Douglas DC-7B N836D

Douglas DC-7B N836D
Douglas DC-7 N836D
N836D at San Juan International Airport on May 16, 2011
Type Douglas DC-7B
Manufacturer Douglas
Construction number 45345
Manufactured 1957
Registration N836D
Owners and operators Historical Flight Foundation
Preserved at Airworthy

N836D is a former Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-7B restored to flying condition and based at Opa-Locka, Florida.

Contents

History

The aircraft (serial number 45345, line number 928)[1] was originally delivered on 23 January 1958.[2] It flew with Eastern as an airliner in scheduled service until retirement in 1965, when it was sold to California Airmotive, a used aircraft dealer. California Airmotive sold the aircraft to Detroit based Nomads Travel Club in 1966. The club used it until the early 1970s when it was replaced by a Lockheed Electra. After retirement by Nomads, it was parked at Detroit's Metropolitan Wayne County Airport until 1972 when it was sold again to Joe Kocour and flown to St. Paul's Downtown Airport/Holman Field. It stayed there unused for 32 years,[2] with the owners occasionally running the engines but never flying the airplane. In November 2003 it was sold to two aviation enthusiasts who prepared the aircraft for a ferry flight to their hometown of Miami, where restoration could begin in earnest at their home base of Opa-Locka Executive Airport.[2]

After a lot of work was done and the aircraft was once again airworthy, an FAA Ferry Permit was issued and the aircraft departed St. Paul for Opa-Locka on 7 August 2004. A major restoration of the aircraft was completed by late 2009.

In October 2007, the FAA issued a ruling that allowed historically significant aircraft to carry passengers. The program was developed to allow owners of these aircraft to generate funds for the preservation of their aircraft by offering flights to the general public. There are a number of groups offering flights on WW II bomber aircraft but the DC-7B is the largest aircraft in the program.[2]

But many new safety regulations were in effect. Interior materials were upgraded so as to meet new fire standards. Egress slides were installed. Seats had to be replaced, but the original seats are preserved in storage for the day the plane is again grounded. Likewise the original design had hat shelves that are now preserved in storage.[3]

By September 2009 the restoration was essentially complete and the aircraft was painted in vintage Eastern Airlines livery. Final adjustments and FAA inspections and paperwork were completed by July 2010 and the aircraft made its first post-restoration flight on 4 July 2010. Since then, the aircraft has been flown to airshows in the USA, including EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Thunder over Michigan and Sun 'n Fun in Lakeland, Florida. In May 2011, it completed its first international flight when it flew round-trip between Miami and St. Maarten.

Design

The Douglas DC-7 is a four-engined low-wing cantilever monoplane powered by four Wright R-3350-30W 18-cylinder air cooled radial engines.[1] The type first flew in 1953 and was in production between 1953 and 1958.

References

  1. ^ a b "Slideshow N8336D: The Aircraft". Historical Flight Foundation. https://sites.google.com/site/historicalflightfoundation/Home/slideshown836d/the-aircraft. Retrieved June 29, 2011. 
  2. ^ a b c d Petterson, Ralph (May/June 2010). "A Promise Kept: The Eastern DC-7B Story". Airliners Magazine: pp. 24–33. Archived from the original on August 12, 2010. http://nycaviation.com/2010/08/a-promise-kept-the-eastern-dc-7b-story/. Retrieved June 29, 2011. 
  3. ^ Randy Dufault (27 July 2010). "Rescuing one large piece of history". Oshkosh, Wisconsin: EAA, Inc. http://www.airventure.org/news/2010/100727_history.html. Retrieved 2011-07-17. 

Bibliography

External links


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