Aviation’s Defining Moments: Revisiting December 17’s Legacy

December 17 should be a day of celebration, and some might argue that’s thanks to those involved in the aviation world. Many historic milestones were reached on this day, starting with the Wright brothers’ first successful powered flight.

Orville and Wilbur Wright, bicycle mechanics from Ohio, had been experimenting with kites and then gliders for years. On December 17, 1903, the propellers on the Wright Flyer turned, powered by a 4-cycle 12 hp engine, and the aircraft took off from a track and flew for “12 seconds that changed the world.”

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where the brothers made that first flight, is now a national park and a visit there is often on the bucket list for many aviators. Make sure you get a selfie in front of the stone monolith.

The Flyer Evolves

The Wright Flyer—the original and subsequent versions—was little more than a person-sized kite constructed of wood, wire, and fabric. The engine applied to the aircraft was a technological advancement at the time. Keep in mind the automobile was also in its infancy, so the aircraft would have to evolve into something more practical to be accepted by the general population.

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The Wright brothers knew this, and they continued to make modifications to the Wright Flyer design in the name of practicality. The Wright Flyer II and Wright Flyer III would be the result and, according to historians, they were more controllable and stable than the prototype Wright Flyer.

Early airplane flights were much like hot-air balloon flights, where you launched and landed where you landed. There wasn’t much in the way of navigation. This changed in 1905 with the Wright Flyer III, when Wilbur made a 24-mile circuit launching from Huffman Prairie outside of Dayton, Ohio. The flight took approximately 39 minutes and, in the process, demonstrated that aviation did have a practical application for travel.

Douglas DST Flight Anniversary

Speaking of travel, it was on December 17, 1935, that the Douglas DST made its first flight from Clover Field in Santa Monica, California—the airport that is now known as Santa Monica Airport (KSMO).

DST stands for Douglas Sleeper Transport and, as the name implies, it was designed for long-range travel, specifically overnight flights. The aircraft was equipped with 14 long berths and dressing rooms for sleeping passengers. The design later evolved into the DC-3, which could accommodate 21 passengers. 

In those days, air travel was glamorous, and it was not uncommon for people to dress up for the trip. While the term “jet set” was still several decades away, it was understood that people who traveled by air were important and most likely wealthy. It was not uncommon for newspaper reporters to meet the aircraft when it landed looking for famous people who might be on board to write about.

This unpressurized aircraft established many airline routes, some of which still exist. Because it was unpressurized, the stewardesses (as they were known then) greeted passengers by handing them a pack of gum with the instructions to chew a piece during the flight to prevent painful ear block.

The DC-3 remains in use, a testament to the versatility and resilience of the airframe. 

There are DC-3s with glass panels, or at the least Garmin GPS, and a few C-47s (a military variant) that still have the classic round dial with the basic attitude indicator that shows a stylized white airplane over the black background. Even the airplanes with hybrid panels of both round dial and modern radios and GPS still have the throttle, prop, and mixture knobs in the original configuration.

As someone who has flown a DC-3, I will say this is an airplane you feel in every sense of the word, from the rumble of the engines to the hefty yoke in your hands and rudder pedals beneath your feet. When you begin your multiengine training, no matter what you’re flying, you are warned not to skip leg day at the gym because multiengine aircraft require a lot of rudder.

When it comes to flying a DC-3, I will caution: Don’t skip the gym at all. In addition to rudders requiring a firm touch, the yoke is significantly heavier than the light twins pilots train in.

However, flying a DC-3 is an experience that you won’t want to miss.

Another Notable Anniversary

If you are a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), Wednesday’s your time to celebrate. The Wright brothers are credited with creating the concept of experimental aviation that would lead to the creation of the EAA some 50 years later.

World War II was over, and the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War had just been signed in July, so aluminum that had been in short supply because of military needs was available to civilians again. That’s when different experimental airplane designs began to appear, and the EAA, as we know it, was officially founded in January of 1953.