The airport, known as the gateway to Silicon Valley, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year using strategically placed toy and inflatable chickens.

According to officials, baby chickens were the first “passengers” to be offloaded at the airport.

When the airport opened to commercial service on February 1, 1949, the first arriving flight was a DC-3 operated by Southwest Airways (which evolved into Delta Air Lines) carrying seven humans and 2,550 baby chicks. The humans continued on to Los Angeles, and the chicks were dropped off in San Jose.

To celebrate the event, airport officials have installed multiple baby chick displays, including a 10-foot-tall inflatable in the Terminal B baggage claim area. Other poultry-inspired decorations around the facility include over 1,000 baby chicken window clings and four 7-foot-tall standees throughout the terminals. 

Visitors are encouraged to take photos with any of the baby chicken displays and share them on social media using the hashtags  #sjc75 and #PicWithABabyChick for a chance to win an exclusive commemorative 75-year anniversary swag pack.

“I’m excited to be joining [KSJC] in the midst of commemorating a significant milestone in the airport’s history,” said Mukesh “Mookie” Patel, the airport’s director of aviation. “We’ve come a long way from welcoming 2,550 baby chickens on opening day to more than 12 million humans last year, but we’re as focused as ever on delivering the same convenient and reliable airport experience that city leaders set out to do in 1949.”

The post Chicks Take Over San Jose Mineta International appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

That’s because—just over three decades later in 1935—the auspicious date saw the first flight of the Douglas Sleeper Transport, or DST, which marked the first variant of the DC-3 series.

When the final DST configuration was settled on and the first model ready for flight, it was a cool, clear day in December. Coincidentally, it was the 32nd anniversary of the Wrights’ famous flight: December 17. In the late afternoon, around 3 p.m., the airplane rolled out, but this time the flight wasn’t turned into a company lunch break or notable event, and even few of the Douglas executives took the time out to watch. It’s assumed that Doug did, but no photo remains of the occasion (if one was ever taken) and no specific notes remain on the particular flight. [Douglas chief pilot Carl] Cover’s logbook entry is simple, as though he was just testing another DC-2 off the line.

In a sense, he was—there was little in the way of dramatic leaps in technology or performance from the DC-1 to the DST, as Doug would note later on, yet it was almost a totally new airplane from a parts standpoint. Much of the change needed to stretch and widen the airplane resulted in similar but improved handling characteristics. What Cover may have noticed were the improvements to ergonomics in the cockpit, and, as the testing went on, the more luxurious interior on the DST, required by the purpose it served as a sleeper transport and not just a day plane.

—excerpt from “Honest Vision: The Donald Douglas Story”

READ MORE: The Douglas DC-3 Changed Aviation History Forever

A Key to Winning the War

Just a few years later, the DC-3’s military versions—beginning with the C-47—would prove pivotal in World War II. The capable and forgiving twin would keep its crews safe with the numerous improvements integrated into its systems and performance, while they delivered load after load of troops and cargo across oceans and to the front lines, particularly in the European Theater.

As a result of the massive mobilization of aircraft manufacturing in the wake of the establishment of the industry-led War Production Board in January 1942, the Allied Forces had the “Arsenal of Democracy,” which exceeded the 50,000 aircraft touted by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as an outline of the production effort.

The D-Day Squadron will honor the missions flown around the Normandy Invasion when it returns to those shores in May and June 2024—but also lend to its audience and participants the sense of what other massive operations would feel like witnessing from the air and on the ground. While several aircraft flying over from the U.S. participated in the commemorative occasion on the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019, at least one new entrant hopes to be flying in time: the C-47 ‘Night Fright’.

READ MORE: To Honor and Remember: D-Day

After D-Day

The Normandy Invasion marked a turning point in the war—and following the strikes in June 1944, it seemed that it would be nearing its end in Europe. But a few critical events remained. 

One would begin on the eve of the airplane’s 9th anniversary. On December 16, 1944, the German war machine launched one last large-scale offensive, amassing more than a million soldiers along a 75-mile front.

The Battle of the Bulge—known then as the Ardennes Offensive, as it spanned the Ardennes Forest along the German-Belgian border—caught the Allied forces by surprise, but they quickly mobilized a counter attack that once again hinged on the utilization of the C-47 fleets. Fighting the severe cold over the course of six weeks, more than a million Allied troops, including the 101st Airborne Division, brought their full force to bear. Defending the town of Bastogne, beginning on December 22, over the course of the next several days, “961 C-47s and 61 gliders dropped 850 tons of supplies and ammunition to Bastogne,” according to the RAF Mildenhall website.

To talk with the troops on the ground, those supplies proved not only critical from a logistical sense, but also in terms of morale. The pilots I spoke with while gathering stories for “Together We Fly: Voices From the DC-3” recalled the bitter cold—and the fact the brunt of the fighting took place over Christmas. Feeling far from home at a poignant time, soldiers witnessed the sight of one hundred C-47s at a time overhead, visible through the clearing skies.

So on this anniversary of the Wright Flyer’s first success, and that of the DC-3’s inaugural test flight, I think of those soldiers and count my blessings this holiday season.

Editor’s Note: You can win a flight in a DC-3 and a history package from the D-Day Squadron by entering here.

The post The Douglas C-47: A Christmas Story appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1943 Douglas DC-3

Yes, this aircraft’s maximum gross takeoff weight is 29,000 pounds, not the 2,900 or so that might make more sense to pilots of light piston singles. This is a big airplane, and its ability to lift big loads of passengers and cargo helped make it the first truly practical, profitable airliner. It is also the reason this 1930s design is still flying today. It is still the ideal aircraft for certain missions, which is why you still have a good chance of spotting them at airports across the globe.

This DC-3 demonstrates how an adaptable design can continue to improve and perform decades beyond its expected lifespan—but it’s not just a stock DC-3, if there is such a thing. With 18,878 hours on the airframe, it has been updated with Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67R turbine engines that have logged just 50 hours each, and 115-inch propellers. Fuel capacity is 1,030 gallons.

The cabin has room for 32 seats and is equipped with a galley that includes a cooler and hot water dispenser. Modern updates include a fire detection and extinguishing system, heated windshields, LED tip nav and strobe, landing and taxi lights, standby third battery, and de-ice boots.

There is no sign of 1943 in the panel, which includes Garmin GTN 750 nav/coms. Garmin GTX 3000 (2), transponder, Garmin GTS 8000 TCAS ll, Garmin GI 275 electronic instrument, Garmin GI 106A  VOR/localizer/glideslope (2),

Collins 331-3G HSI (2), Collins ALT-50A radar altimeter, L3 WX-500 Stormscope, weather radar, a Pratt & Whitney ADAS+ engine monitoring system, and more.

