I read Ron Stout's comments about the DC-6B. I flew them for years (1957-Dec 1992) He is right about the swing-tails. There were two which were converted in Finland. I flew one out of Miami with Trans-Air-Link and it was later sold to Northern Air Cargo in Anchorage. I also read Tom (T.P.) O Connor's comments. I don't know what the record is from Tachikawa to Honolulu in a DC-6, but on one winter night with a light pax load out of Tachikawa, we climbed to 21,000 and for the first 3 hours we were going so fast that our navigator had difficulty keeping up with the aircraft. I can't remember just how strong the tailwind was but I believe about 180K initially. Everything in the cockpit was shaking. It took us ten hours and five minutes from Tachi to HNL.

While stationed at NAS Barbers Pt. HI. 1965 I lived in the barracks across from VR-21. Late night mag checks used to drive me crazy, no sleeping until early morning with those 2800's roaring out there. Loved the A/C though, many flights on them as a pass.

H Alan Davis,had1932@yahoo.com, 14.03.2010 I first flew the C-118 at McGuire AFB in 1957. Transferred to Hickam AFB, HA in 1962 where I flew the C-118 for over 3 years and continued to fly C-118s until leaving Wiesbaden, Germany in Nov 1970. Flew the DC-6 out of Miami with Rich International and later Tran Air Link in both passenger and cargo flights. I also flew the DC-6 on contract with Northern Air Cargo in Alaska. Forced to retire in Dec 1992 by FAA after reaching 60 years of age with 24,000 flying hours and over 20,000 hours in C-118s, R6-Ds,or DC-6 A&B all accident free hours. Douglas built a great airplane although

I got into R6Ds (DC6/C118) in VR 6 at Westover AFB in mid 1951. Next tour in R6Ds was VR-21, NAS Barbers PT. Then off to VR-22 at NAS Norfolk. Last flown at NARTU Jax in 1969. The bird was a Cadillac! I was a flight examiner (check pilot). I ended up with 6,000 plus hours. Used to do FCLP landings at NAAS Fentress in late 50s. What great fun!

I worked on the aeroevac C-118a and C-131A off/on at Scott AFB IL from April 1966 thru 1972. First time I flew the 118 we had to come in on emergency due to the right gear door control rod breaking off and sticking through the gear door. The C-118 required a lot of maintenace to keep them flying the biggest problems were broken exhaust stacks, pork chops, low BMEP and they had to be washed every time they flew.

Around 25 years ago I worked for a company called JET WAY in Ypsilanti Michigan.We had some Lear jets and DC-6s.I was sent to Pontiac Michigan to pull 4 engines off an old DC-6 that had been flying down in the Caribbean.The plane didn't even have heaters on it as they were remove. The planes Data plate said DC-6 ship # 1.We were scraping it out.I pulled the tin off the outboard #3 Eng,grabbed the main oil to pull my self up on the maintenance stand and the oil line broke.It was so rotten.All the fuel and oil lines were rotten.The plane had just landed less than 2 hrs ago.God must have been watching out for that crew.

I was in the AF and a Mechanical Assessories Repairman stationed at McGuire from 1961 to 1964 and worked on C-118's, A/C , Pressurization, Oxygen, Heating, systems. Went on the the C-135 then the C-141, was and E-4

I was an AirCrew Man on the C-118 at Naval Station Keflavic,Iceland from 1980-1984. It was the best four year tour I spent in the Navy. I enjoyed going to Europe ( England, Scotland, Spain, Italy, etc) we flew bachk to the states alot also.

Made one of the first C-118 flights from Mc Guire AFB to Thule in July 1956 . We were told that they just replaced the C-54's.Stopped for fuel at Goose Bay (I think ). My second military flight & much plusher than my first ,a B-25 hop out of Chanute Field .Worked & flew on a lot of Douglas products . Always made it .

Was A & P mech on them at American Airlines 1957 till they where gone as the B-707 came on line.

We have 10 DC-6/C-118's flying in Alaska and will have as long as there's 100LL available. Good plane. We have 4 hauling fuel and the rest as scheduled air carriers flying from Fairbanks and Anchorage. We've just started the process of putting DC-9's on our certificate but have no intention of getting rid of our DC-6's and C46's. The round engine still has a home in Alaska.

