Douglas DC-3

[Hippie 64]

Hey MRC guys , I've seen the HK one and the civilian scheme is nice looking . Any chance that Freewing or FMS maybe has something in the works ?
We all love the EDFs they are working on ,saw the new one on RC Groups Alpha nice , but these big birds would be great to have .


Bryan

[doctormike]

RE: Douglas DC-3

The HK DC-3 is really nice looking, however, knowing HK as I do, I'm really hesitant about forking over $300 for it. I, also, wish FMS would produce one. The Doctor

[Grossman56]

RE: Douglas DC-3

I'm on board for that as well.  On my bucket list is to do up a DC3 in the same paint scheme as he one I helped rebuild.  She'll never fly as she's static display, but I put ten years of my life into her and would love to see her represented in the air.

Grossman56

[doctormike]

RE: Douglas DC-3

What a GREAT way to spend 10 years of your life!!! Your one lucky guy. Where is it located? Can you post photos of it? The Doctor

[Grossman56]

RE: Douglas DC-3

http://canadianflight.org/content/douglas-dc-3

Hi Doctor Mike.  Here's a link to the Canadian Museum of Flight.  I have a ton of pictures and I'll sort through them and scan a few in the next few days if you're interested.
This was the first DC3 owned by a Home Grown Airline that eventually became Canadian Airlines and was Air Canada's rival before they bought them out.  This was their first DC3.
Note, I said DC3, not dash anything.  And definitely not a C47.  She was originally Flagship Texas of American Airlines and as such, she is the only DC3 in Canada with the passenger door on the right side of the fuselage, American did this so that people wouldn't be blown by the engine on the port side firing up as they boarded.  She never had an air stair conversion and has her original door still on her.  I have the original copilots control wheel tucked away downstairs, given to me as a token of appreciation for the hard work I put in.  That plane was hand polished from stem to stern by yours truly.  The interesting thing was that when we blasted about five hundred pounds of paint off her, (they never strip paint in the commercial aviation industry it seems) there was the American Airlines Eagle etched into her metal and all the markings on the tail were clearly visible.
As you can see, I can go on for a looooonnnnngggg time about her as she means that much to me.  Broke my heart to see that they aren't keeping her up the way we (The Friends of the DC3) did.  We had this gorgeous interior that somehow got changed and shes not as pretty as she used to be.  The paint is fading and she needs someone to take on the polishing again.  It broke my heart to leave her, but airfield politics got in the way and basically priced us out.  We ended up donating her to the Canadian Museum of Flight back in 2004 I believe it was.

I'll definitely post some pictures


Grossman56

[doctormike]

RE: Douglas DC-3

WOW.... Thanks, Grossman! The Doctor

[Grossman56]

RE: Douglas DC-3

As promised, this is my DC3. There's ten years of work in that plane, from a piece of junk rescued from the bush in Terrace BC, barged down to Vancouver, trucked to Cloverdael where we started working on her at the Transportation Museum, then packed her up again (easier said than done) and moved her again to the Langley Airport where she is today.

[hr]
That's me on the outer portion of the wing and again behind the disassembled plane, getting ready to move her, again!and sadly, all thing must come to an end, this is her on our final day of owning her.  Harry and I (the other guy on the wing) did 90% of the work on this old girl.  There are parts on her from Alaska to Florida, all searched out and either purchased or donated.  That interior was completed with the addition of carpeting and seats, we started with an old hulk and there was NO interior at all, not even floorboards.  The only thing still there was the lavatory and the original galley. If you wonder if I was teary eyed when I had to give her up, the answer is '"you bet I was" I still get choked up writing this.  So you see how I would love to do up a DC3 in her colors

Grossman56

[OV10]

RE: Douglas DC-3

OK Gman, NO MORE PROCRASTINATING !!! There is no reason now not to do it. Here's a little jump start for you.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=74603 Something like starting from scratch like ya did with the real one. OR..............
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=73046 Not much to do on this but get the trim detail correct !

[doctormike]

RE: Douglas DC-3

Grossman, I'm sitting here tearing up, looking at these photos. I must be a very sick man, loving DC-3's and their history the way I do. What a Beauty!!!! The Doctor

[Grossman56]

RE: Douglas DC-3

I hear you Doc, we got so into DC3s!  I had the thrill of going to Houston where American Airlines has their museum and one of their displays was Flagship Knoxville.  She too is an original DC3 and done right back to her original colors and interior!  Just fantastic to see.  I took pictures and put them on the PC which crashed taking them with the hard drive.  Lesson learned albeit the hard way.  Anyway, the fella there was great when I told him that the group I was with owned Flagship Texas and that she was alive and well.  He let me inside her and that was a thrill!
Whats cool is that she's almost identical, still has her original non airstair door, but if memory serves, her luggage door was slightly different.  She had Wright engines on her, which was what the originals had, ours did too, but she was converted,  The easy way to tell is the short exhaust stacks as the engine nacelles don't have the well for the P&W exhausts.  You know your looking at a DC3 and not a C47 when you see that.
Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Company of San Francisco owns or at least did own when I saw it, the prototype C47 and she was very close to complete. It was Hap Arnolds personal plane during the war, although she now has an interior to rival any Provost motorhome!
And lastly, I got to see the oldest flight time DC3 at Vancouver Washington and saw the inside of her, she was still a work in progress, but they were putting her back into the air!

Grossman56

[doctormike]

RE: Douglas DC-3

Hi, Grossman.  I found an ARF DC-3. 103.9" ws. $549.00. A little rich for my blood. It's at Troybuilt models and is a real beauty. I found this site yesterday while looking for a Travelair Mystery Ship, which they also have, but on back order. Check it out! Doc

[Grossman56]

RE: Douglas DC-3

I hear you Doc, she's pretty plane, but if it comes to a choice between the wife and the plane, wife wins, she wouldn't take up as much space in the bed as that plane will!

Seriously, as much as I'd love to take on something like that,once you have it, you have to consider transporting her and having somewhere to fly something that big.  I loved that fact that they made a three piece wing, just like the real ones. I'm looking at the video and having flash backs!  There is nothing running through the wings of a DC3 (the real one) they wings are just bolted on with, god, 700-800 or so nuts and bolts, all at a height designed so that you can't stand sit or kneel while putting them in. it was an all day affair to get one wing on! each bolt from the trailing edge forward to about 3/4 of the way forward was so close to the next that you were tightening them a quarter turn at a time.  Then you get to do the top ones!!
Her's how you do it " Friends of the DC3" style.  First you get a BIG tow truck
Then you hold it in place while two erstwhile volunteers get up on that wing and start the task of bolting it onme on the left

Grossman56

[Hippie 64]

RE: Douglas DC-3

Hey Tom n Mark , any talk or chances on something along these lines in the future ?

Bryan