Martin 4-0-4

After reading about the last flying Martin 4-0-4 last flight in Air Classics mag.I found some video of this plane in my archives.It was taken at one of the Van Nuys,CA.air expoe's. It's not a clear video but it's a video of a Martin 4-0-4.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Martin
• 4-0-4
• vintage
• airlines
• last
• flying
• aircraft
• airplanes
• martin
• 404
• propliners
• aviation
• landing
• flyby

[kirkconway]

that martin 4-0-4 is the LOUDEST PLANE IVE EVER BEEN IN.

i was at gillespie field airshow a few yrs ago whenit was there from LA, I took a ride in it and it was soo noisy inside i couldnt think.

But,,,, what a noise from those two big R-2800's at takeoff power.

nothing like it anywhere.

[Forrest31962]

OMG,does that sound bring back the memories:)! These lovely birds called @ my hometown of Huntsville,AL with the Southern Airways.My neighborhood was just SE of the old Hsv airport,and the position of the main runway[N-S] allowed them to fly right over my house as they made their descending and ascending turns.My late father boarded these many times when he went on TDY in the Army.Though I didn't get to fly on one myself,they remain my favorite commercial prop airplane for all time:)!

[borderking59]

the 404 was well suited for the route system of southern airways. a lot of airports with 5000 to 5400 foot runwaysand short trips. shelbyville tn, the old huntsville municipal airport, crossville/rockwood tn, decatur alabama and so on. it could hold it's on.

[V10Pilot]

I am too young to have had the chance to fly on a piston powered airliner. I am a King Air 350 driver and love having props out there. I can do things a jet could never imagine. Although the my turbines are very powerful and reliable, they aren't as sexy as radials. I think I was born too late sometimes.

[Kindle1234]

I remember in the early 1970's Southern Airways had a route from Memphis to New Orleans, stopped in Oxford, Greenwood, Jackson, Natchez, Laura, Hattisburg,Gulfport, then finally New Orleans. The Martin 404 had comfortable seats, I remember that, and was pressurized. The route was also reversed.I will never forget those days.

[Scharfuhrer]

First airplane ride was in a Southern Airways 404 from Columbus, MS to Memphis.  I was 12 on a business trip with my dad to LA. The Southern Airways stewardess served Cokes in those small glass bottles. Flew in a 727 from Memphis to LA. Must have been around 1968 or so. We went out to recover one of his 18 wheelers a driver had abandoned in LA, rode in that for the trip back home. Big adventure for a 12 year old.

[boblackey1]

@palevictory I also lived near Woodrum Field in Roanoke and well remember that about 5 404's would end their days work in Roanoke and the mechanics would fire them up about midnight to 2 in the morning and take them to the hanger. Sometimes they would sit still and just run up the engines for tests (was my guess). Also I remember when Eastern flew 404's into Roanoke, American Convair 240's and Piedmont used DC-3s. About the time Eastern retired their 404's, Piedmont began using them.

[kloakovalimonada]

God bless the classic propliners!!!

Martins, Convairs, Constelations, Douglases, Lisunovs, Iljušins, Vickerses, Junkerses, etc, etc, etc... !

Nowadays, the modern jets are nothing to compare!

Foxtrot Juliet, Czech republic

[wrxguynz]

nice aircraft, similar to convairs. i would think the convairs were better as how many of them wre built compared to these and how many do you still see flying compared with convair 340/440/580. tho you cant compare it to a 580.

[cmhorst]

I flew a lot of hours in the M-404. Quite a aircraft in its day. Video portrays the classic nose down final approach for the Martin. Remember ....."Max Power Wet".