Together We Fly: Voices from the DC-3 (eBook)

A MAN, A VISION, AND A TEAM created an airplane that changedthe world in profound ways. Together We Fly: Voices From The DC-3 isa fitting tribute to capture the far-reaching impact that has madethis plane so special for 75 years. But could this plane also be ananchor in a young man's life? I can certainly say it was an anchorin mine. While growing up in Southern California, the DC-3 created a bond for me with my father. It also inspired me to pursuea career in the industry that Donald Douglas made so romantic. My father, Jack, served in the Army Air Corps as a pilot. Heflew many great planes during his time in the service. He soloedin a Ryan PT-22, getting his multi-engine rating in a Cessna T-50'Bamboo Bomber' and eventually flying the C-47/DC-3 in the AirTransport Command. He had his heart set on flying a Douglas-built plane when he was still attending Bell High School in thesuburbs of Los Angeles. His high school sweetheart, eventually hiswife and my mother, said that was all he talked about. In his civilian life he continued to fly. He owned a little Cessna140A that kept alive his addiction to being in the sky. Family outings were to airshows and aviation events. While most kids hadother interests, Dad helped his boys build model airplanes of alltypes. During those building sessions, he told us many storiesabout aviation history or specifically about the plane being builtat the time. Each plane was unique but none had the place in mydad's heart like the C-47/DC-3. He would talk constantly about the DC-3's performance. Theability pilots had to land it practically anywhere. The incredible payload it could hold. The structural integrity and clean lines ofthe Douglas design really captured him. He would say, 'If it fit, itwent.' With his wry Irish grin he would also tell the stories thatmade you laugh. 'You know with a little rudder input you can create a rolling affect that made everyone in the back sick.' Even today, next to his reading chair is a model of the legendary DC-3. By the early 1960s, the jet age had arrived with the DC-8 entering into service. On summer days I would occasionally go towork with my dad. His dental practice was next to the Long BeachAirport. Driving to work, he took Lakewood Boulevard that ranright through the center of the Douglas plant in Long Beach. I wasalways in awe at this enormous plant. DC-8s, DC-9s, and peopleeverywhere. The Douglas globe at the entrance of the headquarters building and the spectacular neon sign on the DC-8 hangar:'Fly DC Jets.' The plant radiated an allure that attracted peopleon many levels. The coup de grace sealing my fate was a specialSaturday morning adventure around 1964. We went as a family toLAX in our Sunday best. The occasion was a 'flight to nowhere.'This was a chance to take a 30-minute flight in a United DC-8,which Douglas arranged in order to get people comfortable withjet travel. I was in grade school at the time. Having only flownfor many hours in the Cessna 140A, this was a big-time thrill.Addictions come in many forms and this was to become mine. Ireally wanted to be a part of Douglas. I got my chance while attending college in Long Beach. Douglashired me, and over the next 21 years I learned what made Douglasproducts so special. Working in the engineering department withso many of the Douglas pioneers, I got to be a part of somethingvery special. The Douglas team was truly a family. Not only because of the many generations...