Lockheed EC 121D Constellation
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- čas přidán 17. 12. 2020
- The EC-121, originally designated RC-121, was a radar-picket version of the U.S. Air Force's C-121 passenger airplane. The EC-121 provided early warning by detecting and tracking enemy aircraft with the electronic gear in the large radomes above and below its fuselage.
The Air Force ordered 82 EC-121s between 1951 and 1955, 72 of which were EC-121Ds. The EC-121 entered service with the Air Defense Command in 1953, flying patrols off the U.S. coasts as an aerial extension of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line. EC-121s remained in service until they were replaced by more capable E-3 Sentry AWACS (Airborne Warning And Control System). The last EC-121 was retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 1978.
In Southeast Asia, these unarmed radar aircraft aided in downing enemy planes, directed U.S. aircraft to aerial refueling tankers, and guided rescue planes to downed pilots. The aircraft on display was nicknamed Triple Nickel because of its serial number (53-555). On Oct. 24, 1967, over the Gulf of Tonkin, it guided a U.S. fighter into position to destroy a MiG-21. This action marked the first time a weapons controller aboard an airborne radar aircraft had ever directed a successful attack on an enemy plane. Triple Nickel came to the museum in 1971.
![[HD] Lockheed EC-121 Super Constellation Departing Camarillo 1/14/12](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Sx-t8SFLifQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![[HD] Lockheed EC-121 Super Constellation Departing Camarillo 1/14/12](/img/tr.png)
My father was 193rd. I remember their Connies bringing them home. It's still the prettiest plane ever to me.
My late great dad was the navigator on this plane, the triple nickel, part of the 552nd AEW&C squadron out of McClellan AFB before it eventually arrived at the Wright-Patt museum. Served with distinction overseas. On his last day aboard in November 1970, he initialed and dated the inside of his station desk drawer, and retired a month later. We called the museum a few years ago and asked them to check for us, because it was family legend but unconfirmed and sure enough the museum folks sent us back photos of it.
I flew in this plane too...I left the 552nd in 1966 and was transferred to the 432nd TRW at Udorn RTAFB in Thailand...then went up North into Laos at Lima Site 20a...I saw the EC-121s do some amazing things in Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos...
I worked on triple nickel when I was stationed there between August 69 to March 71.Before that I was stationed at Otis working Connies between September 67 to July 68 when I went to Saigon for a year and worked on the 123 named “The White Whale”. Once you were a part of ADC you were always a part of it.
@@waynehigden My dad was a nav on Connies out of Otis from '61 - '65. Went to Yakota after that where he transitioned from ADC ( originally in F-89s at Payne Fld. ) to AFSS... miss you Dad!!!
I was assigned to the 552 AEW&C from 1964 to 1966, then transferred to the 432nd Recon Wing at Udorn RTAFB, Thailand...Tripple Nickel, 555, was the one plane we all remembered...
Nicely done, and wonderfully maintained -- after decades of visiting the USAF Museum, it has been fantastic to see all of the outside exhibits migrate into the huge interior. My dad was a nav, out of Otis AFB, MA, early 1960s. The wing lost three aircraft, fifty crew total, over the Atlantic, during a tragic year and a half -- the Wright 3350s had a lot of fires, the -121 quite heavy with fuel and all of that older gear on it. Dad said, fr the first hours of climb-out, it just hung on the props until burning-off some fuel. They spent long hours orbiting along their picket/AEW tracks, around 18,000', right in most of the weather. Lots of off-course trans-Atlantic traffic inbound to track; no GPS or sat-comm clarity then.
Deep, sincere thanks to the entire, vast complement of Wright-Patterson folks, curators, restoration crews, and the staff who make arriving there such a welcoming, deep dive into remembering all of those aircraft still flying.
My father also flew out
Of Otis on radar constellation he was staff Sargent Donald baum
My husband Michael was on 555 during 1967 to 1971. Radar technician.
I was an ACW3 in the Navy. I trained at the Glynco Naval Air Station at Brunswick, GA in 1960. I was one of the radar operators in the back of the Connie. The Navy Connies were designated WV-2s until the 1962 naming convention when they were designated EC-121Ks. The Navy plotting station was horizontal with plotting done on paper maps in reference to the aircraft's position. The contact information such as speed, heading, latitude and longitude were given to the radio to be sent in Morse code to Keflavik, Iceland. The Naval Air Station at Argentia, Newfoundland had two squadrons, VW-11 and VW-13, that deployed to Keflavik, Iceland for roughly two weeks. The squadrons flew two rectangular barriers with one located between Iceland and Greenland and the other between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. The Navy EC-121Ks didn't have a bathroom by the gallery but had what was called a honey bucket and a urinal tube in the very tail of the aircraft. The urinal tube had a manually operated antifreeze tube that you turned on to keep the urinal tube from freezing. That lasted for a couple of hours until someone didn't open the antifreeze valve or didn't have sufficient flow to keep the urinal tube from freezing. When that happened, everyone had to urinate in the honey bucket. The North Atlantic is turbulent all year but especially in winter. With the Connie bucking and heaving, the area around the honey bucket usually had urine on the floor and the seat. The Navy EC-121Ks only had three bunks in the back and trying to sleep in one was like being horizontal on a bucking horse. You used the waist strap to keep you in the bunk but the turbulence forever kept your upper and lower body moving up and down. We usually flew 10 patrols in the two weeks in Iceland. We flew all hours of the day or night with a typical patrol being about 14 hours. By the 4th or 5th patrol you were tired enough that even the bucking, shaking and rattling in the rear bunks didn't stop you from sleeping. We had a CICO (Combat Information Center Officer) officer who was usually a LTJG (First Lieutenant), an ACICO (Assistant Combat Information Officer), usually an Ensign (Second Lieutenant) and 8 enlisted radar operators. The CICO and 4 enlisted men did 4 hours on and 4 hours off and the ACICO and 4 enlisted men did 4 hours on and 4 hours off and the second shift was roughly 3 hours. Only later in life did I appreciate what I got to do as an E-4. We mainly flew, received flight pay and overseas pay, we ate in the flight mess hall, we were on TDY orders so we got $3 a day in Iceland, since Keflavik had a duty free store and TDY orders allowed us to take back to Newfoundland two bottles that were 1 liter sized everyone always had liquor in their locker and we were always partying. The roughly 6 weeks we spent back in Newfoundland was primarily training, time off, making runs to St. Johns and drinking. It wasn't a bad life but we all have to grow up, don't we?
