WIRED has an article by Jason Paur, "75th Anniversary of the Plane That Changed Everything". It's a commemoration of the first flight of the DC-3. The aircraft hit a "sweet spot" as a design, and changed how people traveled world-wide, and showed the airlines how technological improvements added to profits. Seventy-five years later, there are at least 400 still flying, and probably more that have escaped being counted. Some have been totally re-built, with the venerable radial gas engines replaced by kerosene-burning turbo-props — good to go 'til the centennial in 2035. The picture gallery is worth checking out.The DC-3 first flew Dec. 17, 1935, 32 years to the day after the Wright brothers' first flight.
The DC-3 was a simple evolutionary advance from the DC-1 and DC-2. A pair of 1,000-horsepower Pratt & Whitney engines allowed the plane to carry 21 passengers 1,480 miles at 195 mph. Within a few years airlines had bought more than 400 DC-3s. The government bought more than 10,000 of them as military transports, the C-47.
Buffalo Airlines of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, operates the last scheduled DC-3 passenger service. The company mostly hauls cargo, but there are seats available for flights between Hay River and Yellowknife if you find yourself in the neighborhood.