If your mission profile includes serious, airline-style transport with a touch of “Fate Is the Hunter,” you should take a look at this rare, updated, turbine-converted DC-3, which is available on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the airplane through FLYING Financial Group. For more information, email info@flyingfinancial.com.

• FLYING Magazine: The Douglas DC-3 Changed Aviation Forever
• FLYING Magazine: DC-3: An Airplane for the Ages
• FLYING Magazine: DC-3 Historical Timeline
• Plane & Pilot: Douglas DC-3
• The Aviation Consumer: Warbird Ownership: Respect Required

The post Today’s Top Aircraft For Sale Pick: 1943 Douglas DC-3 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In 2024 the D-Day Squadron plans to commemorate the event and honor those who fought, but they need your help. The squadron, made up of Douglas DC-3/C-47/C-53 airplanes, is raising money with the help of Five Oaks Consulting and a crowdfunding campaign. They need to raise at least $7,500 to kick off publicity efforts for the trip they are calling “The 2024 Legacy Tour.” The full D-Day Squadron campaign over the next year will exceed $1 million.

In 2019 the group commemorated the 75th anniversary of D-Day with a flight of 15 Douglas DC-3s and C-47s from the U.S. to the U.K., across the English Channel and over the Normandy beaches to Berlin.

The campaign goals for the 2024 Legacy Tour are to honor “the many men and women who served in WWII and those who preserved freedom and liberty afterward at the onset of the Cold War. The D-Day Squadron’s goal is to provide equal recognition for the Berlin Airlift as D-Day.”

The Berlin Airlift

After WWII, Berlin was divided into sectors run by the Allied nations: the U.S., France, Great Britain, and Russia. In June 1948 the Russians—who wanted the capital city for themselves—closed all highways, railroads, and canals from Western-occupied Germany into Western-occupied Berlin. The Russians thought this would make it impossible for the people who lived there to receive food or any other supplies and would eventually drive the Allies out for good.

Instead, the U.S., France, and Britain took to the air to supply the city. The “Berlin Airlift” was a constant stream of aircraft coming in and going to three airports within the city. This effort, also known as “Operation Vittles,” lasted from June 24, 1948, to May 12, 1949, and carried more than 2.3 million tons of cargo into the besieged city. Aircraft that only a few years early were carrying bombs were converted into freighters with thousands of pounds of powdered milk, coal, medical supplies, and clothing aboard for the city that had mostly been reduced to rubble during the wartime bombings.

The event is cited by some as the beginning of the Cold War, as no shots were fired, but the tension was palatable. Today, the Berlin Airlift is often no more than a paragraph in a textbook. although many of those who served during World War II continued to do so in Germany as part of the airlift.

The Legacy Campaign Continues

The 2024 Legacy Tour Kickstarter campaign has been underway since May.

According to David O’Connor, campaign manager and owner of Five Oaks Creative, the drive was slated to run 30 days. It has been successful—with four days to go, the primary goal has already been met, said O’Connor, adding the group  did so , fittingly, on June 6.

“The 2024 Legacy Tour Kickstarter campaign is officially at ‘boots on the ground’ status,” said O’Connor. “However, we still have a long way to go—the planes do too! Starting from the United States in May of next year, the aircraft must complete six total flight legs to Europe involving crew rest, refueling, proper maintenance, formation planning, and logistics. This Kickstarter campaign is specifically focusing on the planning and logistics of the 2024 Legacy Tour, which, as you can imagine, are complex and extensive.

“The 30-day campaign met and exceeded the goal of $7,500, so much so that we decided to add a $10,000 stretch goal. If we meet that goal, each backer will get a challenge coin.”

O’Connor added that the new 2024 Legacy Tour artwork and campaign logo, designed by Chad Hill at Django Studios, were released on June 6. 

“These visuals will serve as the heart and soul of the upcoming mission and are currently available as exclusive merchandise found only on the active Kickstarter campaign,” he O’Connor.

O’Connor noted that this is his company’s sixth crowdfunding campaign for WWII aircraft. Five Oaks also raises money for STEM education.

The Legacy Plan 2024

The plans for the 2024 tour are as follows: In late May, the DC-3, C-47, and C-53 aircraft will mobilize in the Northeast U.S. for training then will set out across the North Atlantic as a squadron. The flight plan takes the group across via Presque Isle, Maine; Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Canada; Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, and England.

There will be multiple events at local museums, as well as flyovers and photo flights before the English Channel crossing.

The squadron is expected to be in Normandy around June 5 or before—those dates are still being confirmed. The Berlin Airlift commemoration is slated for June 11 to 14, followed by tentative stops in Lido, Italy, and Portugal.

The group will return to the U.S. in late June.

These plans are tentative and may change because of weather, equipment issues, and/or political climate.

The post D-Day 2024 Legacy Tour Planned appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

While there are women out there who own and fly these pieces of aviation history, they create a special cadre of pilots.

In honor of Women’s History month, FLYING caught up with a few of these pilots to find out what made them gravitate to the vintage machines.

A Rare Vintage Biplane, and Summer Martell, Port Townsend, Washington

Martell is a 15,000-hour pilot who holds CFI, CFII, and ATP MEL certificates and type ratings in the Gulfstream 100, Gulfstream 200, Falcon 2000, and Falcon 900 EX. She’s also a designated pilot examiner (DPE).

Martell is the proud owner of a 1931 Student Prince biplane that belonged to her father.

“He was a newly minted private pilot. He’d learned to fly in Cessnas but his friends that owned and flew vintage planes loaned him their books on vintage flying by authors Gordon Baxter, Ernie Gann, and Richard Bach, and he was swept away by the romance of the stories involving antique airplanes, especially biplanes. When he saw the Student Prince for sale at Harvey Field, he was smitten. He said, ‘It smiled at me, so I had to buy it.’”

As a teen she joined her father for flights, eventually learning to fly herself.

The Student Prince is an open cockpit design, which, according to Martell, makes the piloting experience much more visceral.

“I could feel the sky as I flew through it, I could feel the temperature, the humidity. I could smell the world at 80 mph. I felt like a dog riding in the back of a pickup, noting all the layers of smells. Saltwater, freshly mowed hay, and pine trees,” she recalls, adding that the Student Prince, which was designed to be a trainer, was a good fit for teenage Martell.

