When provided an opportunity to take a media ride at this year’s Vectren Dayton Air Show Presented by Kroger, I had the choice between riding in a Huey helicopter or a DC-3. For me, the choice was simple. The storied history of the DC-3 also known as the “Goony Bird” made my choice simple. This plane, manufactured by the Douglas Corporation in 1937 was the oldest of its kind currently in commission. Stepping into the Flagship Detroit was like taking a step back into the past.
Stats of the Goony Bird
Unlike the gas-guzzling airships of today, the dual prop DC-3 sips fuel from its 4-200 gallon tanks at a rate of only 100 gallons an hour. In comparison, a 757 sucks in 200 gallons an hour. Of course the trade-off is made in maximum air-speed with the DC-3’s cruising speed of about 120 knots (~150mph). The DC-3 has a range of 1,200 miles and a flight ceiling of about 10,000 feet. Often upon landing the pilots would check the gas and fill the oil as the twin-prop engines would burn away considerable oil during ignition and flight. The Flagship Detroit was held together by more than 500,000 individual shiny rivets.
Since this airship is still in active commercial and freight use today, it has acquired many nick-names including… “Three,” “Old Methuselah,” “The Placid Plodder, “The Dowager Dutchess ,” “The Flying Vagrant,” and the “Dizzy Three.” While in Vietnam , it earned the endearing name “Puff the Magic Dragon,” “Puff,” “Spooky,” and “The Dragon Ship.”
Flight Crew
The flight crew of the DC-3 consisted of a Pilot, co-Pilot and a Stewardess. During the 1930’s and early 1940’s there were some rigorous requirements for stewardess’s who flew aboard the DC-3. Each one had to have their weight proportional to their height, they had to be considerably attractive, they also had to be single as American Airlines policy at the time was to fire any stewardess on her wedding day. What American found was that their primary customers (affluent businessmen) found their flight to be much more enjoyable with stewardess’s that met these requirements.
The 1930’s Passenger
Probably the most immediate things I discovered in the DC-3 was that the seats were TINY! I could barely get my 36″ waist into it. Well, this was of course because the average passenger weight in 1935 was calculated by American to be only 135 lbs. Today by comparison, American Airlines has an average passenger weighing in at 200 lbs. The thresholds, seats and arm-rests told of a time where Americans were much smaller people.
The Flagship Detroit
The DC-3 that I was able to take a 35 minute ride on was only the 34th DC-3 ever manufactured. The airplane served a number of corporate owners before becoming a light freighter and agricultural sprayer for Dynamic Aviation in Virginia. She had a complete overhaul in 1986 when every major component was either repaired or replaced. After the acquisition of the DC-3 by the Flagship Detroit Foundation in the summer of 2004, the Detroit underwent a major inspection and had minor window and door modifications to return her to original delivered condition.
An Enjoyable Ride
It was indeed fascinating to ride aboard the Flagship Detroit as I already have a bug for everything vintage. The flight crew of the Detroit most definitely carried the same passion for history as I. Experiencing the history of flight through the lens of these pilots and their beautiful shiny plane was most definitely an opportunity of a lifetime. If you get a chance to visit or patronize the Flagship Detroit Foundation they can be found at http://flagshipdetroit.org
