The DC-3 is considered one of the most iconic aircraft in aviation history. [Credit: Adobe Stock]
Key Takeaways:
The article highlights the enduring legacy of DC-3 aircraft, noting recent restorations and their 90th anniversary.
The author recounts her personal journey as a "100-pound lady inspector" earning her DC-3 type rating at Opa Locka Airport in Miami.
She shares vivid anecdotes from her training, including experiences with her instructor Hector Villamar, diverse classmates, and encounters like being mistaken for a drug runner.
The author expresses a deep, lasting affection for the "Gooney Bird" and the unique community of aviators she connected with through flying DC-3s.
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!
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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)
