DC3 Time!

[MBDiagMan]

I got a little right seat DC3 Time today. It was only about fifteen minutes on the controls. But I will never forget it. I wasn’t expecting the seat time. I was allowed to sit in the jump seat for take off. Once he climbed out and turned West over a lake that is about 35 miles long, the copilot got up and pointed at his seat since I didn’t have a headset. He climbed out and I climbed in, buckled up and put on the headset. The pilot gave me the controls and I finished the climb out while following the winding lake. At the end of it, I did a slow turn 180 and followed the lake back to the airport and descended to pattern altitude where the pilot took it back and landed.

It was not nearly as heavy on the controls as I thought it would be, but I didn’t make any hard maneuvers. It felt like I was just hanging at the windscreen since there was no nose to see.

A great day!

 

[carusoam]

Somebody has a DC3 at my home drome  lately...

It is marked on the side with something like Springbok Air...

It looks like this one... 

It is so big my wife asked ‘what’s that jet doing way down there...?’

Far enough away we couldn’t see the props... or the tail dragger’s stance.   

I’d love some right seat time...

Best regards,

-a-

[Hank]

They're still around! And not real small . . . .

[MBDiagMan]

Not a great angle, but this is the one I flew today.  It actually is a C47 that was converted to DC3 configuration after the war.  The current owner bought it and then discovered that it was involved in every parachute drop in the European theatre during the war.

[MBDiagMan]

 

This is a very touching video made in the plane that I flew.  The pilot came for a World War II glider pilot reunion and this video was created.  After the event, he was flown home and he died the next day.  It was definitely a bucket list flight.

[gsxrpilot]

That is definitely a bucket list airplane for me. Wow, what a great opportunity.

[kris_adams]

Me too!  In griffin, ga they offer a SIC that I believe includes 4 or 5 hours flying. Would be a ton of fun!

[MB65E]

You guys had a good crew for that DC3 video. 

Some of the best!! Great story!

-Matt

[Guest]

For those who watched Ice Pilots, Mikey McBryan is leading a group saving a C47 from WW II.

https://www.planesavers.com/

Clarence 

[takair]

This is going on at my home airport this week....before they launch for Normandy!

http://ddaysquadron.org/d-day-squadron-launch-week/

 

[BDPetersen]

During our DC-3 checkout (Purdue 1965) my college roommate came up with the description “Like sitting on the front porch, flying a house”.  Airplanes got bigger, but you don’t forget the first big one.

[flyboy0681]

One of the biggest thrills of my adult life took place last October when I flew for an hour on this baby.

[WilliamR]

20 hours ago, Hank said:

They're still around! And not real small . . . .

A friend of mine owns that DC-3.  He bought it from Ron Alexander.  He also owns a T-6 on the field (KFFC). 

Jim offered to fly my girlfriend to Oshkosh this year in his DC3.  Funny, he did not make the same offer to me.

[Hank]

10 minutes ago, WilliamR said:

A friend of mine owns that DC-3.  He bought it from Ron Alexander.  He also owns a T-6 on the field (KFFC). 

Jim offered to fly my girlfriend to Oshkosh this year in his DC3.  Funny, he did not make the same offer to me.

Your girlfriend must have something that you don't . . . .  

My dad used to fly in and out of the original Candler Field in the 50s. It's a cool plane. Ive ridden in the back of C117s in both jump and VIP configurations. It's a long way from modern airline transportation, even for the mid-70s when I made those trips.

[Air pirate]

Congrats MB!  The old girls are a lot of fun, been a LONG time since I had my hands on one, all these years and still have this damn stash.

 

 

 

 

[bradp]

Why is Tom Hanks flying a DC3?

[RLCarter]

On 5/14/2019 at 6:21 PM, Air pirate said:

all these years and still have this damn stash.

Had mine since the 9th grade, not sure anyone would recognize me if   I shaved it off, hell my dog barks at me if I’m not wearing a ball cap now

[carusoam]

More recent photo...

Air Pirate or Sam Elliot?   You make the call....  

-a-