When I started work at Western Airlines(April 1,1955)the DC-6B was the queen of the fleet.I was told that if I ever dented one to just clock out and keep on going.They were a terrific plane to ride in with 66 first class seat and a four person lounge in the rear.A dream to load and unlaod compared to evey othe plane and reliable as hell.Two of Western's were later converted to swing tail cargo types in Finland and one was still at Northern Air Cargo in Alaska as late as 2001.

I flew on two DC-6's in the summer of 1960. I was thirteen years old. The first was a Mexicana flight from Monterey, Mexico to Mexico City. I remember it having sleeper births that folded up into the ceiling. The second flight was a Aeronavis (now Aeromexico) flight from Mexico City to Juarez, Mexico with stops in Toreon and Chihuahua. I found that if you sit in the back of a DC-6, it is a fairly quiet plane. Seats were nice and wide and comfortable, unlike the cramped seats on todays jets.

I was attached to VR-53 Memphis tn and started to fly the C-118 in 1978 I was the first flight engineer in the squadron to complete 1000 hours, 2000 hours, 3000 hours and complete over 7000 hours in this bird. Loved every minute of it. I went on to fly the DC-9 with VR-60 with over 2300 hours. I retired from northwest with over 27000 hours (no accidents)

I flew in the C-118 for 3800 hours as a flight navigator.
We had no GPS to do the work for us, it was navigation on the order of what was done in WWII and Korea. I was fortunate to have command of VR-51 at NAS Glenview for one tour. One particular flight in the C-118 sticks out in my mind. In the "118," just before you entered the cockpit, there was a series of "eyebrow" gauges that registered the engine oil quantity. We were on a Viet Nam flight and I was navigating after our departure from NAS Barber's Point. I was in the process of seeing how the pilots were doing when I noticed that #3 engine oil quantity gauge was reading almost zero, while the others were full. I was just in the process of going forwad, and telling the pilots about the oil quantity gauge, when "all hell broke loose" in the cockpit. A heading for Barber's was asked for immeadiatly. About 20 minutes of flight after the problem was identified, and dealt with, it was obvious that we didn't have enough engine oil to reach land. We were in "deep do-do." It was obvious that our only hope was Johnston Island. For those of you that aren't familiar with Johnston, it was then a top secret AF base that was not used by all military flights. We found UHF and ADF frequencies andquickly in the enroute supplement and headed towards Johnston. When we finally established com with the tower, we said that we had a problem and needed clearance to land. The reply was simple, "declare a mayday" or don't land. That was an easy question to answer, and shortly after that we landed. After turning off the duty runway, and shutting the remaining 3 engines down, the first person on the airplane was a full bird colonel, who said, "Welcome to Johnston Island, you're under arrest." We had just landed at a super secret AF base that was in the middle of a security excercise!! When the CO figured out that we really had a problem, things quited down considerably The problem was quickly diagnosed as all four engines not having the oil cooler screen nut not properly torqued down when a 50 hr. oil cooler screen check had been performed at Barber's Point. After filling up the oil tanks on all four engines, and properly securing the retaining nuts, we took off for Wake Island as the first stop on the remainder of our Viet Nam flight. The day after I returned home, I was back in my classroom where I taught 9th grade biology. Such flights really gave you a different perspective on life.

I flew the C-118 21 years.VR-21 july 1962 to july 1966.Reserve Olathe-Memphis-Glenview July 1966 to Dec 1983.I was CO of VR-51[Glenview-Whidby Is.]1982-1983.I retired in 1986 with 10000 hours in the C-118.I hold alt.record[29000ft.]speed record[400kts.]with tail wind!What a neat aircraft!

Flew the old C-118 from March 1965 to May 1968. AT1 radioman. Was on aircraft that crashed on takeoff at Barber's Point. Don't remember exactly when it occurred or which BUNO it was.We were taking off on a west pac with half cargo and half passengers. Nobody was hurt. Tried to take off with full flaps.

I was in VR-21 Barbers Point 1963-1965. I was a loadmaster on our C-118B's.

Capt. Johnson was my squadron CO and replaced by Capt. Westerlund.

The "Pineapple Airlines were slow but very dependable"

Found memories of that time.

