by Russell Still, AutoPILOT Magazine

I have long held a fascination for the lumbering giants that helped end World War II. Their dolphin snouts and sleek curves are instantly recognizable to any pilot, although sightings are becoming a rarity. We are probably more likely to see sadly corroded examples, sitting aloft flattened tires on abandoned ramps. But on the occasions that we do see one of these airplanes in flight, we are reminded of their majesty - their grace and endurance - and their unwillingness to leave an era behind.

The Douglas DC-3 has a colorful history. Labeled the C-47 by the military, it dropped American paratroopers into France on D-Day and carried supplies over the Himalayas to the Flying Tigers in China. Postwar, the indomitable patriot hauled thousands of tons of cargo into a Soviet-besieged West Berlin. President Dwight Eisenhower would later cite the airplane as being one of the "most vital" pieces of equipment used by the Allies.

But the famous long-hauler wasn’t initially designed as a military airplane. It first entered service to the fledgling commercial airline fleet in the mid-1930s and by the end of its production run in 1944, well over 10,000 had been built. It remained the world’s premier passenger airliner into the 1950s.

While airworthy DC-3s still exist, pilots trained to fly them are becoming an increasingly scarce commodity. There are no simulators to teach the next generation of piston airline captains. If you want to try your hand in a DC-3, you have to find one and an MEI who knows how to fly it. And there are fewer, still, of those.

That’s the revelation Dan Gryder had when he acquired N143D. Dan now offers one of the country’s few DC-3 training programs. If you come in with the necessary credentials, he’ll get you a DC-3 type rating for a really reasonable price. It is quite a bargain and a lot of pilots are taking him up on it.

Gryder’s airplane was originally built in 1938. It gave many years of service as an airliner before being relegated to cargo hauling. Now, in its twilight years, it has become an elder statesman of flight. It’s sponsor, Herpa Miniature Models, has created a line of die cast copies of N143D to celebrate the historic aircraft. You can fly the airplane, and purchase a miniature facsimile for your desk to remember the event.

My introduction to the airplane began in Dan’s Training Center at the Griffin-Spalding Airport. We went over escape procedures, our individual duties as pilots, and the weight and balance. Before every flight, a computerized weight and balance is performed. The bottom line on it supplies the elevator trim that would be used on takeoff. In our case, that would be –2.7 degrees.

The preflight started in the cockpit and was extensive. As with any other aircraft, a crew familiar with the checklist could do it in short order. It took us a good ten minutes. The exterior walkaround was straightforward and without any surprises.

Back inside, we set to work with the startup checklist. Starting a Pratt and Whitney on a DC-3 is a fairly tricky maneuver, involving both pilots and all four hands. The heavy blades seem to rotate forever before a rumble and a belch of smoke announces the successful ignition. Each engine generates 1200 horsepower and guzzles avgas at a voracious rate. The airplane is always flown fully fueled.

The engines produced a satisfying, staccato growl as we taxied out to the runway. Something only a radial can do. After announcing our departure, I eased the two throttles forward and the giant began rolling. Dan had warned me about the sight picture when the tail came up, and he was absolutely correct. This wasn’t just a normal tailwheel view; it really did look like we were staring straight down into the pavement. Dan flashed a hand signal to me and I rotated the airplane into a shallow departure.