Posted on 10/25/2023 1:10:43 PM PDT by Red Badger
The Douglas Commercial 3 (DC-3) was one of the most mass-produced, well-engineered aircraft in history. Built to last, to land anywhere and never to break, Douglas churned out more than 11,000 of the type before and during World War II. But how many of these 80-year-old aircraft are still flying today?
The 80-year old aircraft that will never die For an aircraft that was built before the Second World War, you’d be forgiven for assuming most would have been retired by now. So, imagine our surprise when we discovered one had suffered a runway excursion in Colombia in August 2020. Out of interest, we thought we’d take a look at how many DC-3 are still accounted for right now.
According to information kindly shared by Michael Prophet and compiled by Coert Munk for the DC-3 Appreciation Society, there are an estimated 164 DC-3 in all variants flying on a regular basis. This includes military variants (the C-47 and Dakota) as well as those in commercial operation.
Michael notes that none are in regular passenger operation, although some are used for charter/enthusiast flights from time to time. Judging by the fact the Aliansa aircraft had 13 passengers on board, it seems some are perhaps used for special charters in this developing country too.
The bulk of the operational DC-3 fleet is in North America. 89 registrations are thought to be active in the US, with a further 19 in Canada. Australia is home to six of the type, while South Africa has around 16 registered as active. The UK has just three.
Some of the bigger fleets are found in developing countries, however. Colombia, home to Aliansa, has 17 registered models (16 active). Thailand is a hot spot too, with seven confirmed in existence. Elsewhere, Bolivia, China, France, India, Mauritania and New Zealand have between one and three aircraft a piece.
The ruggedness and bulletproof reliability of the DC-3 has made it strangely relevant to today’s missions, despite its 80-plus years of age. It can land on grass and dirt runways with ease, and requires a surprisingly conservative runway length, making it popular in developing countries.
Some have even been converted to turboprops, using the Rolls-Royce Dart engine or the Pratt & Whitney PT6A powerplant. Munk's research suggests that around 33% of the DC-3s had turboprop engines. Others are kept flying through salvaged spare parts and new old stock. The over-engineered nature of the DC-3 means many of the spare parts manufactured for it in the ’30s were never used, so there’s a surprising stock still around.
Munk also notes that a number of DC-3s have been refurbished in recent times. In 2020, around seven were believed to be undergoing preparations to fly again.
VIDEO AT LINK..............
The most popular pre-war plane In its heyday, the Douglas Commercial 3 (DC-3) was flown by a range of interesting airlines. Air France, Swissair, and Aer Lingus were some major European customers, but the real home of the DC-3 was in the United States.
The aircraft was operated by all manner of US airlines, some of whom are still with us today, others who succumbed to consolidation following deregulation of the industry. Notable operators included Delta Air Lines, Braniff Airways, Hawaiian Air Lines, Eastern Air Lines, Pan Am, and of course, United.
American Airlines was instrumental in the development of the DC-3, and along with TWA, Delta and United, it ordered an entire fleet of the type. The aircraft married reliability with comfort and performance, and quickly became the go-to model for long-distance flying.
Douglas DC-3 Aircraft fleets expanded significantly in the 1930s and 1940s. Photo: Getty Images It truly proved its worth during World War II, when it was the most widely used military transport, flying as the C-47 for the US Army Air Corps. It also found a place with the US Navy as the R4D, as well as the Marine Corps and Royal Air Force as the Dakota. So prevalent was the DC-3, President Dwight Ike Eisenhower named it one of the four most important things that won the war.
In 2019, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, a mass take-off of 35 DC-3s was orchestrated from Duxford Aerodrome in the UK to Normandy. It was the largest assembly of the Douglas aircraft since WWII and something that must have been breathtaking to see.
Have you ever seen a DC-3 in action? Ever had the pleasure to fly in one? Let us know in the comments.
There was an air freight company operating out of Ryan Field west of Tucson that flew four or five of them until the early 2000s. Mostly servicing smaller towns in northern Sonora and the border area in Arizona and New Mexico. The company is gone, but there is still one of their C-47s flying out of Ryan (dont know if its cargo or just for fun now)
I think it was the Navy that called them the Gooney Bird,
after the Albatrosses of Midway Island.
My time in one was a domestic flight in Honduras in the 1980s.
So long ago I’ll get many things wrong. 1968. High school senior. Won an essay contest sponsored by MN Dept Aviation(?) A couple dozen(?) students from around the state ferried to Mpls-St. Paul for a long weekend - we were supposedly chosen because of our potential for aviation careers (me = future aeronautical engineer - nope, went biomedicine /biophysics)
Picked up on ‘da Range at KEVM in a Beech Baron. Flown to MSP. Housed in college dormitories. Crash tours of schools, airports, control towers, RATC centers, maintenance facilities, etc. (got 2nd seat time in a B-58!)
Taken to St. Paul airport STP for an airborne lunch in N Central Airlines executive DC-3. Engine problem after takeoff so finished lunch at an angle in a hanger.
Loved these aircraft since then, especially the gunships. Probably as exciting - for my age - as eventually being type certified in my Cessns 340.
“Here’s looking at you, kid.”
https://www.impulsivewanderlust.com/the-story-behind-normans-cay-fyre-festival/
How about the funnel urinals?😎
Ping
Yes.
“I think it was the Navy that called them the Gooney Bird,
after the Albatrosses of Midway Island.”
Thank you, I wasn’t sure of the source, but my Dad talked about hopping across the Atlantic in a Gooney Bird when he got stationed in England while in the air Force. Pit stop was Keflavik air base Iceland.
I was but a wee lad during WW2 and was fascinated with airplanes. Got to where I could tell the planes apart by their sound. Still can. Nothing like those reciprocating engines to stir something primitive in a man!
Flew in a DC-3 from Saigon to DaNang in 1969. Right through a monsoon. It was the most hellish ride I have ever taken. Later at a bar in DaNang the pilots were seated and I asked if that sort of flying was common in Vietnam. The co-pilot responded, “You see where Jack headed once we got into clear air, didn’t you?” He was referring to the fact that Jack unstrapped and headed for the toilet at the rear of the plane. The two had a good laugh. Me, I figured one more flight like that one and my wife could cash my ‘deceased’ check. My last fligt on a DC-3 was from Rangoon to Inle, Burma, in 1984. The plane was built, according to info posted on the doorframe in 1936. It had to be one of the first of its kind and probably served in the China-Burma theater in World War II.
The storied Consolidated PBY amphibian of WWII used the same engine.
My Dad piloted PBYs in the SW Pacific and after the war, DC-3s for Hawaiian Airlines. We moved to Rhode Island, where he worked for Douglas Aircraft as technical representative for AD-1, AD-4, DC-8, and finally, DC-10. Boeing took over production until my Dad’s retirement—living to 97.
For the ones flying, getting maintenance and parts must be a headache. (Especially for the P&W R-1830 engines)
Seats on earlier aircraft were made of rattan or wicker.
Air America?........
DC-3s and others have been restored near Hialeah, Florida. The site is a retired Coast Guard base at Allapattah.
Websites might be found by googling “Corrosion Corner”, referring to the collection of C-46s, DC-3s, DC-7s among many others, undergoing restoration.
There’s a WWII C47 still taking people up for rides out of Republic Airport in Farmingdale LI. My wife freaked at my idea of taking Junior up in an “antique”. I mean really freaked. About 350.00 a pop.
A CD is available with the sounds of many RADIAL engines. You don’t have to turn it up!
I bought one for my Dad, who commented at a start-up “Give it more magneto”.
(Something to that effect, anyway).
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