ML139304
People
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
- Playback
- Not specified
Media notes
Subject 1: (Interview). Subtitle: Linda Finch. Timecode In: 00:03:48. Timecode out: 00:26:05. Notes: Lockheed Electra 10A. Subject 2: (Sound Effects). Subtitle: Vintage aircraft control cable. Timecode In: 00:08:44. Timecode out: 00:08:52. Equipment Notes: Stereo=1; Decoded MS stereo. NPR/NGS RADIO EXPEDITIONS Linda Finch -Memphis 2/14/97 DAT 3 00:00 -1:28 ambi inside the hangar 3:52 LF -we are in Memphis, and flew here to some of the schools to be able to involve the children and get them really excited about the beginning of our program. yesterday northwest airlines had several hundred children come and visit with us. and then we got to talk to their employees and their line-men and show the airplane off a little bit, and today we are doing a program with NASA and their education initiative. and we are going to be seeing thousands of children in Corinth, Mississippi. 4:22 AC -our recording engineer said that she saw these mechanics just swarming around the plane and they are fascinated by what happens when this plane shows up and what it represents. LF -oh it was. it was a really exciting afternoon for us bc they are so excited and so involved. allover the airplane and lots of questions about radios and engines. and how the engines leak absolutely no oil, bc we have the only brand new engines. ours are built out of new parts and these engines were manufactured in the '20s and '30s and through 1960 actually. but most of the ones we are used to have been overhauled and rebuilt, and these are just so perfect that they don't have any oil and everybody was astounded. AC -how is it that you could have new engines? how could they ¬they couldn't have the original -how do they have new engines? 5:15 LF -well, what we did was we found original assemblies or parts from Pratt and Whitney that they manufactured as replacement parts for a nose assemble or a cylinder assembly and then we took them all apart, cleaned them and checked them, and put them back together. we actually manufactured our own engines. 5:31 5:32 AC-how long has it been possible for you to sit here -how long .has the plane been in this kind of condition? 5:43 LF -the plane has only been in this kind of condition a few days. we have all new panels and all of our radios are in for our trip around the world. so, when i first got in it to fly it I had been used to one radio and a very few, minimal instruments that we needed to fly. and now they are just everywhere. it was a little bit astounding to get in such an old plane and see some many instruments that -universal GPS to -that we need for our primary navigation system for around the world is certainly something you don't find in an old airplane... 6:12 AC-but this is how it looks -this is how it is going to feel when you go- LF -it certainly is. it also getting to finally be comfortable in it -it was a little bit awesome to get in the airplane. it is a different view outside and different to fly -but what has happened now is that it is starting to feel like mine -and where it is supposed to be. 7:07 AC -what do these wheels feel like? these are -i thought planes had yokes or something in them to steer with but these have actually steering wheels. they look like they came out of 1940s British sports cars or something 7:21 LF -exactly, and the wood is so worn. we actually had some new ones that we could have put in but i like these bc they are worn and they have been in the airplane obviously since it was new. the wheels are very different for me. when you fly older airplanes -i have only flown fighters and trainers to fly fighters and so they're single engine planes and they have a stick, and you move that stick. and the wheel when you want to turn it -actually moves a long distance (bg: shifting around so she can move wheel) so you can hear. the wheel when you want to t... (Notes truncated)
Technical information
- Recorder
- Microphone
- Accessories
Archival information
- Cataloged
- 1 May 2009 - Ben Brotman
- Digitized
- 1 May 2009 - Ben Brotman
- Edited
- 1 May 2009 - Ben Brotman