DC-3 – Her 80th Anniversary

Douglas DC-3

The “ubiquitous” Douglas DC-3, what can be said about this aircraft that has not already been said ?

17^th December 1935 was a day that made history. It was a day when the first Airliner took its maiden flight and marked the first day that enabled operators to make a profit simply by carrying nothing but passengers from one place to another.

American Airlines were the first to use the DC-3 commercially and on June 25^th 1936 the first established profit making route (New York to Chicago) was born.

With the advent of the war lots of orders came pouring in both from the military and from commercial Airliners which had Douglas producing almost 600 DC-3/C-47’s a month. Between 1935 and 1947 Douglas had built a total of 10,654 of the type and 63 years later (today) there are still almost a 1,000 in flying condition. What is more, some of these are still workhorses for Airlines and the military in various roles that one would still find hard to believe. Because of its continuing role in aviation and still competing with the modern Jet era, the DC-3 still has no true replacement and one can now assume that it is the most immortal plane of all time.

Today, the DC-3 is still finding its greatest use in specialized roles with some third world military forces and is commercially useful in some back country and bush areas particularly because of its operating costs, its ability to perform from rough fields and with its low maintenance, these are virtues to be considered ahead of the modern designs. So long as the airframes remain strong, (the DC-3 has never been faulted for its structural integrity to this day) there is no reason why this bird will not fly forever.

There’s an old saying.. “The only replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3” and as I write this today, I believe this still holds true.

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Information from: Dakota Hunter; CNN; Boeing; Douglas Corp.; WWII History on-line

Click on images to enlarge.

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Farewell Salutes –

James Bonadio – Vanderbilt, PA; US Army, Korea

Philip Chancey – WPalm Beach, FL; USMC

Jamar Hicks – Little Rock, AR; US Army, Afghanistan, Sgt., 101st A/B

William Klee – Camarillo, CA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th A/B artillery

John Lane – Chattanooga, TN; US Army, Korea, 187th RCT

Marguerite Moore – British Columbia, CAN; WREN, WWII

Ronald Smith – Tacoma, WA; USMC, MSgt. (Ret. 22 years)

Erston Toney Jr. – Gadseden, AL; US Army, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Green Beret, Bronze Stars, 4 Purple Hearts

Douglas Voyzey – AUS; Vietnam, Tpr # 2137680, KIA

George Whitcombe – Hastings, NZ; RNZ Air Force # 436711, WWII, Sgt., pilot

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