“The biplane is beautiful from any angle, and it always draws a crowd, so I was never lonesome when I landed somewhere. And it took good care of me from day one. Like a patient schooling horse, the Prince forgave my beginner’s fumbles as I began learning my way around the sky, and later, how to negotiate the transition of sky to earth in a brief few seconds while the world ahead of me became completely obscured by the rising nose of the biplane to its landing attitude, leaving me with a forward view of three of the Kinner engine’s five cylinders and nothing else. The Student Prince forgave my ricochets and hard landings, and somehow, despite my best efforts to do otherwise, it managed to stay between the runway lights as I struggled to keep the nose ahead of the tail.”

The airplane has produced some strong memories, such as the first time she flew solo.

“I hooted and hollered after takeoff, but became a bit somber on downwind without the view of the back of my instructor’s head in the front cockpit. Oh boy, I really was alone. But I did it! It felt so great. That airplane has always been my champion. The second favorite memory was hand-propping it for the first time. Scary, but very confidence boosting once I’d done it.”

When asked if she has a bucket list vintage airplane she would like to fly, Martell replies, “The Alexander Eaglerock biplane that hangs in perpetuity from the ceiling above the international arrivals and departures at Sea-Tac International Airport [KSEA]. I understand preservation has its place, but it always makes me a little sad when I see that plane, motionless in the rafters, gathering dust. It is so reminiscent of the Student Prince, that I feel I could easily slip into the back cockpit and take that airplane upstairs for some fun. And every time I pass by it, in my mind’s eye, I do just that. I fantasize that I fly it south with the setting sun, never to return.”

Her advice for people who want to buy and fly a vintage airplane?

“Talk to pilots who own/fly vintage planes. They love to talk about them. They may even offer to take you flying. Bribing them with pie can be effective. Read those stories by Baxter, Gann, and Bach. If the vintage airplane bug bites you hard enough, who knows? Perhaps a vintage airplane with a for sale sign will smile at you.”

Jan Johnson, First Lady of the L-birds, Hayward, California

Johnson, who has 1,060 hours total time, owns a 1944 Vultee Stinson L-5E Sentinel ambulance, a 1945 Vultee Stinson L-5G Sentinel ambulance, a 1951 Cessna LC-126C (military 195) ambulance.

Johnson began her aviation career as a flight attendant, then decades later after entering the medical field, she decided to pursue a private pilot certificate. To her, that meant getting an airplane of her own—and she was drawn to the classic lines of vintage taildraggers.

It was Johnson’s first visit to EAA AirVenture in 2010—in particular a walk through the Vintage parking—that activated her interest.

“My first visit, with two ‘AirVenture first-timer’ pilot buddies. Walking through Vintage, we came upon ‘Interstate 195’ parking, where all the Cessna 195s are lined up. Looking down a row of bumped-cowl classic taildraggers is a sight to behold. I was immediately smitten with the design of the long fuselage, the art deco interior styling, and the big Jacobs 300-hp, seven-cylinder radial powerplant standing proudly up front. They look sleek and fast even standing still. I researched the airplane that night in our motorhome in Camp Scholler, and upon returning home, I set forth on my quest to own one of these beautiful airplanes.”

“My very first airplane was a 1951 Cessna LC-126C. I was attracted to the gorgeous lines of the classic Businessliner. My particular LC-126C having documented military history was a bonus.”

The airplanes Johnson is drawn to are known in the warbird world as “L birds.” The term comes from their military designations that begin with the letter L for “liaison.” They were used as reconnaissance aircraft, artillery spotting, light transport, and air ambulances.

Johnson flew her LC-126C to Oshkosh in 2015 and 2016, and was invited to be part of the “Ladies Love Taildraggers Day” in EAA Vintage.

“It’s a real honor to have your airplane brought up to the Bill and Myrt Rose Park, near the Red Barn, and be interviewed by EAA Chairman Ray Johnson (no relation). Each year, he interviews three women who flew their vintage or classic airplanes to Oshkosh. Fifteen minutes of fame was never sweeter.”

Johnson sold the LC-126C after four years because she found another airplane, a 1945 Stinson L-5G that struck her fancy.

“It fits me perfectly!” she explains, noting that as she stands over six feet tall, finding an airplane that fits can be a challenge. “I ended up purchasing that plane after the Cessna left my hangar. What a great little airplane the L-5 was to fly! Responsive, nimble—and with controls as smooth as butter.”

Johnson flew the Stinson L-5G from Hayward, California, to Oshkosh in 2018, and once again found herself interviewed by Ray Johnson.

Last summer, she had the opportunity to acquire another Stinson, an  L-5E, “complete with World War II military history,” she says. “Each plane has a personality, and getting to know both of them has been fun. Then, in early 2023, I had another Cessna LC-126C fall into my lap. My partner and I purchased it together, and we’ll return this plane to flight after sitting for 30 years. When a Cessna 195/LC-126 comes into your life, you don’t think twice. You just let it happen. And consider yourself fortunate.” 

Johnson’s interest in vintage aircraft extends to multiengine designs as well, which she attributes to a ride aboard a Douglas DC-3 she took in the mid-1990s when she was working as a flight attendant for a national airline.

“I went for a scenic flight over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco in a Douglas DC-3, owned by the Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Company. It was a breathtaking flight and unforgettable—the epitome of the glamorous ‘Golden Age of Aviation.’ The cockpit was open, and once airborne, we were free to ‘move about the cabin’ and make small talk with the pilots. It definitely ‘set the hook’ for me with vintage airplanes. After that flight, a pilot let me pose for photos in his beautiful Stearman.”

Johnson’s vintage airplane bucket list includes a Stearman, a Waco, a Beech Staggerwing, and a Howard DGA-15. She is currently learning to fly a 1940s-era Twin Beech.

“It has two Pratt & Whitney R-985 radials, a bullet-shaped nose in between, and a sleek tailwheel design that harkens back to 1940s Hollywood,” she says. “I envision Myrna Loy and Bette Grable stepping out of the luxuriously-appointed cabin and waving to their fans.”

Advice for people who want to buy and fly a vintage airplane?

“Do your research! Owning, maintaining, and flying a vintage airplane requires time and money. A lot of it. Find a pilot who you can trust and ask them a lot of questions. Join the various type clubs online and introduce yourself. If possible, talk to mechanics who know the old planes. Go imaginary ‘plane shopping’ at any of the large fly-ins across the country. Walk up to total strangers (well, there really are no ‘strangers’ in aviation) who own the type of airplane you like. Almost always, they’ll let you climb into the pilot seat. Try it on for size. Can you reach the rudder pedals? How is visibility?  Scrutinize each plane—things you like vs. things that may hinder you buying one. Availability, cost, maintenance, and spare parts. You can never go wrong with a 1940s Piper J-3 Cub, Taylorcraft, Aeronca, Stinson, or early Cessna.”

