SEmi OT: B-52 is the oldest aircraft in service - Which one is next?

C-47 / R4D / DC-3 : first flight 1935.

The C-130 is still going strong. First flight in '54.

I'd be curious if any air forces are still flying the T-33. First flown in '48.

WmB.

the T-33 is still serving with several AF.

of a Mexican T-33 taken in 2007

Mig 15 - first flight: 30 Dec 1947 deHavilland Beaver - first flight: 16 Aug 1947 Mig-17 - first flight: 14 Jan 1950 deHavilland Otter - first flight: 12 Dec 1953 Mig-21 - first flight: 14 Feb 1955 F-4 Phantom - first flight: 27 May 1958 deHavilland Twin Otter - first flight: 20 May 1965 Mig-23 - first flight: 10 Jun 1967

All still in operation in various countries...though the deHavillands are probably the only ones in any state of current production.

Nope, been hashed out on this newsgroup before, about seven or so years ago. There's still C-47's (DC-3's) in service in sev- eral air forces. El Salvador is the first that comes to mind (as the AC-47). There are also DC-3's and former Curtis C-46's that are flying in Alaska on a daily basis breaking records with every second they fly. Although, that's in civil service...

It would not at all surprise me to find out that there are also Ford Trimotors flying in military service as well.

Hope that this helps!

-ahill

The NJ ANG just retired their last KC-135E with turbojet engines. It's headed to Dover AFB as a static display.

Bill Youknow

C-47 and DC-3 variants. Didn't some specialist commando mob accidentally blow one up in South America recently (Oops, I dropped a hand grenade and managed to pull the pin)?

Hmmm, where does a Swordfish fit? Does a flyable museum piece operated by a military force still count?

on 8/9/2009 8:03 PM (ET) Musicman59 wrote the following:

The P-3 Lockheed Orion and its variants are still in service. First built in 1961. They are still used in firefighting, weather research, drug interdiction, and anti-piracy roles.

I remember a joke while I was in the AF. It went, "when they retire the last manned aircraft from the USAF inventory, they will fly all the dignitaries there in a Gooney Bird (C-47). Funny too, after the joke was around for only a few years, they retired the Gooney Bird instead :-(

Musicman59 wrote: : can anyone go down the line and list a few that are still in service : and their rough date when they began service? : The Martin Mars are still flying. First flight 1941, production was 1945 - 1947.

Bruce

And they are flying water bombing missions. That takes a tough bird.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

I have this urge to build a DC-3 in Starfleet markings...

"GordonD" wrote in news:hb053p$q2f$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

I would like to see that!

Frank

No doubt re-engined with impulse pods.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

weird several years ago our club did a bash build we all had the same kit a

75 or 76 Monte Carlo the object was to use at least part of the kit and use what ever spares we had, I did mine using the body with a PKFW IV turret and skirts and the laser canon from an X-Wing as a futuristic urban assault vehicle