Like no Other By Peter Layne
Very few aircraft can claim to have changed the course of history. The Douglas DC-3 is one of them. And with summer here this is your chance to sample a little of that history as Air Chathams’ venerable DC-3 – rescued by founder Craig Emeny and known to her friends as ZK-AWP – once again takes to the skies over Tauranga.
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The Douglas DC-3 first appeared prior to World War II and it was instrumental in opening up international and long-haul flights. Its range and passenger and cargo carrying capability were unrivalled, and for a whole generation the DC-3 was their introduction to air travel. With the outbreak of war in 1939 however, the DC-3 found a new military role – and it was one it excelled at: in C-47 guise the aircraft was an essential part of the Allies return to Europe, dropping paratroops behind enemy lines on D-Day, and in 1948-49 it helped feed an entire city, carrying food and fuel during the Berlin Airlift. Production ceased in 1946, but the DC-3 just kept on keeping on, continuing in military roles in Asia and around the world, as well as in civil aviation and as a workhorse for industry. DC-3s are still flying today, and not many other aircraft can boast active service stretching back to the 1930s.
