Those masterpiece of engineering back from 1969 are still up and running and ready to go on the front line of initial aerial attack.
Power up with the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, one of the best radial engine ever built during WWII and after. Radial engine were big and usually had 7 or 9 cylinder. To provide the 2128hp they manage to put two 9 cylinders engine one after the other on a single crankshaft. As turbine come out, the efficiency of weight to power ratio made the radial engine disapear but the sound of radial engine is something unique. Engine require 22 us gallons of oil before flight and 2 quarts are burned just on start-up. It often happen guys need to leave mission 30 min earlier not cause there are low on fuel, but because they gonna be low on oil.
Those are the Harley Davidson of the sky
CL215 pilot say's to me
Earlier last week we had 4 of them doing they're run-up. The sound of these four togethers was just amazing. I closed my eyes and try to imagine how it sounded, WWII DC-3 going down the taxi way, 20 of them filled with 18 to 23 years old crew.
I had a shiver
Nick