An Old Girl gets the Salon treatment (DC-3)

[Douglas Ames]

One of the cool things about working for an Airline is coming to work and seeing a ghost from the past.

DC-3 Flagship Detroit is currently sitting in one of our hangars getting a polish job and minor maint. Check out the brake upgrade.
I'm sure it's a big improvement over the original drums.

Our Airline Museum has a DC-3 on static display in TX, Flagship Knoxville, I believe.
There's a third undergoing a slow restoration here in OK, Flagship Tulsa. That one's in pretty rough shape.

[Douglas Ames]

Another pic.

[wwwarbird]

 Very cool, keep 'em flying!

[John Park]

Immortal she flies! 

Very appropriate today (June 6th.), as C47s and RAF Dakotas were the main paratroop droppers on D-Day.  We've seen a lot of them in the air over southern England, these last couple of days.

John

[Mike Lauerman]

Proud and beautiful, that gal 'Dakota'. Thankfully, she has loving hands to massage that gorgeous body! Great to see her this D-Day!

What mfr. made the disc brake retros?

[Will Hinton]

Hey Doug, is there a chance you would know the location of an American Airlines Ford Tri-motor?  When I worked at the Syracuse airport one came in and taxied to the terminal - I "stole" the fuel truck and motored over there!
It had been discovered in Central America with a family living in it!  AA set them up in a house and trucked that rascal out.  They restored it and when it came into Syracuse it was on a promotional tour.  That was in 1963.
I got away with doing the refuel and darned if it didn't look like a football field up on that wing!!!
I've often wondered whatever happened to it, maybe you can find out.  Anyway, thanks for the pics of the wonderfully shiny gooney bird!  Brings back memeories, for sure.

[Jim Dincau]

Here it is

http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19740489000

[Will Hinton]

Oh wow, Jim, thanks!!  The pilot and stewardess both said the thing even had a stove pipe sticking out through the side when they found it!  I had all but forgotten that experience.  It probably should have been the highlight of my aviation career!

[John Rist]

The DC-3 is dear to my heart.  My first flight in an airplane was a DC-3 from Montgomery Alabama to Huntsville Alabama,  It was 1953 at age 13!  

[John Stiles]

The DC-3 is dear to my heart.  My first flight in an airplane was a DC-3 from Montgomery Alabama to Huntsville Alabama,  It was 1953 at age 13!  

Yep, I've flown on DC-3s twice in my lifetime, and both times was a hoot for sure! I don't think there's a roller-coaster in the world that can match the thrill!

[55chevr]

I had the good fortune to parachute from a C47 ... 1966 ... thought for sure I would hit the tail going out ...

[Clancy Arnold]

While in the US Air Force, 1953 - 1957, I made several hops in C-47's and C-119's.

My standard procedure in C-47's was take of my parachute and use it as a pillow and go to sleep while the pilot's stated the engines.

My standard procedure in C-119's was check that parachute straps are tight and get the seat on the left side, I am Left Handed, of the aircraft next to the door.
Clancy

[55chevr]

Clancy,

I also experienced parachuting from C119-s .... I guess I should add that all my parachute jumps were planned events

[Lester Nicholson]

Spent a week one afternoon sitting on the wings of Bell Telephones DC3 in Killeen Texas filling it with gas. It holds a lot of gas. Nick

[Will Hinton]

Carrier Corporation in Syracuse had a DC-3 when I worked up there, those cold winter days on the wing were anything but pleasent, especially when pumping 60 weight oil in the beast.  You almost had to use sizzors to cut the oil off when it was full!