She also recommends getting your tailwheel endorsement, as most vintage airplanes are tailwheel-equipped.

For aircraft acquisition, the combination of the aging pilot population, persistence and determination, and being in the right place at the right time will get you there, says Johnson.

“Both my Stinsons came from pilots in their 80s who could no longer fly. I’m certain that all they want is for someone to take care of their airplane, fly it often, and display it at air shows and fly-ins. And keep the mystique and magic alive. That’s my personal mission with my airplanes. Share them with others and honor the history.”

Heather ‘Rat’ McNevin, Northfield, Minnesota

McNevin has 1,100 hours total time and holds a commercial certificate with single- and multiengine ratings, CFI/CFII/MEI instructor certificates, and type ratings in the DC-3 and B-25.

Heather McNevin, known as Rat (short for Ramp Rat), says she doesn’t own an airplane yet, partly because there are too many out there to fly. The aviation bug hit her early. She started taking lessons at age 14 at Aiken Municipal Airport—Steve Kurtz Field (KAIT) in Aiken, Minnesota. She trained in both a Piper Cherokee and a 1946 Aeronca Champ owned by her instructor and figured out pretty quickly she liked the Champ the best.

“The Champ felt most like flying a fighter plane to me, so it became my favorite,” she says. She soloed at the age of 16 in the Champ and, on the first landing—which she greased—she let out a whoop that, according to the people watching from the ramp, was heard over the sound of the airplane.

The Champ was the first in a long line of vintage airframes.

“Since my initial Champ flying, I’ve flown a few other vintage aircraft: Navion, Waco, DC-3, T-6, BT-13, B25, Stearman, PA-12, J-4, Aeronca Chief, Globe Swift, [and] PT-22. I feel more comfortable in an old, loud aircraft with just the basic instruments than I do in a brand new glass cockpit.”

According to McNevin, you don’t so much fly a vintage airplane as you become part of its legacy.

“I’ve flown many vintage aircraft and enjoyed something about each of them. When I’m flying that airplane, I’m part of a long line of aviators that have experienced the joy of flight in that aircraft, and it’s my responsibility to share that magic with others. It’s like when I have the privilege of flying warbirds, I think of the necessity to share the stories of the people that flew them during the war because some of them didn’t make it home. These old machines shaped the world. They reduced travel time, bolstered business, connected us all, and fought oppression. I like the feel of flying along and realizing ‘this is how aviation started, this is what it was like’ or ‘this was once the best, most luxurious method of travel!’ For me, it’s not just flying, but being a steward of history.”

Instead of a bucket list when it comes to airplanes, McNevin has a “to-do list” of airplanes she would like to fly.

“I have a type rating in the DC-3, but I have wanted to fly a specific DC-3 for over a decade. I remember seeing the yellow DC-3 ‘Duggy’ at Oshkosh for many years, and every time I’d see it I said I would one day fly that aircraft. I would even tell Duggy the DC-3 that one day we will fly together. Amazingly enough, I found out Duggy lives not that far from me and may be returning to the skies.

“My recent type rating was in the B-25, and I really enjoyed the training and learning how they designed and operated aircraft in the ‘30s and ‘40s. I’d like to continue to fly other bombers of the day and see how they compare. I think the B-29 would be amazing, as I’ve recently been on a reading binge involving their missions. I have decided it would be cool to fly every aircraft type that the WASPs flew.”

Her advice to people who want to buy and fly a vintage airplane? “Be prepared to maintain it correctly. These aircraft are old and a little TLC goes a long way. Don’t skimp on maintenance. Be a good caretaker of history. Also, make sure to get good training, as with any new venture into an unfamiliar aircraft, and share your aircraft with as many people as you can so they can see and appreciate it. You’ll make new friends and it’s always fun when someone admires your aircraft.”

The post The Women of Vintage Air appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

For many aviation enthusiasts, the new edition is not just another update of the company’s long-standing simulation program, but instead a celebration of virtual aviation’s past, present, and future. 

The Microsoft Flight Simulator software program was first launched in 1977 when Bruce Artwick, a software engineer who founded Sublogic, created and developed the first iteration of the program. Two years later, the company released Flight Simulator for the Apple II. In 1982, Microsoft purchased licensing rights to that original software and officially launched the first iteration of Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0 that same year.

Since that time, Microsoft has released updated versions of the program periodically. In 2012, the company decided to shelve product development after it faced intense criticism from users after launching Microsoft Flight, designed to replace the original simulator series. Microsoft’s franchise remained grounded until the company partnered with Asobo, a French video game developer known for video game versions of Pixar movies. That collaboration led to the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

The long break between versions allowed the team to take advantage of substantial advancements in gaming technology. The result is flight simulation software that rivals (and even surpasses) scenery used in full-motion commercial flight simulators.

Marking 40 Years of Development

This latest release of Flight Simulator is chock full of features that appease new flight simmers—what those aficionados call themselves—and those loyal to the program since its beginnings. Every update comes with new virtual aircraft models to fly, but this time around, they’ve gone old school.

Seven historical aircraft are featured: the 1903 Wright Flyer, a 1915 Curtiss JN-4 Jenny, the 1927 Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis, a 1935 Douglas DC-3, a 1937 Grumman G-21 Goose, a 1947 de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, and the famous 1947 Hughes H-4 Hercules Spruce Goose. Some of these (like the Jenny and Spirit of St. Louis) were featured in the 2004 release, while others are making their flight simulator debut with this latest version. 

Aside from the new aircraft, Microsoft’s scenery brought an entirely new dimension to flight simming, including simulating the topography of the entire Earth using data from Bing Maps. Microsoft Azure’s artificial intelligence (AI) generates three-dimensional representations of Earth’s features, using cloud computing to render and enhance visuals. Combining these visual tools sets this software far ahead of its previous iterations.

Sharpening Virtual Flying Skills

When Microsoft and Asobo released the 2020 version of Flight Simulator, it provided some much-needed engagement for real-world pilots grounded at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The software’s advanced scenery and aerodynamic modeling allowed many frustrated aviators to practice their flying skills. Whether or not the flight time is loggable is another discussion. Either way, they could practice pilotage, instrument scanning, and radio navigation.

