AMS and old airplanes

His perspective

Friday, August 2.

Home again. As Nancy said in her love letter to AMS, there is something about this place for both us. We say it every time we’re here. Really can’t quantify it, but there is something special about this place. Tis magical for us.

Saturday

Saturday is one of our many tradition days in AMS, a trip to the IVM followed by brunch. Allen and Bruce joined us for brunch. Friends of Bruce were staying in the Zolderkammer and joined us. One of them is an F/A for Air Berlin, and the conversation quickly was hijacked to airline tales and stories of what everybody had lifted off airplanes over their careers. China, glassware, cutlery, blankets, toilet paper, you name it.

Saturday was also AMS’ Gay Pride Canal Parade, running the length of the Prinsengracht to the Amstel. Boats instead of floats, sponsored by a wide diversity of groups, kind of like AMS itself. 

LGBT organizations, cell phone companies, the company that has my annuity and the Dutch military, to name a few. 

Parade watching on the Prinsengracht

Every inch along the Prisengracht and the bridges spanning it were thronged with thousands of people. Celebrations into the night. A good day was had by all.

Sunday

Old airplane play day!

I had made plans for my Sunday adventure several months ago. The Dutch Dakota Association has been flying a couple of DC-3’s for the last 15 years or so, and Sunday was our time to go for a ride. This one, PH-PBA, was a C-47 built in Wichita in 1944. After the war it was given to the Netherlands’ Prince Bernhard. The registration PH-PBA, stands for PH(Netherlands) Prince Bernhard A, the “A” standing for his first aircraft. It is named “Prinses Amalia”, the name of his granddaughter. Painted in 1950’s KLM livery, she is beautifully restored.

Not bad for a 69 year old airplane

The flight was a 30 minute ride from Groningen, a 2 hour train north from AMS. A beautiful mid-70’s clear day for flying, and we had front row seats in row 1. Although configured for 28 pax, EU regulations regard the aircraft as experimental, thus restricting it carrying 12 pax. All the more room to explore!

We had a flight attendant, and 3 in the cockpit. Our captain was an active captain on KLM’s A330’s. We started with a walk around Q&A session about the airplane with the cockpit crew., and then all aboard for the flight.

The right engine started first, followed by the left outside my window. The sputtering of all 14 cylinders slowly coming to life, along with the prop gaining momentum and the associated air frame vibrations are wondrous to me. Yeah, sounds nuts to most people. 

I didn't get to see or smell start up smoke, but the “sound of round” as the radial engines roar flies us along is magic to me, and a few other old piston airplane enthusiasts.

"Round Sound"

The airplane had a restored galley, my Mom’s “office” when she started as an air hostess for TWA in 1940. Alas, Dad’s “office”, the astrodome was not present on this  aircraft. The “astrodome” of the 30’s and ‘40’s was not a stadium in Houston, but was a glass bubble mounted in the forward fuselage roof from which the navigator would take sightings to determine where the airplane was.

We taxied to the end of the runway, for more great memories from my past. Piston airliners would pull over to a “run-up pad”, just short of the active runway. Here they ran up, warmed up, each engine individually to make sure all was in order. When each engine is run up, you can feel the airplane pulling against the brakes. I swear I was swinging my legs back and forth (except my feet now touch the floor) as Ken and I did during run-up. Fond memories! Cheers Ken!

We did a low lazy 30 minute flight over Groningen and surrounding towns. The cockpit door was open the entire trip and we could roam the airplane at will, chatting with the pilots and flight attendant. It was a beautiful day for flying, although I didn’t notice what we were flying over. The sights and sounds of the airplane, the small oil streak coming out of the left engine. To me, priceless. Close to a once in a lifetime experience.

Only 1st class

And then we landed, while I listened for the chirp of rubber hitting the runway as we touched down. We taxied back to the gate. I thought the tail wheel on the DC-3 was used to help steer the aircraft while the wheel was on the ground. Not so, per the captain. The airplane is steered using differential braking and throttle, pivoting the aircraft on one of it’s main landing gears to make a turn. The tail wheel free wheels and serves no purpose other than keeping the fuselage off the pavement.

Cheers to Dad, Mom and Ken on this flight. I felt like they were all on board today.

Monday the 5^th, was catch-up day. Catch up paying bills and budget stuff.

Tuesday we went to the beach, taking the train to Zandvoort. The weather was 70 and clear. A snack at our usual place on the beach, followed by a long stroll on the beach. Wilson got homesick again. He does every time we’re near the water.  After checking out Zandvoort’s sand castle contest, we took the bus from Zandvoort north to Bloemendahl,

We took the long way back form Central Station, heading in general for the Munttoren (Munt Tower) area off the Kalverstraat shopping street. We took lots of side streets, passing thru China Town, the Red-Light District and the Oude (old) Kerk. We noticed a couple of Chinese restaurants we had been to before, which served as reason not to eat there this time. We stumbled upon a great Thai restaurant, the Butterfly Thai Café, which is not far from the Dam Square on the edges of the Red Light District. Excellent food, and a lot cheaper than our usual Thai restaurant.

Today’s a cool, almost cold, rainy day.  A good day for blogging, working on pics, and a great home made pasta dinner from you know who.

There’s something about this place.