They were the standard cargo hauler in the tropics where we were till the Bristol Freighters started taking their places.
The seats were narrow, hard and, according to some, "...left over from the paratroops."
The aisle was sometimes full of taro, chickens, and the people who owned them. Uncomfortable flights but ones I wouldn't have missed.
The airstrip I spent time at had two Junker bombers parked on the far edge of the field. There was a biplane disassembled and stuck between the supports of one hanger wall.
Cubs, Cessnas and Dorniers taking off and landing all the time. Not many dull moments there.
I know where there are two in rough but flyable shape right now. I'd consider buying one but for that little "150 gallons per hour" fuel burn thing. Avgas is currently floating around the $6.00 per gallon mark so it's not a cheap flyer. But wow, do they have class.
The allowable oil consumption rate of 4 gallons per hour on each engine is kind of expensive too.
There are approximately 4,500,000 reasons why they recovered Lidia from Antarctica - that's the value of a Basler BT67 conversion. A normal DC3 is worth 150-200,000 depending on condition.
The guy in the blue t-shirt with his back to the camera was killed in a DC-3 crash in Alaska in the early eighties. The guy on the ground turned away from the camera, did the stunt flying for the DC-3 crash sequence in the movie Mulholland Falls.
The airport at Cairns, Queensland, Australia has (Had?) over a dozen. QANTAS still use them on the "station runs" in The Outback. Several times during my stay I'd hear those radial engines roar as a Dakota climbed out on a run. Even the locals would stop, look up, and smile. Magical? No, not really. Mythical? That's closer to it. At any rate there would be LOTS of room on board one for Murphy and Belle.
And sadly the last DC-3 are being removed from passenger service in Europe due to not meeting safety requirements (Slides, radar, rafts, etc)...
ReplyDeleteI rode many miles on DC 3s as a kid.
ReplyDeleteThey were the standard cargo hauler in the tropics where we were till the Bristol Freighters started taking their places.
The seats were narrow, hard and, according to some, "...left
over from the paratroops."
The aisle was sometimes full of taro, chickens, and the people who owned them.
Uncomfortable flights but ones I
wouldn't have missed.
The airstrip I spent time at had two Junker bombers parked on the far edge of the field. There was a biplane disassembled and stuck
between the supports of one hanger wall.
Cubs, Cessnas and Dorniers taking off and landing all the time.
Not many dull moments there.
I wanted to be a pilot but never
did become one.
I know where there are two in rough but flyable shape right now. I'd consider buying one but for that little "150 gallons per hour" fuel burn thing. Avgas is currently floating around the $6.00 per gallon mark so it's not a cheap flyer. But wow, do they have class.
ReplyDeleteFunny. I hear Glenn Miller and The Andrews Sisters.
ReplyDeleteNot all of them are being scrapped
ReplyDeleteThe allowable oil consumption rate of 4 gallons per hour on each engine is kind of expensive too.
ReplyDeleteThere are approximately 4,500,000 reasons why they recovered Lidia from Antarctica - that's the value of a Basler BT67 conversion. A normal DC3 is worth 150-200,000 depending on condition.
Al_in_Ottawa
there's couple still running in AK as well. such a beautiful sound. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm hearing the A Bridge Too Far theme
ReplyDeleteDC-3 maintenance
ReplyDeleteThe guy in the blue t-shirt with his back to the camera was killed in a DC-3 crash in Alaska in the early eighties. The guy on the ground turned away from the camera, did the stunt flying for the DC-3 crash sequence in the movie Mulholland Falls.
The airport at Cairns, Queensland, Australia has (Had?) over a dozen.
ReplyDeleteQANTAS still use them on the "station runs" in The Outback. Several times during my stay I'd hear those radial engines roar as a Dakota climbed out on a run. Even the locals would stop, look up, and smile.
Magical? No, not really. Mythical? That's closer to it.
At any rate there would be LOTS of room on board one for Murphy and Belle.
Some are still among us:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/rbjets/7396338996/
http://capecodairfield.blogspot.com/2010/09/dc-3-dreamin.html
http://dc3training.com/2012/04/history-of-n28aa-dc-3-trainer/
The company I currently work for operated one until it crashed in 1999.
ReplyDeleteSadly, the pilot cancelled IFR to take a side trip to show the other pilot some property he was buying, and did a CFIT.