DC-3 – “the greatest airplane of its time” – is an aircraft that changed history. It was the plane that made air travel popular. Besides civil aviation, its military versions (called C-47 and Dakota) played a major role in the Second World War. During the war, the aircraft served the Allies in a variety of roles, transporting troops and freight, carrying paratroops, and evacuating wounded soldiers.
The DC-3 planes were also manufactured under license in the Soviet Union and Japan. Altogether, over 16,000 aircraft were manufactured, making the DC-3 by far the most produced aircraft type in the history of air travel.
After World War II, thousands of C-47s were converted to civilian airline use.
The cruising speed of the DC-3 (180 knots; 207 mph; 333 km/h) made it possible to fly from Los Angeles to New York in about 15 hours with three refueling stops. It revolutionized travel permanently in many ways.
The DC-3 can still be seen flying. About 150 of these birds fly on a regular basis. Though none of them are in regular passenger operation, they are used for charter and museum flights.
One of these planes is located in Finland. She is nicknamed “Hotel” and nowadays also often called the “Old Lady”. It is operated by the DC-Association – a Finnish association that any flight enthusiast can join and thus support.
OH-LCH was manufactured in Santa Monica and supposed to start flying for Pan Am in 1942. Because of the war, the plane was flown to Mobile Air Depot in Alabama and became a U.S. Air Corps plane. She started service in the North Atlantic Wing of the U.S. Air Transport Command in 1943. Six months later, the aircraft was transferred to the European Wing of ATC.
In 1948, she was selected by Finnish officials to become an airliner for Aero O/Y (predecessor of the national carrier Finnair). The plane was handed over to the Finnish Government and flown to Helsinki the same day.
OH-LCH did Finnair’s last scheduled DC-3 passenger flight on April 1st, 1967, but was used as a freighter and occasionally for charters until 1969. In 1970, she was sold to the Air Force and used for paratroop training, carrying cargo, personnel, and some “special duties” until the 1980s.
Today, OH-LCH is operated by the DC-Association. The maintenance crew take meticulous care of the plane, and during the summer, it is possible to take one of the many charter or sightseeing flights with this DC-3 from the plane’s base at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. At the end of each flying season, the plane is flown to Vaasa airport (EFVA), where it rests and is maintained during the winter months.
In July 2022, I had a chance to experience a flight in OH-LCH as a passenger. The route was from Nummela (EFNU) to Oripää (EFOP), a transfer flight between two air shows. There were about 15 passengers, 2 pilots, and 1 stewardess onboard.
The experience began at the apron while observing the Old Lady’s arrival. The sounds of the two Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engines are from another world compared to those of modern jet engines. It is a sound that is very hard not to fall in love with.
When the DC-3 is on the ground, there is a steep climb to your seat because it is a “taildragger”. The sitting angle – facing the sky even before being airborne – creates a really unique feeling and sensation of gravity.
Both Nummela and Oripää airfieds are very small. The airfields are from the same era as the Old Lady herself, early 1940s. The two airfields seldom see other than light plane and glider activity. Having lived close to one of the airports for a long period of my life, it was a remarkable experience to witness an antique commercial aircraft, with such a rich historical legacy, take off and fly from such a field.
By the way, the captain of our flight that day, Miikka, is a professional Airbus A350 pilot. But even the best pilots need hobbies, too.
Long live the marvelous DC-3!
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