1937 DC-3 Flagship Detroit
The 1937 DC-3 Flagship Detroit is undergoing maintenance at my place of employment so it will be ready for the summer season of airshows and touring the country . It is owned & operated by the Flagship Detroit Foundation.
Most of the maintenance is done by volunteers here in Tulsa, Oklahoma . It is the oldest flying DC-3 in the world.
A few years ago I was given the chance to fly it for a few minutes, (under the watchful eye of one of the foundation's highly experienced pilots) as a thank you for helping work on it. That is an experience I'll never forget and always be grateful for.
I thought I'd post a few photos here in case there might be someone interested in old airplanes.
The hail dents on top of the fuselage are an interesting detail that modelers might be interested in incorporating in to their models. I don't recall ever seeing that on a built model.
The Gooney Bird holds a special place in my memories and heart. When I was between 3-4 we were stationed at Bentwaters AFB in England and my dad took me to the skeet range with him. In the clubhouse, someone dropped burning cigar ash directly into my eye, and I had to be airlifted in a Gooney to a hospital elsewhere. I only have a vague recollection of the trip, but it still resides deep in my memory!
Wow , Greg @gkittinger, that’s quite a memory of the Dakota ! That must of been very painful !
@ssgt - don't really have memory of the pain, just the context! That's one nice thing about the human brain/body I suppose!
Very cool - I love Gooney Birds. Got my first airplane ride in one back in the '50s.
DC-3 is an exciting airplane to fly on when your used to more modern jet air travel . DC-3 flights are an adventure, Chas @chasbunch
What an amazing adventure, Jay @ssgt
It must have been amazing to fly such a classic aircraft.
Even working on it must already be fantastic.
It is quite an experience to fly on a Dc-3 and also work on one. It’s very different the a modern jetliner in every regard, John @johnb… it is hard to work on an airplane with a sloping floor.
Fantastic memories, Jay! You are too lucky!
Thanks for sharing these wonderful pics!
Thanks Spiros @fiveten and Clint @curtisshawk… I hope the pictures prove useful to someone’s model endeavors.
Great photos! Thanks for sharing them . We can never have too many references photos. The hail dents are a neat detail I would expect to find on a lot of cold climate airplanes too.
That's a great article, Jay @ssgt! 👏 Cool photos too! 👍Thanks for those!
My very first airplane ride was on a regional Texas airline's DC3 back in February of 1966. My family was bound for Geelong, Australia and that flight from Austin to Dallas' Love Field was the first leg of that long trip. I remember that it was loud and small, and seemed to fly with a few degrees of starboard "list" for most of the flight. It was quite a change when we boarded a 707 in Dallas, headed west to LA! 😁
DC-3 to a 707 is quite a step up , Gary @garybrantley ! I wish I could have had that experience. Would be almost impossible to get 707 ride today, but there’s still a few DC-3/C-47s flying around . I’m glad you liked the photos, thanks for the comments, I appreciate it.
Great read Jay @ssgt! I have never flown in a DC-3/C-47 but I have done a walk around quite a few times in my years of aviation. Back in the 80's in EWR we used to have one or two park on the ramp of West Park next to the planes I was assigned to work on. Sometimes a Connie would be next to them. We enjoy listening to the engines start, taxi and take off. Sometimes they would fly over us after take-off and we were able to see the blue flames coming out of its exhaust. They usually would take off around 6 am, looked great in the darker skies. Ten years later, Continental Airlines had one flying around the states and would end up at EWR, sometimes in Hangar 54.
I love the old radial engine start up sounds too, Bob, @v1pro ! All that smoke ! Beautiful music . That Constellation must have been nice to watch in person.
About thirty years ago there was a Convair 340 that flew over the house every evening about 6pm as it left Tulsa going Northeast. I guess it was a cargo plane. I’d go outside if I was home and wait for it to go over.
I wish it was more common to see them.