I am one of those automotive aficionados who get fascinated by things that just not move on four wheels but also fly. Recently, I was invited to experience something exactly on those lines. One of the iconic airplanes in aviation history, a 77-year-old small yet mighty Douglas DC-3 had landed in India and I was to come on board for a short flight. The only time I got to see a DC-3 was at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit a few years ago and so, getting to fly in one surely had me spellbound!
DC-3 is to aviation what Jeep is to automobiles. A rugged airplane that was first produced in 1935 was an instant hit thanks to its low fuel consumption and a fairly long range of its time. The aircraft was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which built many civil and military carriers like the DC-7 Seven Seas and the long-range DC-8 quad-engine jet in 1958. Some of these old fogies are still flying!
DC-3s were produced as civilian aircraft but had multiple Defence versions, especially for the US military. The military models carried nicknames such as the Douglas C-47 Skytrain and the Douglas Dakota. In World War II, it is said that demand for the Skytrain was so high that the aircraft was produced at the rate of one per hour! The twin-engine aircraft played a leading role in troop transport, particularly in its ‘Dakota’ version. Nicknamed ‘the Normandy landings plane’, it enjoyed its moment of fame in June 1944 by towing countless gliders and dropping thousands of paratroopers on Normandy coasts. The DC-3 airframe that I was on board started life in 1940 with American Airlines, and in 1942 was assigned duty with the US military where it transported troops from Canada to various European destinations. It is said, the aircraft played a role in hunting down German U-boats in the North Atlantic too! Also, out of the handful of DC-3s in flying condition today, this airframe is among the very few 'civilian' models ever made. Douglas made around 250 in this configuration. Nevertheless, production of the DC-3 (C-47 Skytrain) and other military versions ceased in 1942, and of the civilian version in 1945.
In 2008, Breitling, the popular watchmaker that in the past supplied gauges to some of these aircraft, came together with a group of enthusiasts to revive the 1940's DC-3. Aviation enthusiast and bush-pilot Francisco Agullo bought the plane and flew it to Opa Locka in Florida, where it received a major overhaul with Breitling's assistance. The aircraft was then taken to its new home in Switzerland. Called Breitling DC-3A (the A is for having a passenger door on the right), this aircraft has been participating in a number of air shows in Europe as well as in events organised by the brand since 2009. Operated by the Super Constellation Flyers Association based in Switzerland, it accommodates around 30 passengers in its non-pressurised cabin and is equipped for flying under instrument flight rules (IFR). The crew consists of two pilots – owner Agullo and his friend Michael Prophet – and a flight attendant. The aircraft’s cruising speed is 250 kph (130 knots) and can land on most airfields with a hard or grass runway at least 1,100 metres (3,610 ft) long.