Great comment. Out of curiosity, what did everyone do at the mostly identical looking consoles in the back? Was each person given a quadrant on the PPI screen with a backup or could the radar system send different information to each console?
I flew in VW-11from 1961 until 1963. The radar men were in two groups and had 4 hour watches. Each group had an officer and 3 enlisted men. The officers were Combat Information Center Officers (CICO), and 3 enlisted men. One enlisted man was on the plot table and two other enlisted men and the officer were on the scopes looking for radar contacts. When a radar man spotted a contact on his station scope he alerted the other 2 radar men working on other stations and reported the contacts heading and speed to the plot once he had determined the contact's information. The enlisted man working the plot kept an updated track of the planes position and plotted the contact's position relative to the plane's track. The plot filled out a form with the contact's latitude, longitude, heading and speed, had the watch officer approve the message then took the form to the radioman to transmit to Keflavik. The missions were about 15 hours long and were in the air 24 hours each day either flying between Greenland and Iceland or Iceland and the Faroe Islands.
Thanks, worked on the radar systems on this exact aircraft many many times at McClellan during the early 70's. Always the height of my AF career!!
I was there '70-73, the name Van Roy rings a bell, Stationed @ 552nd AMS Radar shop, started flying late '70 through '73. Bill Snyder
Great of see the great work they have done on 555. Flew many missions in 555. Assigned to the 963rd several times.
Those hoods on the radar displays are because 1950s era green phosphor monitors were dim and fine details were easily washed out by external light. You see those in a lot of aircraft right up through the 1970s when everything was transistorized and upgraded.
My father flew this exact plane in the late 50s as a senior intercept radar officer, he called it Triple Nickle (555) he told me of a flight they had out of Hickam Hawaii doing intercepts for the then classified satellite film cannister drops. He said the stress of loiter speed and angle of attack on the propellers caused a stress crack in a blade on #3 engine, the blade broke off the prop and the extreme unbalance and vibration caused the engine to tear from its mounts and spin into #4 engine ripping it from its mounts as well. Both engines on the right side were gone with just the firewalls exposed. He said the plane severely yawed and stalled but they recovered to just above stall speed and losing altitude rapidly. They decided to jettison radar equipment and anything that was loose to lighten the plane. They were so close to stall speed that when they tried to open the door to jettison stuff it disrupted the airstream just enough to further induce the stall. They closed the door without being able to jettison equipment. He said they all braced for ditching and the inevitable water crash landing. However ground effect saved them at about 50 feet off the water and they rode ground effect for about 30 minutes to an emergency landing Hickam.
My late late great dad Capt. Jack D. was the navigator on this exact plane on multiple overseas tours in between 1967-1969. Was your dad still in the squadron then? this is big is so.
@@spwb2k no my dad was done there about 1960 , he flew them from McClellan AFB
Outstanding! Thank you for this inside look !
I’m glad I found this channel. This is my favorite place but I don’t get there enough anymore. Soon though. Connie is a beautiful plane.
Thanks so much Brian!!!
Great video. Thanks.
Thank you for viewing!!!
My father served as a radar operator on this very aircraft.
I have worked on that plane when it was active
My old bird. I was assigned to this plane during my time at McClellan AFB as engine mechanic. She was a good old bird, but could be cantankerous at times.
Dad was a radar guy from there 68-70. I remember watching those birds take off and land a couple weeks later.
My dad was also an engine mechanic on the Connies but I think he was stationed in Fl.
@@insylem I believe when I was at Otis AFB we kept some birds down at Holmstead AFB. They would fly Radar missions when Nixon was down at Key Biscayne
What an incredible aircraft just frozen in time! How long has it been since a human entered the cabin? Really appreciate seeing the interior of this beautiful bird.
We went in a couple months back to take photos. Amazing inside!!!
Looks antiquated. Damn..... What does the technology look like on today's E-3 Sentry as oppose to the analog deck on the Connie????
Flew on this one in 1955 McClellan AFB 964th SQ 554 is at Pima Museum in Arizona
My dad ran radar out of McClelland 68-70. He also was in Thailand 65-66 or sometime in them.
Which museum is that that lets you check out the plane
At 1:14, the poor guy (or gal) that had to sit next to that huge magnetron for hours at a time... Wonder what the total tally of QECs that plane underwent in its service life?
Is this the AWACS aircraft of the past century
Yes
You need to do a plane talk. Someone for the Museum Staff or a veteran could do a walk through description. Video and Music is great but...
Would the radar personal sitting at the consoles be officers or NCO's?
Probably a mix of both.
A mix of airman and NCO’s. Most of the crew on the scopes and plotting board were non-com’s. We all rotated positions.
Normal crew carry one Officer as Radar Director. Radar Crew included at least one NCOs as Crew Chief and Airman. Number of radar crew was between 8-10.
Being part of Crew Chief mechanics we could always tell when the flight crew had a bad flight by the number of maintenance write ups that came back in the log.
She is beautiful inside. Yanks looks a bit more lived in.