It was on Dec. 17, 1935, 32 years to the day that the Wright Brothers made their historic flight that the DC-3 took flight for the first time. The maiden flight was made from Clover Field in Santa Monica, California. The Army called it the C-47 and the Navy the R4D. It was also called the Dakota and the Gooney Bird. It saw service during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Production ended in 1946 but several of them are still flying.
I used to fly in DC-3’s back in the 80’s, from Palm Beach FL to the Bahamas for antisubmarine work off Andros Island. I’ll never forget the time we were leaving Andros when our Goony Bird blew ithe crankcase oil seal on it’s port engine on takeoff - we were only about 300 feet off the water and maybe a mile past the beach at the end of the gravel airstrip.
The pilot throttled back that engine in a split second and stood the DC-3 on its dead wingtip, whipping her back over so hard were flung from our seats. If you’d stopped clutching your @$$hole long enough to look out a portside window during that 180 degree wing turn, all youd’ve seen were fish.
We crossed back over the shoreline at waters edge and that was all our flyjockey needed - he slapped that bird right down hard on the runway’s end. We barely made the tarmac markers and he rolled her to a stop in what seemed like about 10 feet. Beach crabs scuttled away in fear as we came to a halt.
When we debarked out the rear hatch, we saw the entire port engine and wing was black with oil. That Wright engine would have certainly seized into a lump of fused metal if it had run much longer. We all stood there trying to breathe, when the pilot emerged from the plane - it was the only time in my life I REALLY wanted to kiss another man.
We cheered and applauded and about knocked the stuffing out of the guy, patting him on the back. All he said was, “No problem, routine stuff. We’ll have another plane out here in a few hours and I’ll finish taking you home. Just be glad it was a DC-3, though, men. No other plane I’ve ever flown could’ve handled what just happened.”
I’ve loved the old bird ever since.
It certainly is an amazing aircraft - with an equally amazing service history.
A good mate who is a Qantas pilot told me his father has around 14,000 hours in C-47/DC-3…mostly in Papua New Guinea.
I managed to get lucky enough to crawl all over, under and inside (and take about 6 rolls of film’s worth of pictures) the old TAA DC-3 VH-AES “Hawdon” that used to hang under an arch at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport…that was restored to flying condition many years ago by Qantas mechanics…she sure is pretty.
I think it’s worth mentioning that not only are many still flying, but many, far from the life of museum pieces, are still working, I know there’s a bunch in the north still hauling freight, I’m sure there’s still many in other parts of the planet.
I totally agree - the DC-3 is a grand old girl!! I spent many hours as an electronic engineer in 50CM, which was used in atmospheric research missions by a research lab in the Pacific Northwest. Having survived 3 engine outs which had little effect on the airworthiness of the ship, I can vouch for it’s toughness. The last I heard, that ship was still hauling stuff in Alaska. It’s going to be one of my builds one of these days. Thanks, guys, for recognizing this venerable old ship! [:)]
Ken
This is definitely an old classic airplane. Although I didn’t actual fly in one I did get to “fly” one. You see my dad used to work in West Africa and we would visit him from Spain where we lived in 1975. There was an old airport in the small capital city where there were several DC-3’s parked in the hangers for maintance. My dad knew the pilots and they would let us kids play up in the cockpit. We would pretend we were flying, operating the controls. My dad, a pilot of it’s cousing, the C-486 commando, would explain how to operate the throttles and such. We sure had fun dreaming of flying. My [2c].
Neil
There’s the classic book; “The Plane That Changed the World” which is worth chasing down, by Ingalls. Dutch Kindleberger had a hand in this one, before he went to North American.
We flew over to Hawaii in DC-7s when I was a kid, every summer. One year in the '50s we flew in a DC-3 down to the Big Island, set up with side benches. It was just me, mom and dad, and a chain gang returning from road work on Oahu, in the cabin. Dad, who makes friends wherever he goes, got us to go out to the pen later that week to visit his new buddies, where we bought a ton of now valuable koa wood bowls, platters and (you will remember this from the 50"s) four foot long salad fork spoon set from the prison shop.
There’s a -3 that lives somewhere near here and gives rides. If I’m doing anything around the house and hear those twin radials, I WILL drop everything and go outside to watch her fly over, anytime.
I’ve seen them in China, Peru, Canada, Mexico, Portugal and no doubt other places I can’t remember.
As fine a craft as ever flew.
[#toast] to you Miss Dee Cee Three!!!
Gordon, thanks for post that reminder. I just finished my GB of that kit and so I posted it tonight in honor of such a great aircraft that is still flying. A tetiment to it’s great design.
Steve
I only flew in a C47 once, and it has to be the smoothest ride I was ever on. I either flew into Na Trang or Cam Rhon Bay in one that was carrying two pigs a couple dozen chickens and a cow! An altogether different ride than a C130, and a lot less scarey for someone who never been in either one before. The C121 just plain scared me to death, and vowed I’d walk before riding in another one!
gary
I remember reading that there are more than 300 of them still in service out of more than 10,000 built. Not bad for an aircraft this old.
300 still flying is more then “not bad” - it’s near phenomenal. You cant say that about Mustangs Jugs, Corsairs, Messerscmitts or most any other good design. Here we are, more than half a century after this machine was built and they are not only flyable but most are still working.
This will mark a high point in most of our lives. We are part of a true moment in time on this one.
PS I cannot say that it was the smoothest aircraft I’ve ever been in, however. Far from it, actually. But it had other virtues.
Here’s to the grand old DC-3/C-47/GooneyBird! I feel fortunate to have served in the Air Force during the last years of the recip era (late 60s, early 70s), when C-47s were still part of the active inventory.
In 1970, I was a flightline maintenance officer at Phu Cat, Vietnam. We had two squadrons of EC-47s and one all-purpose Base Flight C-47. I loved being on the flightline in the early morning hours, just before sunrise, when those World War Two-era birds were firing up their engines for the day’s missions. The sound of those big Pratt & Whitney radials coming to life at first light was music to my ears!
I remember one time when I and a master sergeant (who was a WW II veteran) stood watching a couple of C-47s as they taxied past us to the runway. I commented, “Well, I don’t suppose those old things will be around much longer.” To which the sergeant replied, “Lieutenant, I said the same thing twenty-five years ago.”
Cathay Pacific Airlines was founded on this bird. They found their origianl plane and had it restored and it is now in Hong Kong as a museum exhibit. I’ll probably be going to Hong Kong for business in the next 6 months so I’ll try to take a few snaps of it.
http://www.ruudleeuw.com/vrhdb.htm
Mike T.
A trip to Hong Kong?? Wow, can I come??