Hands down, one of the most iconic aircraft of all time is the Douglas DC-3. It revolutionized air travel by providing safety and reliability in addition to comfort. It was fast, with a cruising speed of 207 mph, and had a long range of 1,580 miles. It’s rugged construction and excellent lift allowed it to operate from short and unpaved runways. Most importantly though, it made air travel profitable to the airlines without the need for mail subsidies.

The DC-3 first entered service in 1936 and was originally designed as a sleeper version of the smaller DC-2. Douglas was originally reluctant to manufacture the larger aircraft and only did so after American Airlines promised to purchase 20 of them. The sleeper version, known as the Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST) had 14 berths, while the non-sleeper version, the DC-3 had 21 seats. They provided superior comfort compared to earlier passenger aircraft and could fly from coast to coast in 15 to 18 hours with only a handful of stops along the way. Prior to the DC-3, passengers would cross the country by air during the day and travel by train at night.

The DC-3 saw great success prior to the outbreak of World War II with 607 aircraft being built. After the outbreak of war, the DC-3 would serve the United States and her allies as the venerable C-47. The C-47, also known as the Skytrain, or Dakota by the British, had a reinforced floor and two large cargo doors in the rear. Not only did it carry cargo, but it was responsible for carrying paratroopers to their jump points, especially during the D-Day operation. A total of 16,000 C-47s were manufactured during the war.

After the war, Douglas developed the Super DC-3, though only a handful were built since many airlines opted to purchase the abundant surplus C-47s and concert them for passenger service. The aircraft saw safe and reliable service after the war, though it was soon eclipsed by larger and faster aircraft such as the DC-4, DC-6, and Lockheed Constellation. They were eventually relegated to secondary routes by the major airlines until eventually being replaced by more modern aircraft. However the DC-3 saw continued service for many years with smaller regional airlines due to their rugged construction, and abundance of spare parts.

For an aircraft that first flew 87 years ago (as of 2023) one would expect the glory days of the DC-3 to be over, but nothing could be farther from the truth. While they don’t grace the skies in the same numbers as during their heyday, there are several hundred that are still in commercial service. Most surprising is the number of DC-3s in service are actually increasing! Companies such as Basler Turbo Conversions are renown for their refurbishment and conversions of the DC-3 to turboprops, breathing new life and purpose into these legendary aircraft. This proves the old adage that the only replacement for a DC-3 is a DC-3.