Posted on 10/25/2023 1:10:43 PM PDT by Red Badger
My very first flight was in a North Central Airlines DC-3 from Truax Field in Madison, Wisconsin to O’Hare Airport in Chicago, back in 1959.
I will always remember climbing the stairs, only to walk uphill to my seat!
Hardly a year goes by that I don’t ride in a gooney bird to get to a dive spot on some remote island. I think most of them now are running Polish-made (ore remanufactured) engines.
One of the most cool flights I took was on the MSF-3 C-47 frp, El Toro to Fallon. 1966 or so.
Piloted by one of the few remaining original WWII enlisted pilots.
I was reading The Mote in God’s Eye for the first time on that flight, so that held my interest. Looking back, I’m amazed I didn’t puke like many of the other passengers, since I can get seasick on an inner tube in a swimming pool.
MSF-3 = MAG-3
! You can READ too ?!🤪
What College ?
corning
3 re being used by Missionary Flights International. Beautiful planes. Fort pierce Florida serving the Caribbean.
https://indianrivermagazine.com/flying-for-those-in-need/
Bump for the goony bird
Great thread!
I flew a commercial DC-3 from La Guardia to Martha’s Vineyard around 1984. Used to see them through to the early 90’s flying cargo out of Miami/FTL.
Love that movie. Andy Devine is great in it too.
I remember flying on US Navy DC-3s in Iceland from the US Navy installation at Reykjavík to Hofn in 1976. I was TDY there for two months working on some tropo gear at the radar site installation at Hofn. Flew over the southern coastline route to Hofn to a gravel runway.
I actually got to get in a C-46 at Taipei in the early 70s. Flew on multiple DC-3s during the late 60s and early 70s.
The PBY Catalina was one of the most beautiful airplanes of WWII in my opinion.
On the back of the rear cabin door.....tube going down to the floor.
True....IIRC, more of them produced than any other bomber.
I mentioned The Lyon Air Museum in Santa Ana, CA in a previous post. They also have a couple of C47's there too. If anyone is in that area (at the John Wayne airport) it is definitely worth the trip. It's on the other side of the runway(s) from the main terminal.
Given that 10,174 C-47’s and 607 DC-3’s were built from 1936 to the end of World War II, this sturdy (and technologically advanced for its time) plane will continue to fly for many years. Especially now with many DC-3’s getting modern cockpits and turboprop engine upgrades.
We sent the Russians the plans to make their own version of the aircraft as well. I don’t know how many they made or if there are any still flying, but I kinda doubt it...............
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisunov_Li-2
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