Planes to mark (DC-3) anniversary with flyover

Planes to mark anniversary with flyover

11:56 PM PST on Thursday, December 15, 2005

By JERRY SOIFER / The Press-Enterprise

CORONA - As part of ceremonies commemorating the 70th anniversary of the first flight of the DC-3 airliner, a formation of five or six of the planes will fly over Corona Municipal Airport Saturday about 12:30 p.m.

The formation will include the DC-3 named "Rose" that is based at Corona Airport and is owned by John Pappas of Mission Viejo. The military version of the DC-3, known as the C-47, will also be part of the formation.

The formation will fly on to Santa Monica Airport where a groundbreaking ceremony will be held for DC3 Monument Park. The DC-3 made its first flight on Dec. 17, 1935, from the Santa Monica Airport, then known as Clover Field. The formation will take off from Van Nuys Airport and fly over airports in Burbank, El Monte, Pomona, Chino, John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Torrance and Santa Monica.

David Douglas, owner of Douglas Aircraft that developed the DC-3, witnessed the first flight that coincided with the 32nd anniversary of the first powered flight by the Wright Brothers. "The DC-3 was the first airliner able to make money commercially," said Pappas. "It was the first one the government did not have to subsidize."

(snip)

Reach Jerry Soifer at jsoifer@pe.com or (951) 893-2112

Online at: http://www.pe.com/localnews/corona/stories/PE_News_Local_D_dc316.1d3730a9.html

It was the first to be designed in detail to incorporate the best of existing technology, and is the basis of every transport airplane built since. It's one of those things that's so good that you can't improve upon it without creating something entirely different.

I understand that there's one still in service with Cape Cod Airlines that sets a new mileage record with every flight! :toast: