The DC-3 is considered one of the most iconic aircraft in aviation history. [Credit: Adobe Stock]
Key Takeaways:
The author, an FAA inspector, recounts how she earned her DC-3 type rating and accumulated 25 years of experience flying the "Gooney Bird," marking its 90th anniversary.
Her training in Miami under instructor Hector Villamar included unique experiences, such as hurricane roof repairs, an encounter with "narc agents" at an abandoned airport, and memorable low-level flights.
Despite the FAA's revocation of her ratings and the DC-3's transition from a primary freighter, the author expresses deep nostalgia and affection for the aircraft and the memorable community of pilots she encountered throughout her career.
Recently, there have been emails from groups all over the country who have rescued DC-3s and, after years of work, gotten them flying. My friend Barry Schiff was bragging about being asked to fly the newly restored corporate Wrigley DC-3 to Catalina Island in California.
No freighter, that one!
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
Martha Lunken is a lifelong pilot, former FAA inspector and defrocked pilot examiner. She flies a Cessna 180 and anything with a tailwheel, from Cubs to DC-3s.
![The DC-3 is considered one of the most iconic aircraft in aviation history. [Credit: Adobe Stock]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FLY0326_3.3-Unusual-Attitudes-e1773840690827.jpeg)
