Smoke Rings In The Wind

Follow this link to a song about time and growing old. I used AI to write the song and produce the music. https://youtu.be/LLVItHCzu28

As I enter my "twilight" years, I think back on those younger years when Lynda and I had more years ahead of us than behind us. It is a little unsettling to ponder the idea of ending this life and beginning another. But, at the same time, it is exciting to imagine a life in Paradise with a new body.

When I was in my twenties, I worked for Caterpillar Tractor Co. One of my earlier jobs while living and travelling overseas was to visit Caterpillar dealers in such garden spots as the Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and many beautiful African countries.

I remember in 1975 boarding an Yemen Airways DC3 (yes, you heard that right) for a short trip from the capital in Sanaa to the seaport city of Hodeidah. After boarding I heard noises in the rear and I looked back to see a Yemeni man in a turban, with a large cage full of chickens. It never occurred to the "bulletproof" Ron Ragan in his twenties, that flying a vintage aircraft like that, owned by a dubious, likely underfunded airline, might be a dangerous proposition.

Today, I look back on those memories with much fondness, but also with some regrets. Why did I not soak it in more, take in more sights and sounds, spend more time in the markets, eat questionable foods, take more risks, make more memories? To some who are reading this right now, you might be thinking, and riding in a WWII variant aircraft owned by a questionable airline was not taking risks?

Just for fun and good reading I "Googled" about flying DC3s in those days and this is the exact response I got back (unedited). The short answer is YES, I definitely dodged a bullet, and then some.

QUESTION FOR GOOGLE: In 1975 flew in a Yemen Airways DC3 and looking back, I wonder if it was safe, or was I stupid to get on such an airplane, or did I just dodge a bullet. I wonder what Yemen Airways safety record was back in the mid seventies?

GOOGLE RESPONSE: Looking back at aviation choices from decades ago can certainly bring on a retroactive case of nerves! By the standards of today's hyper-safe commercial aviation, flying a 1940s-era prop plane over the mountainous terrain of Yemen in the 1970s sounds incredibly risky.

However, you weren't "stupid"—you were traveling during an era when the DC-3 was still the ultimate workhorse for rugged, developing regions, and options were limited. That said, looking closely at the historical records, you definitely dodged a few bullets.

The reality of Yemen Airlines (Yemen Airways) and its DC-3 safety record during the mid-1970s reveals several notable factors:

A Turbulent Track Record in the Early '70s

According to the Aviation Safety Network and the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives, Yemen Airlines experienced a string of serious incidents right around the time you flew: 

• November 1, 1972: A Yemen Airlines DC-3 was completely destroyed in a crash-landing near Beihan. 

• April 30, 1973: A devastating crash occurred when a DC-3 operating a government charter struck a mountain in the Hadramaut Range, killing all 25 people on board. 

• December 13, 1973: Another Yemen Airlines DC-3 crashed and was written off near Ta'izz. 

• February 23, 1975: Just around the time of your trip, a Yemen Airlines DC-3 flying from Al Hudaydah to Sana'a was hijacked and forced to land in Saudi Arabia (fortunately, the aircraft was stormed and there were no fatalities). 

The Danger: Infrastructure and Geography, Not Just the Plane

While the DC-3 itself was incredibly robust and forgiving, the environment it was flying in during mid-1970s Yemen created a perfect storm for risk:

• The Terrain: Yemen features dramatic, jagged mountain ranges and high-altitude cities (like Sana'a). Flying unpressurized, low-altitude piston planes around mountains without modern radar or ground-based navigation aids was inherently dangerous.

• The Maintenance Gap: By 1975, the DC-3 was already a 30-to-40-year-old airplane. Keeping them running safely required meticulous maintenance, spare parts, and mechanical expertise that struggled under the economic and political constraints of Yemen at the time.

Did You Dodge a Bullet?

Yes. Given that the airline lost multiple DC-3 airframes to crashes and experienced a hijacking between 1972 and 1975, you were flying during the absolute peak of the airline's operational risk period. 

You shouldn't feel foolish, though. In 1975, the global public didn't have instant access to accident databases, and the DC-3 was trusted worldwide as a legendary aircraft that could land on dirt strips where modern jets couldn't. You survived a classic aviation adventure from a bygone era—and you have an incredible story to tell because of it!

This song is not about me being being young and foolish, but it is a song about growing old and having lots of memories.