Call it a Series 3 1/2 ! Reminds me of the Douglas DC-2 1/2 in WWII.
When I was in Hong Kong in 1961, when Britain still had bases there, I met a guy who had worked for Douglas Aircraft in the late 30s and early 40s who told me an amazing story. A Douglas DC-3 belonging to the China national airline was operating on a flight from H.K. to Nanking when the captain, an American called Woods, was warned that Japanese fighters were patrolling the route, so he landed at a small airfield called Suifu.
The passengers, including two Americans, and crew just had time to scarper for the hills when the Japs came over and dropped bombs, one of which took off most of the starboard wing:
No matter. With typical Yankee ingenuity, they found a DC-2 in H.K., removed its wing, strapped it underneath another DC-3 (NO, REALLY!), flew it to Suifu, removed the busted wing and, in a scene that must have resembled the original
Flight of the Phoenix movie, bolted on the one from the DC-2, connected up the cables etc. and Bingo, a DC-2 1/2. All it needed was Jimmy Stewart as pilot Woods, Richard Attenbrough as navigator, Hardy Kruger as the German model plane designer - "Ze only sing remarkable about you iss your stupidity!"
OK, except the DC-2 was a smaller plane, and the wing is
five feet shorter than the DC-3's.
However, the pilot, Hal Sweet, managed to fly this cripple back to Hong Kong.
Rick: Sounds just like something you would be involved in!
