Old Shakey

The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shakey" (due to the strong vibrations caused by the engines), was a heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. First deliveries of the 448 production aircraft began in May 1950 and continued until 1955. The C-124 was operational during the Korean War and also used to assist supply operations for Operation Deep Freeze in Antarctica. They performed heavy lift cargo operations for the US military worldwide, including flights to Southeast Asia, Africa and elsewhere. From 1959 to 1961 they transported Thor missiles across the Atlantic to England. The C-124 was also used extensively during the Vietnam War transporting material from the U.S. to Vietnam. Until the C-5A became operational, the C-124 was the only aircraft available that could transport very large loads.


Douglas C-124C Globemaster


360 degree panorama taken, standing next to the massive C-124C. It is stitched together from 18 individual fisheye lens images. To activate the panorama please click on the "play" button. You can then drag around in all directions and also zoom in and out using mouse and keyboard controls. The panorama is best viewed in "Fullscreen" mode with controls hidden. Please note also the various viewing options available from right click popup menu. You might want to try out the available effects.

Besides the big cargo plane the panorama captures various other aircraft:

• North American B-45C Tornado: the first American four-engine jet bomber to fly
• Sikorsky YH-5A: helicopter which flew rescue and mercy missions throughout the world
• Sikorsky UH-19B Chickasaw: air rescue helicopter
• Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk: high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial system (UAS) that can provide near-real-time reconnaissance imagery halfway around the world
• General Atomics RQ-1 Predator: unmanned Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance platform capable of flying over dangerous areas for extended periods without risk to a human pilot
• North American T-28B Trojan: trainer
• Boeing B-52D Stratofortress: long-range heavy bomber
• Bell Helicopter Textron XV-3: the world's first successful vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) tilt-rotor aircraft
• Boeing Bird of Prey: single-seat stealth technology demonstrator

Also captured in the panorama are my colleagues Reiner and Gary. Due to the long exposure time there is a bit of a ghosting effect around them. Can you still find them?