# Was there such an aircraft.



## GUNS (6 Nov 2007)

In the late 60's or there after I was on an aircraft that had the seats facing backwards. Did the RCAF have such an aircraft?

I believe it was called a " Cosmos"  If I'm wrong, it will cost me a round at the Mess. :warstory:

Hope you guys don't mind an Army guy nosing around.


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## aesop081 (6 Nov 2007)

CC-109 Cosmopolitan

http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/site/equip/historical/cosmopollst_e.asp


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## OldTanker (7 Nov 2007)

When I flew back from France in 1964, it was in an RCAF Yukon, with the seats facing backwards. Not sure about all the Cosmos, but the only one I flew in had the seats facing forwards.


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## Old Sweat (7 Nov 2007)

OldTanker is correct. The Yukon, which had four turboprops and was a long range transport, had rearward facing seats. The air force had about a dozen operating out of Trenton until circa 1971 when they were replaced by the 707's. 

The Cosmo was a mid-range twin engine turboprop and was a very comfortable aircraft to fly on. Its seats faced forward.


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## GUNS (7 Nov 2007)

Thanks for the info. Had the direction I was facing correct but the aircraft wrong.


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## Blackadder1916 (7 Nov 2007)

OldTanker said:
			
		

> When I flew back from France in 1964, it was in an RCAF Yukon, with the seats facing backwards. Not sure about all the Cosmos, but the only one I flew in had the seats facing forwards.



As I've never flown on the Yukon, I can't be sure about the seats, but the below photos seem to have the seats facing forward. They are photos # 17 and 24 from the list at this site. http://www.marville.org/photos/planes/yukons.html

I've flown a few times on the Cosmo.  On one  of those trips, a couple of the rows were facing rearwards, the remainder of the seats were facing forwards.  The British seemed to like rear facing seats in some of the transport aircraft that they designed in the 40s to early 60s so it may be possible that the Yukon had them.


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## Signalman150 (7 Nov 2007)

Have flown on both the Yukon and the Cosmo.  The only trip I took on the Yukon (back in 1966 at the tender age of ten) was coming back from Metz to Trenton, and the seats were facing forward.  Same for the Cosmo.

HOWEVER, there is one aircraft type in which I DO remember the seats facing backwards.  I flew on them several times (as a dependant) from Sardinia, to Metz, and Zweibrucken.  The thing was called a Bristol Freighter; a truly amazing aircraft that looked like it should never have flown at all.  It had bulbous clam-shell doors in the nose, with the cockpit sitting above and just behind them as though it was an afterthought --("Look old boy, we forgot the seats for the damn pilots! Oh well; just stick them in a little blister up here and that will do."). It had a fixed undercarriage, two radial engines, and a conventional tail. The standard joke between my folks was that we could walk to France faster, (the thing was even slower than a Dakota).

I heard a story (likely apocryphal) about a Bristol Freighter joining the circuit at some European US airbase in the 60s.  As he entered the downwind leg, the tower--not having any idea what an arcane beastie they were dealing with--gave him the standard "Check gear down and locked...".  The bemused Canadian pilot replied, "Roger; gear down and welded."

If you've ever been to Yellowknife you'll likely have seen a Bristol Freighter.  There's one mounted on a rock outcrop just outside the airport. Max Ward bought it from the RCAF when the thing was retired, and flew it up there for several years.  Don't know how many of them he bought altogether though.


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## Zoomie (7 Nov 2007)

Buffalo has rearward facing seats - aptly named "Yukon seats".  It has been proven that rearward facing seats are far more survivable in the case of a crash - no one likes to sit facing the back, so it never caught on.


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## Rigger (7 Nov 2007)

Actually Zoomie the original seats in the Buffs were from the old Yukon (hence the name), in the early 90s (or so) the seats were no longer sustainable and Field Aviation in Calgary designed and built the ones we currently use. The original seats had an optional table between the two rows. The current seats can fold up and be stowed up against the fuselage allowing for more cargo.


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