DC-3 Takes Flight

The Douglas DC-3 is a fixed-wing propeller-driven airliner. Its cruise speed (207 mph or 333 km/h) and range (1,500 mi or 2,400 km) revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting effect on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made.
The DC-3 was a twin-engine metal monoplane, developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version of the Douglas DC-2. It had many exceptional qualities compared to previous aircraft. It was fast, had a good range and could operate from short runways. It was reliable and easy to maintain and carried passengers in greater comfort. Before the war it pioneered many air travel routes. It was able to cross the continental United States, making transcontinental flights and worldwide flights possible, and is considered the first airliner that could make money by carrying passengers alone.
Civil DC-3 production ended in 1942 with 607 aircraft being produced. However, together with its military derivative, the C-47 Skytrain (designated the Dakota in British Royal Air Force (RAF) service), and with Russian- and Japanese-built versions, over 16,000 were built. Following the Second World War, the airliner market was flooded with surplus C-47s and other ex-military transport aircraft, and Douglas' attempts to produce an upgraded DC-3 were a failure due to cost.
While the DC-3 was soon made redundant on main routes by more advanced types such as the Douglas DC-6 and Lockheed Constellation, the design continued to prove exceptionally adaptable and useful. Large numbers continue to see service in a wide variety of niche roles well into the 21st century. In 2013 it was estimated that approximately 2,000 DC-3s and military derivatives were still flying, a testament to the durability of the design.

[@luizcarlos6814]

Good old Douglas. I was a flight mechanic on these planes for 7 years (1967 to 1974). I flew a lot on the Amazon, when the forest dominated everything. Slopes of land with 800 meters and high temperatures. The sound of these R-1830 engines is music to my ears.

[@deanmerculief2966]

I remember flying from St. PAUL Island to Anchorage, Alaska in a DC-3 what a trip that was.

[@aerorobnz]

The most elegant commercial aircraft that ever flew.

[@paulkoch9871]

If I could own any aircraft for my personal use,... it would be a DC-3. The most beautiful aircraft ever built!!!

[@gustavochaves6004]

You can own an aircraft for your personal use, if you are american there are planes for 20,000 $

[@kevin-parratt-artist]

Beautiful ☆☆☆☆☆ My days as a cadet in R.A.A.F. Air Training Corps.. my first flight ever was in a DC3 .. I can remember the vibration and sound ... it just made me want to fly forever. Just as kittens love the purring of their mother, the confidence one felt as those engines mumbled through the air is something special. (.. although I never thought of myself as a kitten.)

[@phensriwood8081]

My experience too. Sale air base.

[@rumpstatefiasco]

My skin shivers and my heart soars like a hawk at this sight and sound. I have to wonder about those, so unlike us, those who do not thrill to this magnificent bird…where is their soul, what happened to it, have they even got one?

[@SBrown-ov9lz]

I grew up on Cape Cod, now 67 years old, I remember the PBA DC3's coming and going from Hyannis. I never knew just how big the DC3 was until one decked out in original Army Air Force military restoration landed on the short grassy runway at Marston Mills, Osterville, Ma. some 15 years ago. Same landing area for Marine Air Force One Helicopter for John F. Kennedy's trips to and from the White House to Hyannis Port, 1961-1963.

[@comanchevoter2308]

My first flight on a DC 3 was in January 1962. It was a Lake Central Airlines flight from Chicago to Bloomington Indiana (with stops along the way). I'm a airplane loving guy and so I was excited to have my first DC-3 ride. As the airplane climbed out of either O'Hare or Midway (I forget which) the ashtray in the siide of the plane (I was in a window seat) fell out in my lap. Made one wonder just how tired that old bird was.

[@topturretgunner]

Your essay above spot on. I've known the blessing of flying a DC-3 round trip from Tampa FL to Marathon in the Florida Keys in the mid 70's. Operated by a regional carrier it was a treat for this baby boomer who grew up with the sounds of radial aircraft engines emanating from Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton Ohio. Those were the seeds planted of a life long love affair both with civil and military aviation of a past era. Thank you for sharing this great video.

[@VickersV]

Jesus that was so cool, wow.

[@johnrideout7124]

The sound of those Pratt and Whitneys, are all the back-ground music we need, a'int that right boys?

[@diamondtran8331]

Beautiful bird that'll live forever!

[@LTMCMedia]

that pan american dc3 is something else man

[@hansandriesse6181]

i flew in a DC3 several times in Dutch Nieuw guinea in 1960

[@claireparr4489]

The most beautiful aircraft ever built and this is a great film. I believe the Thunderbird Dak went to a new owner in Brazil recently.

[@k3D4rsi554maq]

A really neat aeroplane.

