Meet the "Esther Mae", Douglas DC3, 9 images

ziggy53

There was a "flyin" a few weeks ago that I attended and 32 Douglas DC3 and C47 airplanes were in attendance. (The DC3 and C47 are pretty much the same airframe but designed for different uses.) It is believed to be the largest congregation of these airplanes at a single airfield, and certainly the largest bunch since WWII.

The "belle of the ball" by far was the "Esther Mae", currently owned by DC3 Flying Circus. She was built in December, 1945, and is one of only 28 - DC3 3D airplanes ever made. She is believed to be the only flying copy that survives today.

While the owners were not allowing most people aboard, they noticed me out there 2 days in a row, loaded with equipment, and the owners allowed me a rare glimpse of the inside (spoiler alert, it is gorgeous, inside and out :thumb):



















More:

JonDraperPhoto

Wow that inside of that plane is incredible! I always wanted to be a fighter pilot.. so anything with airplanes in a picture is something i'll enjoy. These are great!

black mamba

Real good stuff here, Ziggy. I've only been up in this type plane once ( a C-47 ) . It was LOUD....being a military version may have had something to do with that. Only two planes I've had experience with were louder: A Ford Tri-motor and a B-25 Mitchell.

Tom

ziggy53

Thanks Jon. "Air&Space" has a very unique view of her (not my image):

http://media.airspacemag.com/images/DC3-Sightings-Main.jpg

Article:

ziggy53

Thanks Tom. I did get to hear her take off and it is a sweet sound. (I was positioned between the runway and a parallel taxiway at the airfield and at the point where most of the planes achieved lift.)

DaddyO

Very nice set, especially yours of the interior which is fabulous in appearance.
How cool to be there for that event.

rwells

Very nice Ziggy,

I'll agree with others ~ those interior shots are exceptionally nice

ziggy53

Thanks Michael and Randy. The pilot and stewardess outfits are supposed to be replica 1950s uniforms, so that was pretty cool too.

Dan7312

Wow, that lens you have must be something! It makes the seats in the DC3 look a lot nicer than the ones in the C47 I got carted around in 40 or so years ago:D . Really though, all great shots, esp. the interior ones, they make me feel like I am in the plane.

ziggy53

Thanks Dan.

redleash

Life-long Air Force type, I love any shot of airplanes, inside or out! The older ones are always great to see restored--full of history, they are. Fun series, Ziggy, and I agree with the others on those interior shots--superb!

Lauren

M38A1

Nice shots. Couple of things come to mind to include....

1) You were at AirVenture 2010 this year?,
2) Now I know the name of that aircraft,
3) I had no idea what the inside of one could look like. You did an amazing job of 'containing the curiosity'.

Thx!

ziggy53

redleash wrote: »

Life-long Air Force type, I love any shot of airplanes, inside or out! The older ones are always great to see restored--full of history, they are. Fun series, Ziggy, and I agree with the others on those interior shots--superb!

Lauren

Thanks Lauren.

This one has never been restored, just exquisitely maintained.

She has always been a corporate airplane and only relatively minor changes, inside and out. The largest exterior change was an engine upgrade early in her life.

See this link for more info.

ziggy53

M38A1 wrote: »

Nice shots. Couple of things come to mind to include....

1) You were at AirVenture 2010 this year?,
2) Now I know the name of that aircraft,
3) I had no idea what the inside of one could look like. You did an amazing job of 'containing the curiosity'.

Thx!

Thanls for your comments. These images were taken at "The Last Time", an event organized just for the DC3 and C47 airframes.

I feel extremely fortunate to have been allowed aboard, and I tried not to abuse the privilege. I'm extremely happy that the owners allowed me to share the images with everyone.

This is certainly not a "typical" interior. This is one of the finest examples of its time and and it is wonderful to still see a flying example.

redleash

Thanks for the info, Ziggy--fascinating stuff and a unique experience for you. I'm glad you shared!

misterb

There's more room in that than todays "modern" aircraft.

(I guess there's more room in a 1957 Caddie than a 2010 CSV-T

ziggy53

misterb wrote: »

There's more room in that than todays "modern" aircraft.

(I guess there's more room in a 1957 Caddie than a 2010 CSV-T

Thanks.

Understand that this is a "custom" interior. The versions of this craft that were for commercial transport and military transport would have been much more utilitarian and carried either more passengers or more cargo.