Eastern Air Lines DC-7 San Juan🇵🇷 to St Maarten🇳🇱

Video from the channel Just Pilots about Douglas DC-7, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 24:46. Language: English. Video type: Onboard.

Cockpit recording of a restored DC-7 in Eastern Air Lines livery, operating under the call sign Douglas 836 Delta. The video follows the leg between San Juan (Puerto Rico) and the island of St. Maarten, after an initial leg from Opa-locka. The channel presents it as part of the aircraft's first international flight after its restoration.

At San Juan, around 600 gallons of fuel are loaded and oil is topped up in the engines; St. Croix is designated as the alternate airport. The captain, Frank Moss, recounts that a group of former Eastern employees welcomed them, that runway 8 was opened for them, and that firefighters gave them a water salute on arrival. Communications with control are heard: heading 075 after takeoff and visual flight below 5,000 feet. In the cockpit, flying duties are shared and power, manifold pressure and trim are adjusted. The route passes between St. Thomas and Tortola, south of West End, before the approach to St. Maarten. Much of the footage shows the flight with only the sound of the engines.

This is a historic aviation flight with passengers on board, preserving the image of Eastern's DC-7s from their scheduled service era.