DC-3 Thunders Into Collegedale

Gleaming in the morning sun, the oldest still-flying DC-3 in the world threaded between the tree-topped ridges that border the Collegedale Airport and landed before a crowd of aviation enthusiasts eagerly awaiting its arrival. Swinging around to a stop with its propellers thrashing the air, this thundering machine with the insignia of American Airlines rekindled memories of the frontier days of aviation. 

Depending on how far back you dig, wasn't this the kind of aircraft you first flew on Allegheny, Mohawk, Piedmont, Capital, Eastern or one of the  other long-defunct airlines?  Or, maybe it was on survivor American Airlines which provided specifications to Douglas Aircraft and was the first airline to put the DC-3 in service back in 1936. 
 
The "Flagship Detroit" DC-3 is at Collegedale Airport through Sunday.

Chief pilot Blake Butler  and co-pilot Jim Icard, both of Shelbyville, are part of a volunteer team of six pilots who gently shepherd this iconic aircraft to waiting crowds all over the country. Questioned about his experiences, pilot Butler said  "....while I built my experience in general aviation piloting, the 14 years of flying  the DC-3 have been the most satisfying." 

On Friday, there were lines of enthusiastic passengers taking either their first flight in a DC-3 or having a reminiscence of flights 50 or 60 years in the past . Flown in the era when airlines did everything possible to make each passenger comfortable and special, it carried  21 passenger typically dressed in their Sunday's finest.  Each passenger had more room than what you get in a modern jet liner. 

Visitor Dennis Keane, who arrived Thursday from New York on a fully packed 737, exclaimed that, "With just  two seats on one side and one on the other, one of the best things about the DC3 is that there are no middle seats.". 

The Collegedale Chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association is sponsoring the airplane visit. Ground tours on the Flagship Detroit cost $5 and scenic flights over Chattanooga are $100 on Saturday and Sunday between 9 and 5.