I was in VR-21...I was a Aviation Electronic Tech. 1969-71

flew as load master on c118B with vr21 at barbers point naval air station in hawaii we flew all over incuding flights from cubi and sangley point phillipines into vietnam we carried all type of supplies and sea bees into vietnam

20-odd years ago, I was near Pangborn Airport (Wenatchee, WA) watching what I think were DC-6s converted to water bombers take off to fight a fire. I noticed that some of them appeared to head straight out, while others gained altitude circling the airport. I mentioned this to an old ANG pilot that I worked with, and he laughed that I was seeing the difference between ex-fighter jocks ("OK - Let's go!") and ex-transport drivers ("Let's stick close to the field in case we blow an engine on the climb!")

Was in VR-21 from 72-76. Flew in 118Bs all over WestPac. Cubi to Danang shuttle. Flew CINCPACFLT around, great time of my life, great squadron with alot of great officers and enlisted attached.

I flew in the 29th at McGuire AFB in early 62 and then transferred to the 18th C-135 and was much happier! I must have been a jonah as we were wracking up lost engines left and right no pun intended.

Susan

Hey Mel Mendelsohn,

You may have been my pilot on my first overseas trip. If you were, thanks for a job well done. Other than the long hours and the snow removal delay, it was a seamless journey.

Mark

Hey Dianne Weitzel,

You may have very well been my flight attendant. Seems we were in the same place at the same time; just whether or not on the same flight. I do recall, as you mentioned, that the flight took a long time. If you were, thank you for your support.

Mark

My first overseas deployment was via a C-118(?). First thing I noticed was that the seats were all backwards. Heard that military aircraft had it that way to protect you in case of a crash landing.

Went from McGuire, NJ. to Harmon, Newfoundland and on to Prestwick, Scotland and finally to some place in England....don't remember the airport.....possibly RAF Mildenhall. Do remember seeing many sites of the steel plate matting that was apparently used for WWII remote air strips.....they were all over the place from Prestwick to Mildenhall.

In Newfoundland we were there for half an hour or so for refueling. Snow banks were probably 20 feet high and had been plowed out with vertical sides where the aircraft had to maneuver. During the time we were there, snow piled up on the wings to the point that they had to clean the stuff off just before we took off.

Not a fun trip as I had just gotten married and had to leave home for who knows how long.

Mark

I flew the DC-6 series (DC-6, 6A, 6B and former military C-118A) for about 5 years (1977-82) all over the Caribbean, Central and northern South America. They were very nice flying airplanes, some of them older than me! I got about 3200 hours in them on freight contracts for ALM Antillean Airlines, Caraibische Lucht Transport Maatschappij, TAN Airlines of Honduras, BWIA, Guyana Airways, Surinam Airways, Air Jamaica, etc. I was young and loved every minute of it, including hitting a bird at 13,000 feet out over the Caribbean going from Tocumen, Panama to Curacao, and also watching the nightly light show from the thunderstorms over Colombia while hauling beef from Monteria, Colombia to Curacao in perfectly smooth air while the lightning flashes stopped the propellers with their stroboscopic effect. Since I grew up in the Canal Zone town of La Boca beside the bridge, I probably watched Mel Mendelsohn flying around the pattern at Howard AFB doing takeoffs and landings. I only have fond memories of those years flying the DC-6s and C-118A (DC-6A).

I flew as a flight attendant on the C-118 out of McGuire AFB from 1959 thru 1961. Troop transport was our mission, in peace time that meant relocation of dependents as well. Our squadron,(30thATS) also regularly flew NATO VIPs in C118 with 1st Class cabin. Our galley was equipped to cook frozen dinners and breakfasts for all passengers and crew, as flight time to Europe was about 18 hours,with a refueling stop, usually Harmon, Newfoundland. My Husband,Gary Weitzel, remained in the aircraft till 1963 when he transferred into jets and later into civilian airlines.

I flew the c-118 at McGuire AFB,from March 1960 to December 1961, then flew them in Chatearoux, France from December 1961 to December 1965 as a NaATO Airborne Command Post.
Flew the VC-118 at Peterson Field ColordoSprings from July 1966 to May 1969in a Special Missions outfit. Then flew the VC-118 at Howasrd AFB in Panama from November 1970 to April 1974.
Great all weather airplane. Had over 6700 hours in that aaircraft.

As a young LT.,I flew the C-118 Navy version with VR-21 (Barbers Pt)in the early 70's. It was very capable for it's designed mission and both stable and "forgiving" to fly. Many good memories and a cast of "characters" made it a fun experience.