[@douglasruss2889]

Could you imagine flying a night 'Spooky' mission in one of these over the 'Hi Chi Minh Trail' !!!!

[@topturretgunner]

My those Pratt & Whitney’s can be sleepy old girls when being coaxed to wake up. Once awake however, it’s off we go! WOW 🤩. That DC-3 is such a pretty lady.

[@FlavioSpirit]

Boa noite meu Amigo !!!! Lindos demais. Que barulho fantástico. Já não se fazem mais Aviões como antigamente. Só saudades...... Muito obrigado pelo vídeo e parabéns pelo canal. Abraço do Brasil......

[@alfredomarino6214]

Hasta ahora me gustan mucho rstos aviones el Douglas D C 3 son muy buenos

[@claudiogarcia8860]

¡How beautiful airplane!

[@jorgecorrea1419]

Fui testigo de verlo aterrizar en tan solo 89 mtrs de pista en una competencia entre piloto y copiloto.

[@ahmadtheaviationlover1937]

There’s music in every direction and the music I’m talking about is the sound of old radial engines

[@vicentedorileobarrosbass7037]

Amo os DC 3

[@henriquepinos]

Bom avião , DC6 DAKOTA .Um avião velho , que está sempre novo ..Obrigado por esta reportagem . ADOREI

[@bobdocteurvelo7535]

une beauté évidente, un son à pleurer, c'est l'avion parfait !

[@badguy1481]

Never mentioned in many histories; The DC-3 (C-47) was INSTRUMENTAL in the Vietnam War....as an AC-47 Gunship, an EC-47 Electronic Warfare aircraft and an RC-47 "Bullsh-t Bomber".

[@jorgecorrea1419]

Tambien porque nos recuerda al mas amoroso de los delfines, es modesto y tierno, humilde

[@jaksicrajko5898]

BRAVO

[@juanasanelli6831]

Nunca habra un avion tan duradero y tan maniobrable como el DC3 ...

[@virgiliosedlacekfilhogilao3990]

um video absolutamente belíssimo !.feito para quem gosta da aviação e em especial do veterano e sempre novíssimo DOUGLAS DC3

[@jerryj5606]

Timeless design 👍

[@luischaves5128]

Que precioso ver estos aviones y saber que siguen siendo fascinantes maquinas hetmoso

[@silviodaluz6074]

Espetacular. mais. bonitos. que. os. jatos. apesar. de. mais. simples

[@locnguyenhoang8645]

I love the DC3! These aircrafts are very reliable although very old. I had more than 5000 hours on them without any serious accidents!

[@travelinben1966]

I want one.

[@gokhangokturk7162]

Thıs is legendary TÜRKİYR

[@jorgecorrea1419]

El gordito mas hermoso de la historia.

[@rigobertogoycochea8893]

Una espléndida aeronave este Douglas DC 3 y hasta el Dakota DC 10 otro bello ejemplar muy estables y seguros ambos. Con su ángulo de ataque de más de 15 grados podía despegar y aterrizar holgadamente en una pista de 150 metros y sostenerse en el aire con un solo motor y aterrizar aún con el tren de aterrizaje contraído. Si señor toda una bella máquina voladora.

[@debabratasinha214]

ডাকোটা উড়জাহাজ দেখলে ছোট বেলার কথা মনে পরে যায়।

[@charlescasey9799]

Great old planes flew in navy r4d many times with vr24cod

[@vicentedorileobarrosbass7037]

Quantos km faz por hora?

[@rileysteve]

Reading your description of the DC-3's performance you have listed a CRUISE speed of 207MPH. That is not normal! (Hyper-3 specs.?) With any kind of a load (and 1830's on the wings) you are looking at more like 180MPH for the cruise. And a bit less for better range! Just 'sayin.

[@antoniopeixotto5998]

Ehhhhh saudades

[@jorgecorrea1419]

El piloto se llamaba Giovani Paredes en San Vicente del Caguan, año 1970.

[@danielg.vgremio83]

🥇🎖🏅

[@gretchenchadwick8343]

My special needs son really likes classic airplanes ✈🛬🛫🛩 like that one and he is glad that many are still in use today.

[@fight2flyphoto]

Wonderful! Old airplanes are the best. I used to be a special needs teacher for 10 years. :-) Has he had an opportunity to go see some up close?

[@gretchenchadwick8343]

@@fight2flyphoto No not really but thank you for your reply we are glad you agree God bless you 🙏✡🤴✝️🔥🥀🕊🐑🐏😇👼🛡🗡🦅 John 3:16

[@rodrigomiranda4771]

DC3 acion.muy seguro y desde la.2da guerra mundial

[@jackriley5974]

The best inflight coffee I ever had was on a NASA C-47 out of Wallops Island back in '62.

[@RandomDudeOne]

Why did it fly by with only one wheel down at 6:02?

