[PISANO]

I flew in many a DC-3 out of Fort Meyers.

[Congressman Billybob]

Twenty-five years ago I flew on a DC-3 in passenger service, out of a coastal city in Honduras to land on a beach (not a runway) on Roatan, an island off the coast. If I had not been relatively young and stupid, I wouldn't have boarded that plane.

There was oil leaking out of the engines and running down the wings as we were taking off. The highly sloped floor was unpainted plywood. And several of the Honduran passengers were carrying life animals. I told myself, "This is a DC-3. These planes can fly anywhere, under any conditions, with any cargo." LOL.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column: "Gitmo In, GitmoOut?"

[patriciaruth]

I flew in many a DC-3 out of Fort Meyers.

My Dad flew as aircrew all over South America for Panagra (Pan American-Grace Lines) just before WWII.

I asked my brother, who is a commercial airline captain, if those planes were DC-3's, and he replied:

Yep! The venerable Gooney Bird. There are a hundred or so still flying around the Carribean. They use them like pick-up trucks. With about the same quality of maintenance.

They are not fast like a jet but they are faster than putting cargo on a boat to ship it to some small island. Most have been modified with large cargo doors. Pretty much, if you can get it in the door, the airplane will carry it.

Pilots that fly them are know as "Freight Dogs". Most of them load their own cargo. Operations are pretty loose without work rules. They operate on the fringes of the Federal Aviation Regulations.