While flight simulators are not helpful for ground operations, like parking or taxiing an airplane, some flight training academies encourage pilots to improve their skills through home-based flight simulators. An example is a Melbourne, Australia-based flight school that has developed online training modules and recommends supplemental practice via Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

While there is no way to replace real turbulence and its bumps, skips, and jolts—and landing in a tabletop simulator does not provide the same depth perception as real-world pattern work—there are benefits to using the program. Occasional sim time engages neurons that fire after practicing checklists, following a road via VFR [visual flight rules] navigation, or maybe shooting an instrument approach or two.  

Flight simmers can enjoy flying various aircraft, from jets to Jennys and sport aircraft to the Spruce Goose, they enjoy the immersive experience of flying virtual skies to destinations they may only dream of. 

The post Fly a DC-3, or ‘Spruce Goose’ in the New Microsoft Flight Simulator appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Those plans were unveiled at EAA AirVenture last summer, with the mission to encompass another key memorial event, the 75th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift.

• READ MORE: D-Day Squadron Plans 2024 Tour in Europe

For the joint commemorations, the organization has embraced a theme, “2024 Legacy Tour,” to bring together all elements of the planned activities up to the next crossing and on European shores, from the United Kingdom to France and Germany. The group’s announcement also coincides with the release on DVD and Blu-Ray of the film created to immortalize the 2019 mission, Into Flight Once More, produced by the D-Day Squadron and Sound Off Films. 

The film was produced by Emmy nominee Adrienne Hall in her feature documentary directorial debut, and proudly narrated by Academy Award nominee and veterans’ advocate Gary Sinise.

“In 2019, our focus was to remind people how World War II veterans more than 75 years ago fought for our freedom, liberties and served, where many lost their lives so we may live,” said Eric Zipkin, chief pilot and director of operations for the mission. “In 2024, with so few World War II veterans with us, we will recreate the journey to Europe and fly each commemoration to protect their ‘Legacy,’ to never forget what these veterans meant to each of us, and our world history.”

In fact, most veterans of both the Normandy Invasion and the Berlin Airlift still living are in their late 90s or have crossed the century mark. It is the sworn purpose of the D-Day Squadron and its associated partners to keep their memories from fading.

According to the organization, planning for the mission is well underway. “A volunteer committee of seasoned professionals is being established to help organize and manage logistics in support of another remarkable mission to honor, pay tribute, and commemorate World War II veterans.

“The D-Day Squadron is currently working with corporate and individual partners, donors, and support to bring this mission airborne,” the organization said. Those wishing to participate, if not already, are asked to contact the D-Day Squadron’s executive director, Lyndse Costabile.

A Flight Sim To Train for DC-3s

As part of the preparation that must be made to shepherd a collection of vintage aircraft over a days-long transatlantic mission, the pilots must be ready. To assist them with that cause, European Pilot Selection & Training is offering use of their Douglas DC-3 flight training device for pilots and crews to train to prepare them for all aspects of the mission. The fixed base FTD-2—crafted from an actual DC-3 cockpit and forward section—is fully approved under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for initial and recurrent training on the type. The sim gained approval in early 2018 after many years of development. It’s based at the EPST headquarters outside of Amsterdam in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Dick Verburg, of EPST, shared news of this opportunity with FLYING on Friday as well. “We have activated the Normandy airports in our DC-3 simulator. We will invite all DC-3 crews who will participate in the 80-year D-Day event in 2024 to make free use of [the sim] between now and the event date to prepare or just have a nice go at it.

“We make this offer well in advance so that all those involved who happen to come to Europe can route through Amsterdam and use the simulator any time.”

The post D-Day Squadron Details Plans for 80th Anniversary Flight To Normandy appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Known originally as Glenn H. Curtiss Airport and then as North Beach Municipal Airport, the flying field was rechristened New York Municipal Airport-LaGuardia Field on October 15, 1939 (officially becoming LaGuardia Airport in June 1947). The prewar ceremony marked the culmination of a $20 million improvement project. Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for the event, including an enthusiastic 15-year-old student from the nearby Corona section of Queens.

Harry T. Stewart, Jr. was awed by the aircraft that had flown in for the event, especially one of the Douglas DC-3 airliners of Transcontinental & Western Air (later to become Trans World Airlines, commonly referred to as TWA). The carrier touted its relationship with Charles Lindbergh by promoting itself as “The Lindbergh Line.” Harry’s ebullience in the presence of the plane was captured in a couple snapshots taken that special day.

• READ MORE: Why Are There So Few African American Air Force Pilots?

Even before the airport’s extensive makeover and renaming, Harry had often trekked to the site after school to gaze at the airplanes taking off and landing. His attraction only grew the following March with the opening of the art deco Marine Air Terminal, decorated inside by a huge mural depicting the history of flight. Stately Pan American Airways flying boats, sporting nicknames like Yankee Clipper, started flying oceanic routes to such exotic destinations as Lisbon, Portugal, and Southampton, England.

By coincidence at that time, Harry’s counselor and history teacher at Public School 16 asked him what he planned to do as an adult. “I want to be an airline pilot,” he responded with gusto. He did not understand until later why his teacher had suddenly begun to tear up.

Commercial flying jobs were then closed to African Americans, which made Harry’s aspiration untenable. His teacher tried to nudge him towards another profession. But Harry would have none of it; he held onto his dream and kept going back to the airport.

One day he crossed the perimeter fence and climbed atop a derelict airplane abandoned in the grass. A policeman caught sight of the lad and angrily called out to him. Yet, after Harry explained his love of aviation and plan for the future, the officer’s stern demeanor softened. The cop muttered, “Who can blame you?” Then the two clambered into the airplane’s cockpit and sat together, peering out on the field and contemplating the exhilaration that would surely accompany the act of flight.

• READ MORE: The Story of Jesse L. Brown: The Navy’s First African American Pilot

When war engulfed America, Harry’s chance to fly had arrived. He enlisted in the Army with the purpose of entering the all-Black flying program at Tuskegee, Alabama. The train ride south was an eye-opener for Harry, who had rarely ventured beyond the boroughs of New York.

The separate lavatories and green curtain that isolated him in the dining car were reminders of the persistent intrusions of Jim Crow in parts of American society. He briefly pondered the absurdity of seeking to fight for liberty abroad while being denied its full fruits at home.

The atmosphere at Tuskegee’s airfields was electrifying. The aircraft and the camaraderie of like-minded young men from across the country were the realization of Harry’s yearnings that had been kindled by his plane-gazing at LaGuardia. Cruising over Tuskegee’s cotton fields he tasted a measure of freedom that was all the more profound by the fact that during the Civil War his grandfather, Preston James Stewart, had been born into slavery in Alabama.