[@fight2flyphoto]

Oh, you mean the flamingo pass? Lol. There was a minor issue with hydraulic pressure to suck the gear up. This was the first time it had flown in several years.

[@user-te2xh3dk4v]

ملك المملكه العربيه السعوديه الملك عبدالله

[@lumanisscribe9102]

I had the incredible privilege of signing up for a flight on this exact airplane this past May 19, 2018, the 22nd Annual Paine Field Aviation Day. I spent 1/4 of the flight on the jump seat in the cockpit, at the invitation of the pilots, "Skip" and ?. What an extraordinary experience :). We flew from Paine Field to Boeing Field, did a low pass the entire length of the runway, for the Museum of Flight, I imagine, and then returned over Lake Washington to Paine Field. The DC3 is not pressurized, so the pilots fly "with the window open", quite an interesting experience, but exactly like driving your car with the window down! They flew the whole flight with the pilot's window open. This specific DC3, per the pilot, was built in 1943 for the ATC for delivering freight over the "Burma Hump" in WW2 from India to China, a very very dangerous route. More pilots were lost to the Burma Hump than in any other activity in WW2. After the war, it spent part of its life as an executive plane for Johnson & Johnson, and to this day, is plushly outfitted with executive seating that rotate 360 each! You can swivel around and chat with the people behind you! All in all, an experience of a lifetime. Thanks to the HFF for preserving these magnificent legends!!!

[@donivarma]

The classic sound of the Pratt & Whitney Piston engines gives me goose bumps.

[@billace90]

The venerable DC-3. A timeless beauty of an aircraft. To very few, remembrance of the times of Pierce Arrows and fedoras. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

[@luizcarlos6814]

I once boarded such a plane while he taxied. Madness of youth.

[@TheInquisitiveCat]

Love to see the DC-3 running high on its main gear - classic photo!

[@sobelou]

Awesome video!! And thanks for letting the sound of the Pratts to be the only music!!

[@garymorris1856]

I agree, it is a beautiful aircraft.

[@diamondtran8331]

Truly a timeless beauty!

[@pelle571]

the most beautiful bird .. I love her soo.. that sound .. am addicted to it

[@donivarma]

Superb. Have always been a fan of the DC 3.

[@discerningmind]

I watched this twice! Beautifully done video.

[@vidribbin]

amazing tracking

[@mr.thickey1820]

"Ach du lieber, mein schatz"! I never appreciated what a really beautiful plane the DC-3 was!!! I always wondered why its wing was so big or wide in proportion to its fuselage while so many of our more "modern" jet planes have such narrow wings!

[@d.howerton9273]

Nice video. Thanks for sharing it.

[@thegeek3348]

Just found out I get to take a flight on this bird soon. So excited.

[@alexmesser8271]

the legend

[@Grossman2868]

Some great video!1 She appears to be an original DC3 by the looks of her exhaust stacks. Ours (Flagship Texas) has the same stubby exhausts as she didn't have the indentations on the nacelles that the later 3's and C 47's had because they were originally outfitted with Wright motors. Great to see this old gal still flying, have an idea what the serial number was on her. Not a sister ship to ours because the passenger door is on the wrong side! AA always had them on the right side, rather than the left as they fire up the port engine first and they didn't want to blow the passengers away.

[@cjjr1996]

N877MG is a converted C-47B and is the only remaining airworthy CNAC aircraft(CNAC #100) in the world. The S/N that is registered with the FAA is wrong 4193, due to a mix up in Hong Kong. 4193 is the line number. The actual S/N is 20806.

[@luizcarlos6814]

We in Brazilian Air Force used to start the right engine first. The pilot does not see the right motor. He could hear the noise of the engine in the starting.

[@muckiderhase157]

In Upper-Volta (that was the country's name when I lived there), the "air force" had two of them, but they preferred to use turbo-prop engined transporters because the fuel for the piston engines was too expensive... A place where collectors could go shopping!

[@c.hollis848]

5:24 - "whooooo"

He is a legend or she?

[@MM-zl2go]

❤️

[@jhonymarioshow7592]

Masih di produksikah...???

[@johnosbourn4312]

The Imortal Gooney Bird.

[@bobdocteurvelo7535]

si quelqu'un peut m'expliquer pourquoi j'aime autant cet avion ? pas possible, j'ai été conçu dans un DC 3 ou quoi ? et ce son ! terrible !

[@jorgecorrea1419]

Porque es gordito, aterriza en cualquier parte, carga ganado, cerdos, pasajeros, tropa. En en que vole, tenia en los lados como un corral de guadua, fue el avion de nuestra infancia y porque es eterno, ademas de lo tipico de su latido motor.

[@smug8567]

A lady flying the DC-3 has to be hot no matter what.