The first time we flew into Mingan, before the road was extended there from Sept-Iles, we used a DC-3/C47 that had been a mining-company corporate aircraft. The whole interior was pure 1948 wood design, right down to the radios built into some of the consoles.
Of course it's been nearly twice as long now as the time between when the aircraft was modified for private use and when I flew on it...
BEAUABRE- I well recall the Lockheed Connies at Idlewild airport when I was a kid as well as the DC-6s? that flew for Pan-American Grace airlines, AKA Panagra. They were gold with a blue window stripe. Beautiful aircraft, they were. I also remember when Eastern? airlines stopped flying the Connies from New York to Chicago and the ads in magazines that said, "Kiss Connie Goodbye." I really don't recall if it was Eastern but I do recall those ads.
Biplane airliners? Just to keep it in railroad interest, it features the Flying Scotsman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6CeQiXHlAU
Anyone notice how those biplane airliners look like converted World War One bombers?
On the other hand those flying boats look cool!
The airline that flew the Ford Trimotor flew from Port Clinton, Ohio out to Put-In-Bay, where the Perry Monument stands. It's sorta the Ohio version of Mackinac Island, with less charm and more drunks.
Even in jet days, Douglass (and McDonnell Douglass) was known for designing the most overbuilt airliners. Check out the video of the United DC10 cartwheeling at Sioux City, Iowa and you'll get some idea of it. Many people walked away from that crash because of the structural integrity of the fuselage.
AFAIK TWA never did a shuttle. It was all Eastern airlines. EAL started out with a hodge podge with Martain 404s and DC-6s as many extra sections. It quickly settled on Connies as prime sections and Connies soon became extra sections as well. Electras next became prime with Connies all extras as DC-6s and Martains were retired.
Only 2 Electra crashes in cruise were due to gyroscopic precession. The 3rd was EAL in BOS that was a take off accident reason cannot remember. For you airplane types remember lift on a wing is from the top wing that has airflow faster to give lift. The Electra got most of its lift from the prop wash over the wings. Minimun control speed with all engines operating was about 93 knots. If 2 engines on one side were dead the minimum control speed went to about 145 knots. It was a handful in that case as you had to keep the dead wing up. Do not turn into the dead engine(s)
Competition for the Eastern Shuttle was provided by Northeast Airlines using Vicounts, smaller than Electras, but more economicasl to operate -and quieter inside.
DC-3/C-47 were great planes, amazing how many lasted for decades and decades. My late brother-in-law, Ray Mabrey, owned a C-47 back in the 1970's-80's. It was used in airshows with the old Confederate (now "Commemorative") Air Force, usually in re-creating a parachute drop.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51412332/star-tribune/
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