On June 27, 1944, Harry graduated in Class 44-F. In a sign of the times, the newly-commissioned 19-year-old second lieutenant had obtained neither a high school diploma nor a driver’s license. Regardless, in seven months he would be escorting American bombers and tangling with Luftwaffe fighters as a pilot with the legendary 332nd Fighter Group, the Red Tails.

The fast-maturing young man who a short time before was reading accounts of combat pilots in the pulp magazines found himself immersed in the very action of his make-believe heroes. Flying out of Ramitelli Air Base in Italy, the Tuskegee Airmen would emerge years later as leading examples of those who had pursued the Double V—the twin victories against the evils of totalitarianism overseas and racism at home. When asked retrospectively about his wartime service, he says that he and his fellow pilots were too busy in the work of their unit to know that they were making history.

• READ MORE: FLYING Classics: P-51 Mustangs Helped Win the Air During World War II

Harry’s most harrowing mission occurred near Linz, Austria on April 1, 1945. His formation of P-51 Mustangs was jumped by superior numbers of enemy fighters, leading to raging dogfights. Harry drew on his training and self-confidence, downing three long-nosed Focke-Wulf Fw 190s, the premiere German piston fighters of the war. For his bravery and skill he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, concluding his deployment with a total of 43 combat missions.

What the Tuskegee Airmen accomplished during the war undoubtedly contributed to President Truman’s decision to desegregate the armed forces in 1948. But before the executive order was implemented in the latter part of 1949, Harry along with Alva N. Temple and James H. Harvey III of the 332nd were sent to the expansive air base north of Las Vegas (now Nellis Air Force Base) to compete in the first postwar Air Force-wide gunnery meet.

Flying late-model P-47 Thunderbolts, the 332nd ’s team won first-place in the propeller division, notching yet another achievement for the all-Black fighter unit. Team members’ names were etched on a trophy that is displayed at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

• READ MORE: An Aviation Outreach to Youth Follows a Tuskegee Legacy

Harry had every intention of making a career out of the Air Force, but huge cuts to the military’s budget after the war forced him out as an active-duty pilot and into a non-flying reservist status. He eventually retired as a lieutenant colonel. Hoping his Air Force flying record might be a gamechanger, he approached TWA and Pan Am, the two airlines whose airplanes had stirred his imagination. Sadly, the carriers’ discriminatory employment policies had not yet changed.

Heartbroken, Harry took a deep breath and determined to press on despite being denied his profession of choice. He enrolled in night classes at New York University while holding down a city job, convinced that education was the answer to his future.

His wife, Delphine, the sister of a former squadron mate, always left sandwiches in the fridge for his return late at night and contributed to the household expenses with her salary as an office worker for the New York Yankees. Harry’s studies paid off. He earned a mechanical engineering degree, which opened the door to a rewarding career as an executive with Bechtel Corporation in San Francisco and ANR Pipeline Company in Detroit, where he became a vice president.

In retirement, Harry finally had the chance to go back to flying. He qualified in the motor-gilders operated by the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum in Detroit. As a pilot in the organization’s Youth Academy, he took inner-city children up for their first airplane rides, encouraging them to follow the dream of flight as he had known it growing up in proximity to LaGuardia.

In 2007, Harry was one of a handful of Tuskegee Airmen chosen by his peers to accept the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of all who were a part of the groundbreaking program. And, in recent years, the successors to the companies that had rejected his attempts to secure a flying job in the postwar era made amends. American Airlines, which acquired TWA, and Delta, which assumed major Pan Am routes, presented Harry with honorary captain’s wings.

As the 83rd anniversary of LaGuardia’s unveiling looms, air travelers dashing through the airport’s magnificent new terminals would do well to slow down and reflect on how this crossroads of the sky enriched the world when it lifted the spirits of a neighborhood kid. Now 98 years old and one of only about 6 surviving World War II combat pilots among the Tuskegee Airmen, Harry perks up when talk turns to LaGuardia and the airliners of the Golden Age that he watched soaring aloft long ago. The glint in his eye affirms that the dream of flight lives on everlastingly in his heart, ready to be embraced by today’s air-minded youth.

Philip Handleman is a longtime pilot and former owner of a private airport in southeast Michigan. He co-authored retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Harry T. Stewart, Jr.’s, memoir, titled Soaring to Glory.

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The DC-2 Started the Revolution

As recounted in Part 1, the DC-1 and DC-2 were developed after a request by Transcontinental and Western Airlines (TWA). What was then United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) was TWA’s rival in transcontinental air service, using the Boeing 247. Because Boeing (NYSE: BA) (then named United Aircraft and Transport Corporation) also owned United, TWA sought an aircraft that would allow it to compete. 

Douglas and his talented team designed and built the DC-1 in 1932-33, and TWA requested several changes that led to the DC-2. After its introduction in 1934, the DC-2 was quickly considered the best passenger aircraft in the world. Other airlines soon began lining up after TWA to place orders. Douglas was not bound by the same constraints as Boeing and could take those orders freely, assuring a healthy production run. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was the first non-U.S. carrier to order DC-2s and began operating them in the fall of 1934. 

KLM entered a DC-2 in the 1934 MacRobertson International Air Derby from London, England, to Melbourne, Australia. While it came in second place overall in speed (beaten by a specially- built de Havilland DH.88 Comet), it finished first in the handicap division, ahead of a 247D flown by American pilots Col. Roscoe Turner and Clyde “Upside-Down” Pangborn. Turner and Pangborn were no run-of-the-mill pilots—Turner was a record-breaking aviator and three-time winner of the Thompson Trophy air race, while  Pangborn and a copilot flew their airplane on the first non-stop flight across the Pacific Ocean.

Meanwhile, the KLM DC-2 flew the airline’s regular route, which was 12,300 statute miles, in 71 hours and 28 minutes at an average speed of 160 mph. In addition, it had a crew of four, three paying passengers and 420 pounds of cargo—the mail. 

The DC-2 also demonstrated that a new era in commercial aviation had begun. While European aircraft manufacturers had been focused on building better military aircraft, U.S. OEMs had improved their aircraft for commercial aviation. By the mid-1930s, hundreds of commercial airliners plied the skies, and they were faster than any aircraft in regular service with the Royal Air Force. 

