The following is a relevant excerpt from Wikipedia:
"Two C-133As have been in storage at Mojave Airport, California, since the 1970s. They are N201AR (ex-62001) and N136AR (ex-40136). They are owned by Cargomaster Corp, Ted Stevens International Airport, AK, which also owns and occasionally flies C-133A N199AB (ex-61999). That aircraft was never certificated by the Federal Aviation Administration for civilian operation. Thus, it must fly as a government aircraft, mostly for the State of Alaska, where the last known flights were in the summer of 2004. The ANC based aircraft flew test flights and then a real flight, carrying fire trucks and heavy equipment to the bush, on April 18th, 2006."
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I then Googled the Cargomaster Corporation mentioned above and discovered the following two websites with more description & photographs of their three aircraft. Click on Cargomaster on the Go! and Goleta Air & Space Museum.
4 comments:
Just a bit on the Wikipedia C-133 entry. The bulk of it is material from the book. What was there when I first found it was sketchy and not entirely accurate. I posted the materia necessary to make it more complete and correct.
A couple of Stu Sibitzky's photos are in the book, including the color section and the chapter of post-USAF use.
My fervent hope is that, when Mairris Carlson is done with N199AB, that he will be able to get a one-time flight permit and deliver it to the Travis Museum (with me in the nav seat!).
Thanks for the Comment, Cal! When you get that last flight to Travis booked, let me know. I'd love to be your back-up Nav!!
http://boeing377.googlepages.com/c133
commemorating C 133 arrival at Travis
Does anyone have an email address for Ski, Carlson, the pilots or anyone associated with N199AB? I'd like to personally thank them for the donation and delivery of the aircraft.
What really impressed me is that they didn't deliver a stripped out hulk with only flight essential gear aboard. There were no rows of empty instrument panel holes, so typical of ferried "last flight" planes. The cargo winch was included, an item with subtsantial independent value in Alaska no doubt. Even the aicraft logbook was left aboard for visitors to peruse.
I could go on and on, but essentially it all says that these Cargomaster guys are a class act. They delivered a complete plane, ready to go to work tomorrow if it weren't time for retirement.
Well... Ski might have to do a bit of work on one engine, but that issue arose en route. If I were scheduled for a Mars mission, I'd want Ski aboard. That dude can obviously fix anything that flys.
I keep thinking about how miraculous it was that a C 133 could be kept flyable into the 21st century by just a handful of people. I am not sure if a Travis AFB overflght by a Pterodactyl would have been any more incredible.
Thanks guys, your hard work and generousity will always be remembered and apreciated by this C 133 fan.
Mark
http://boeing377.googlepages.com/c133
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