for site preparation and then to move the airplane to its permanent location. That will require removal of the outer wing panels and the vertical fin and their restoration, after the move. Worldwide Aircraft Movers would do that, using their experience in breaking down 90536 and reassembling it at Dover. The tab is $75,000. Site preparation is delayed due to the wet winter, which makes concrete work inadvisable until the ground has dried out.
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.
I welcome entries from anyone associated with
or interested in the C-133. Sign in and pass the word on your memories of the
C-133. Even more important, if you have a tale about any C-133, is to send that to either or both of the museums at Travis and Dover. Also, if you have something that pertains to your C-133 experience, box it up and send it to the museum at the base where you spent your time. Check the links page for contact information. At Dover, the contact is Harry Heist. At Travis, it is Terry Juran.
New C-133 article
The Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine has an article on the C-133 in the September issue. It hits the stands in late August. The author, John Sotham, focuses on the crashes. I provided detailed background info and several photos and he bought a copy of the book. I have not seen the article but hope that it will be of broader scope than simply the crashes.
C-133 Blog
Dick Hanson's blog provides
another point of contact for those who flew the airplane or are
interested in it. Dick and Sandy Sandstrom are building a list of e-mail
addresses for folks from the 1st and 39th ATS/MAS and the Dover C-133
community and any C-133 alumnae who live closest to Dover. If you want
to be on the list, contact Dick at
Upcoming Publications
Firsfleet Publishers has a new publication on the street and another press ready.
1. Available Now A disc with over 470 WW2 unit insignia (90+ USN/USMC). They will be 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 infformation and to order.
2. Press ready now. A facsimile edition of a 146-page report on the Douglas XC-132 logistics transport together with a 36 x 70 general arrangment 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 S&H and applicable sales tax.
If interested in being placed on a want-list for the C-132 product, contact Cal Taylor at firstfleet@aol.com .
C-133 Model Available in 1/100 Scale
Anigrand, in Hong Kong, is producing a resin cast 1/100 C-133, available from Nostalgic Plastic. They also now carry my book. Scott van Aken did a very positive review of the kit. Check it out.
Book Preview
For a preview of my 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 Ordering
Click here for the order form. I will accept personal checks or money orders from purchasers. I can now accept payment via PayPal. All S&H charges to both US and foreign addresses are shown on 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 instrucitons. Resellers please contact me for information on pricing and to make final arrangements for a purchase. I can accept dealer payment by PayPal. Once the total amount of the purchase is agreed upon, I will set up a special PayPal button for the purchaser to make payment, if that is the desired method. All orders to US addresses are shipped with delivery confirmation included, to be able to track when the order was delivered.
For buyers outside the US who are not paying by PayPal, the least foreign exchange problem is if you send a personal check drawn in your local currency (Euro, Yen, Kronor, etc.) on your local bank. If you write a check payable in US dollars, then it costs me about $12 for the exchange transaction.
Based upon recent experience shipping to Canada and Australia, International First Class will be used only to Canada. That takes about three weeks. To Australia, it required more than nine weeks. Consequently, I will only ship individual orders to non-US destinations other than Canada via Global Priority. Shipping and handling totals $46.95, whether one book or the maximum of four in a single box. Shipments to resellers must be arranged with each seller, unless there is an American forwarder.
Please send orders to:
Firstfleet Publishers
2154 Beverly Beach Dr NW
Olympia, WA 98502
e-mail: Cal Taylor at firstfleet@aol.com
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
Autobooks-Aerobooks is the newest dealer to carry the book, serving the US from Burbank since 1951.
For those 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.
The book is now available in The Netherlands from Luchtvaart Hobby Shop, in Aalsmeerderbrug. Contact Henk Timmers for pricing and to reserve a copy.
In Canada, Aviation World stocks the book in their stores in Toronto and in Vancouver. Contact them to reserve a copy and for pricing.
In Germany, those interested in the C-133 can 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.
New Book Announcements
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. Jerry very kindly sent me some good pictures for my book. If you are interested, 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 latest book is available now. Entitled Close Encounters With the Pilot's Grim Reaper, it 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. I enjoyed it thoroughly. 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.
Available now is Spitfire Wingman from Tennessee: My Love Affair With Flight. I have my copy and it is a beauty. It 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. Haun's son, Jim, has updated the book, added photos and commissioned a cover painting featuring the Spitfire Col Haun flew with an RNZAF squadron. He also has an audio tape version, read by Col Haun. Go to the book website for pricing and ordering info.
Dover - The 2010 reunion planning is complete and registration is underway. It promises to be an excellent event, on 7-8 May.
Travis -
The next
Travis reunion is 14+15 May. The info
pages gives 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.
Probably, a big attraction will be C-133A 61999 on display, with the restorations that are made between 2008 and 2010.
Death of a Friend
On 14 Oct 2006, Col Charles W. Stark made his last flight, at the age of 94 years and four months. Col Stark's last active duty assignment was as deputy commander, 1501st Air Transport Wing, Travis AFB, CA. During that period, he was qualified in the C-133 and made several Pacific trips with 84th ATS crews. That assignment culminated an Air Force career that began with his graduation from the United States Military Academy, Class of 1937. Over the years, Col Stark flew 106 different aircraft types, including the P-26, P-35, P-40, P-47, C-119, C-133 and even the F-104. He commanded several different USAF wings, including the 8th Fighter Bomber Wing in Korea, fought in WWII and the Korean war and spent 11 months as a POW in Germany. I was incredibly honored to call Charlie Stark my friend. Through him, I had a first-hand link to people who earlier had been only names--Hub Zemke, Adolf Galland, Jimmie Doolittle, Bruce Holloway, Benjamin O. Davis and many more. Colin Kelly was a classmate at USMA. Charlie told dozens of tales of adventures and events going back to the 1930s. I miss him very much. Col Stark's military biography covers many years of dedicated and varied service to the United States.