Page 5 - March 2018

After a few days working on the aircraft and a number of Sidestep to Kenora
ground runs on the engines, the team took off for It wasn’t until June 6 that 402 Squadron
Tuscaloosa, Alabama on May 11, 1982. The next day, they reassembled the team and flew back to
took off for St. Louis, Missouri where American Airlines Minneapolis in the DC-3. Engine techs were able to
pitched in to solve a few maintenance problems, rewire the dead engine and get it going. They took
including pumping up the nitrogen tank that was needed off for Winnipeg but poor weather forced a landing
for the air brakes. The Junkers’ air brake cylinder leaked at Kenora, Ontario. Once again the Junkers was
and would not hold a charge for very long. It needed a stowed and the crew returned to Winnipeg in the
burst of air each time before using the brakes. The team’s DC-3. The following Thursday, June 10, they were
techs plumbed in a large nitrogen cylinder in the cargo able to return to Kenora in the DC-3 and fly the
cabin for this purpose. Junkers to Winnipeg.

The morning of May 13, at St. Louis, Joyce was taxing out A Few Final Flights
in line with about ten passenger jets when they were
cleared for take-off. Joyce recalls: “I had to hold the nose
engine throttle back behind the idle position, as this is
the way both wheel brakes are applied. While we waited
in line the nose engine had carboned up. As I applied the
power for take off, the nose engine quit. I got the engine
started again and tried to take off, only to have the same
engine quit once more. This time the tower radioed we
would have to taxi off the runway so he could get the
other aircraft off. However, the pilot of an American
Airlines DC-10 that was second in line said, ”Junkers, y’all
go ahead of us. My passengers are enjoying the show.”
We thanked American Airlines and this time got quickly
on the runway and managed to get airborne on the first
attempt, with all three engines turning.”

Strange Sightings
The Junkers was flown to Gimli for storage. A year
The crew’s technique on each leg was to have the DC-3
or so later it was flown back to Winnipeg. The next
take off first and circle until the Junkers was able to fly in
formation with it. Needless to say air traffic control was year the team attempted to fly the Junkers to the
Gimli Air Show but the nose engine – the Pratt &
disrupted in many ways at busy airports. On the
Whitney with two dead cylinders – failed after take
scheduled Minneapolis leg, weather forced the tag team
to land for an overnight at Quincy, Illinois. A local TV crew off forcing an emergency landing back at Winnipeg.
appeared and just before the 6 pm local news, the
The following year with a borrowed, time-expired,
announcer came on with a picture of the Junkers in the Pratt & Whitney 1340 engine, Joyce flew the
background and said: “Nazis have arrived in Quincy, more
Junkers to that year’s Gimli Air Show and even did
after the National News.”
two passes down the show line then flew back to
Grounded in Minneapolis Winnipeg. The crew landed, taxied to the military
On May 14, the team flew as far as Minneapolis. The ramp, and disembarked.
next day, after takeoff, the left engine failed and the
The Flying Boxcar was back in Winnipeg for good.
crew landed immediately. The technicians did not have
enough time to repair the engine and the Reservists had In the ensuing years, Bristol Aerospace remodeled
to get home to Winnipeg as they had other assignments the JU52/3M into the static version of the JU-
to get to on Monday. With the Air National Guard’s 52/1M, which is now a proud part of the museum’s
permission, the team left the Junkers in their care, collection. Following his retirement from the Air
boarded the DC-3 and headed home to Winnipeg. Force in 1984, Mal Joyce had a 10-year career with