• READ MORE: How the Douglas Douglas Aircraft Company Created the DC-3, Part 1

In 1935, the DC-2 became the first airplane built by Douglas Aircraft to be awarded the well-regarded Collier Trophy for outstanding achievements in flight. Douglas Aircraft built 156 DC-2s at its Santa Monica, California, facility; a total of 193 DC-2s were built. There was no question that the DC-2 was a success—and Douglas wanted to get the most from the company’s investment in R&D and tooling—but there was room for improvement.

The DC-3 Surpasses the DC-2

The immediate success of the DC-2 led C.R. Smith—the 35-year-old president of the newly formed American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL)—to Douglas Aircraft Company in 1934. The DC-3 was the result of a lengthy telephone call between Smith and Donald Douglas. Smith wanted a new aircraft; and according to the Museum of Flight, what he sought was an airplane that combined the “speed, reliability and profitability of the DC-2 with the comfort of the sleeping berth-equipped Curtiss T-32 Condor biplane.” In fact, Smith wanted two new airplanes—a longer version of the DC-2 that was capable of carrying more passengers on daytime flights, and another for overnight passengers that was outfitted with railroad-type sleeping berths.

Smith persuaded a reluctant Douglas to design a new sleeper aircraft based on the DC-2—the DC-2’s cabin was 66 inches wide, too narrow for side-by-side berths. Douglas took on the project, but only after Smith agreed that American Airlines would purchase at least 20 aircraft. 

The engineering team for the new Douglas aircraft was led by chief engineer Arthur E. Raymond; the project took less than two years – an incredibly short timeline by modern standards. Originally envisioned as a relatively simple enlargement of the DC-2, the Douglas engineers soon realized that was not really possible and that the new airplane would need to be significantly redesigned from the DC-2.

• PHOTO GALLERY: The Legendary Douglas DC-3

Among the many differences between the two aircraft, the DC-3’s fuselage was lengthened and widened with rounded sides; “its wings and tail surfaces were enlarged and strengthened, the nose section and landing gear were modified, and new, more powerful Wright [1820] engines were installed,” according to the Museum of Flight.

Therefore, although the DC-3 was superficially similar to the DC-2, it eventually shared fewer than 10 percent of its parts with the DC-2, according to the Museum of Flight. 

The prototype Douglas Sleeper Transport, or DST, first flew on December 17, 1935, (the 32nd anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ flight at Kitty Hawk) on a sunny afternoon in Santa Monica. Its cabin was 92 inches wide. To meet the American Airlines order, Douglas Aircraft manufactured the 14-passenger DST version of the DC-3 first. The first DST was accepted by American on April 29, 1936, and a total of seven DSTs were delivered to American Airlines by mid summer. 

The DST (also known as the “Sky Sleeper”) was the height of luxury for that time. Each had 14 plush seats in four main compartments that could be folded in pairs to form seven berths; seven more berths folded down from the cabin ceiling. 

The version of the new airplane (with 21 seats instead of the DST’s 14-16 sleeping berths) was given the designation DC-3. No prototype was built, and the first “day plane” DC-3 built for American Airlines followed in August 1936. 

DC-3 Commercial Transport

Capt. Walter Braznell captained the inaugural flight of the DST Flagship Illinois for American Airlines on June 26, 1936, from Chicago to Newark. The initial flights were very successful, and American built its early reputation around them.

Just a few months after American Airlines’ initial order for DC-3s, United Airlines became the second airline to commission DC-3s (in November 1936). The DC-2 had been proven more economical than the Boeing Model 247 (which United had been flying, as a subsidiary of Boeing); the airline’s executives assumed the DC-3 would continue that lead. Following the initial orders from American and United, more than 30 other airlines placed orders for DC-3s during the next two years.

KLM received its first DC-3 in 1936; it replaced a DC-2 on what was then the world’s longest scheduled route, Amsterdam via Batavia (now Jakarta, Indonesia) to Sydney, Australia. KLM purchased more than 20 DC-3s before World War II began in Europe.

The DC-3 quickly established its reputation with the various airlines, and by 1939, more than 90 percent of U.S. airline passengers were flying in either DC-2s or DC-3s. The DC-3 dominated the  pre-World War II airline industry; by the mid-1940s all but 25 of the 300 airliners operating in the U.S. were DC-3s, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

Why Was the DC-3 So Successful?

The Douglas DC-3 surpassed its competitors for many reasons. It was capable of taking off and landing on relatively short runways, was fast (a maximum cruising speed of up to 180 knots or 207 mph), had a good range (1,100 nm at 65 percent power and 142 knots), was more reliable, and carried between 14 to 32 passengers in greater comfort or a minimum of 6,000 pounds of cargo. A low-wing metal monoplane that had conventional landing gear, the DC-3 was originally powered by two Wright R-1820 Cyclone radial piston engines of between 1,000-1,200 hp. (Most DC-3s still in operation now use supercharged Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engines of up to 1,200 hp.) The airplane crossed the continental U.S. from New York to Los Angeles in 18 hours with only three stops. Before the outbreak of World War II, the DC-3 pioneered many air travel routes. 

DC-3 Specifications

Along with its other qualities, the DC-3 was an efficient airplane; as noted by the Museum of Flight, most DC-3s were operated by two-pilot crews, and joined by a flight attendant, if operated in passenger service. Different versions and engine choices were introduced by Douglas Aircraft. The airplane’s efficiency led to airline profitability, as well as to the significant growth of civil air transport in the U.S. and worldwide prior to World War II. 

The DC-3 in World War II

Production of DSTs ended in mid-1941, while civilian DC-3 production ended in early 1943. By  that time, more than 600 DC-3s had been built. However, dozens of the DSTs and DC-3s ordered by airlines that were built between 1941 and 1943 were designated for U.S. military service while they were still on the production line. In addition, many existing civilian DC-3s were converted to military use. 

But this was only the beginning. Like other manufacturers of aircraft, automobiles, and a myriad of civilian staples, Douglas Aircraft shifted to production for the U.S. and Allies’ war effort. 

The DC-3 was designated as the C-47 by the U.S. Army Air Forces, the R4D by the U.S. Navy, and the Dakota by the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom. Whatever it was called, the world’s first successful commercial airliner readily adapted to military use—it was the most widely used transport aircraft of the war. 

Roughly 10,147 C-47s, C-53s, and other variants were manufactured by Douglas for use by the Allies at its facilities in Santa Monica and Long Beach, California, and in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and encompassing models built under license to Russia (as the Li-2) and Japan (as the L2D). The C-53 version of the DC-3 was a troop carrier. Peak production of the C-47 occurred in 1944, when roughly 4,853 were delivered to the armed forces. 

For both airline and military use, the DC-3 was easy to operate and maintain, and flexible enough to use in various flight conditions and for a variety of missions. The DC-3’s wartime adaptations were both simple and effective. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the airplanes were used to “transport passengers (28), fully armed paratroopers (28), wounded troops (18 stretchers and a medical crew of three), military cargo (e.g., two light trucks), and anything else that could fit through its cargo doors and weighed not much more than three tons.” 

C-47s were modified from the original DC-3 model; among other mods, they had strengthened floors to carry cargo and they were fitted with stronger landing gear. Another key difference was the C-47’s two-part doors, designed to facilitate cargo loading. You could push a ramp up to the door and drive a jeep inside.

C-47s were also used to tow gliders and some were also converted to an efficient, high-speed glider. Those aircrafts’ engines were removed, the empty cowls were faired over, and other nonessential weight was jettisoned. As a glider, a converted C-47 could carry 40 fully armed troops at a top towing speed of 290 mph, which was 90 mph faster than any other transport glider—and 26 percent faster than its top speed as a transport airplane. Though the converted C-47 gliders saw limited use in wartime, the stock C-47s themselves were used to great effect to tow WACO CG-4A gliders to drop behind enemy lines in Europe.

Military versions of the DC-3 were known colloquially as “Skytrains” and “Skytroopers.” DC-3s were used in all of the theaters of war, including notably during Operation Overlord and other missions collectively known as “D-Day” in Normandy, France, and subsequent assaults by Allied airborne forces. In addition, DC-3s/C-47s were used to ferry provisions during the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49.

In addition to converting the DC-3 to military use, Douglas Aircraft manufactured another 20,000 warplanes (primarily the SBD Dauntless and the A-26 Invader). Military versions of the DC-3 were manufactured until the end of the war. Moreover, approximately one-sixth of the U.S. airborne fleet was built by Douglas.

After the War

The global civilian market swarmed with surplus aircraft of all types following the close of World War II. Many C-47s were converted to passenger and cargo versions. Although the DC-3/C-47 models were no longer competitive with new larger and faster turboprop transports, the type still made for a dependable workhorse worldwide. All the positive traits of the DC-3 proved adaptable and useful on less glamorous routes for both passengers and cargo.

As just one of many examples, Cubana de Aviación was the first Latin American airline to offer scheduled service from Havana to Miami with a DC-3, shortly after the war ended. In addition, the airline used DC-3s on several of its domestic routes well into the 1960s.

In 1949, a larger, more powerful Super DC-3 was launched by Douglas Aircraft and garnered positive reviews. The airplane also had greater cargo capacity, and an improved wing, but with thousands of surplus aircraft available at cheap prices, the Super DC-3 failed to sell well in the civilian aviation market. Only five Super DC-3s were delivered, three of them to Capital Airlines. 

The Super DC-3 prototype was purchased by the U.S. Navy (designated as YC-129); the Navy also had 100 R4Ds upgraded to the Super DC-3 specifications during the early 1950s. Their designation was altered to R4D-8/C-117D. Like the DC-3/C-47, the R4D-8/C-117D was incredibly durable and dependable; the last U.S. Navy C-117 was retired on July 12, 1976. The last U.S. Marine Corps C-117 lasted even longer; it was retired from active service in June 1982. Perhaps even more of a testament to the DC-3, the U.S. Forest Service utilized the aircraft for smoke jumping and general transportation; the agency’s last DC-3 was retired in December 2015.

The DC-3’s Legacy

First flown in 1935, the Douglas DC-3 became the most successful airliner in the formative years of air transportation. The DC-3 and DST made air travel in the U.S. popular because of their speed, comfort, and reliability. Eastbound transcontinental flights crossed the nation in about 15 hours with three refueling stops; westbound trips (against the prevailing winds) took about 17.5 hours. Before the DC-3, such a trip entailed numerous short hops in slower and shorter-range aircraft during the day, with train travel overnight.

Early U.S. airlines—American, United, TWA, Eastern and Delta (NYSE: DAL)—purchased more than 400 DC-3s from Douglas Aircraft. These airlines’ fleets began the modern U.S. air travel industry, and by the 1950s and 1960s had replaced trains as the preferred way to travel across the U.S. (and then the world). 

The DC-3 was very comfortable by the standards of its time. It was also very safe because of its strong, multiple-spar wing and all-metal construction. Bottom line: airlines that purchased DC-3s favored it because it was  profitable. 

The DC-3 took off easily, cruised comfortably at 145 knots at 10,000 feet, had a cruising range of 1,100 nm or more, depending on the power settings used, had a service ceiling of 26,500 feet and a clean stall speed of 68 kias. 

A common saying among pilots and aviation enthusiasts is “the only replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3.” Several aircraft companies attempted to design and build a replacement for the DC-3 for over 30 years after its introduction. However, no single airplane could match the versatility, rugged reliability, and economy of the DC-3. It remained a significant part of air transport systems well into the 1970s.

Airlines liked the DC-3 for its easy maintenance, its ability to take off and land on short runways, and its remarkable reliability. These factors combined to keep DC-3s flying in many regions of the world into the 21st century. There are still small operators using DC-3s in revenue service or as cargo aircraft. Current uses of the DC-3 include passenger service, aerial spraying, freight transport, military transport, missionary flying, skydiver shuttling, and sightseeing. 

The oldest surviving DST is the sixth Douglas Sleeper Transport built, which was manufactured in 1936. The aircraft was delivered to American Airlines on July 12, 1936. Its most recent flight was on April 25, 2021. The oldest DC-3 still flying is the original American Airlines Flagship Detroit (the 43rd aircraft off the Santa Monica production line, which was delivered on March 2, 1937). It appears at air shows around the country and is owned and operated by the Flagship Detroit Foundation.

It’s very likely that neither Donald Douglas nor any of the employees at Douglas Aircraft Company could have imagined that the DC-3 would be as successful as it was, much less that a number of DC-3s would still be in service more than 85 years after the airplane was first introduced. 

Author’s note: Among the sources of information for this article were Boeing, the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Flight, Encyclopedia Britannica, aviation.history.com, museumofflying.com, pearlharboraviationmuseum.org, and Honest Vision: The Donald Douglas Story, by Julie Boatman Filucci.

The post How the Douglas Aircraft Company Created the DC-3, Part 2 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Scroll through this gallery to see examples of the important roles these airplanes and their variants have played across aviation history.

The post Gallery: The Legendary Douglas DC-3 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.