Dubai: Whoever said time travel was just science fiction has to take a flight onboard the Breitling DC-3 to actually experience the journey back in time — 1940 to be precise.
There are only around 150 aircraft of such vintage currently in the world and, of which, only a handful are still flying in their original state. To be on board a DC-3, which is also known as Dakota in its military avatar, is an opportunity that may be considered among the rarest of the rare.
In Dubai on a stopover enroute its record-breaking world tour, I was fortunate to be among the select few to fly on the Breitling DC-3, and experience how air travel felt like eighty years back.
Restored to its original state, albeit with a few avionics upgrades, the legendary flying machine took me on a flight of imagination, bringing me back to senses with an occasional jolt.
Unlike the modern flying experience, the DC-3 provides an unadulterated experience, sending your adrenaline rushing with every rev of the engine.
“It could be a bit bumpy and noisy at times but this gives you the real taste of flying and how it was in the early days. You can feel the engine right under your feet. You can literally feel the wind and forces of nature against you. It gives a real insight into how aviation history shaped during those early decades of the 20th century,” said Francisco Agullo, captain of Breitling DC-3, speaking to Gulf News as we boarded the flight.
The 30-minute flight, though too short to provide a proper feel, was mostly smooth considering it was on board one of the world’s oldest functional aircraft, the take-off and landing at Al Maktoum International Airport’s Jetex VIP Terminal being picture perfect.
While the first DC-3 was built in 1935, the Breitling DC-3 HB-IRJ that we were in had made its first flight in 1940 as part of an American Airlines fleet and was leased out to the US military between 1942 and 1944.
Among the earliest commercial passenger aircraft, Breitling DC-3 celebrated its 77th birthday on March 9 by embarking on a six-month long world tour, a massive undertaking for such an old aircraft.
“The tour took off from Geneva and will take the flight through 55 destinations across 28 countries, flying 42,000 kilometres across the world. This tour is a celebration of this aircraft’s contribution to commercial aviation and we want to tell the world that it was DC-3 that revolutionised passenger air transport,” said Agullo, who led the team that located this aircraft in Plattsburgh, New York, in 2008 and helped restore it.
He said that unlike many other surviving DC-3 aircraft, this one was restored to its original state with the same old engine and other parts and undergoes hundreds of hours maintenance to be flightworthy.
One of 16,000 such 24-seater aircraft built between 1935 to 1945, this DC-3 acquired by Breitling in 2008 is indeed a living piece of history, having taken part in the Second World War.
“Thousands of DC-3 or Dakotas served during World War II, with these aircraft being part of the famous Normandy airborne landings, making it one of the relics of the war,” Agullo added.
Agullo, who has been flying the DC-3 for the last 20 years, said that controlling this iconic plane is no mean feat.
“Flying a modern plane doesn’t require a lot of forces, but an old plane like this requires a lot of physical force from the pilot. Sometimes you feel the weight of the whole plane on your arms, it is like you are fighting with the airplane, particularly when the weather is windy, gusty and stormy,” said Agullo whose next destinations are Pakistan and India.
As part of the tour, Breitling has partnered with Unicef and, during the Indian and Japanese legs of its tour, poor children will have an opportunity to fly on the DC-3.
“Apart from India, we chose Japan because we wanted to give earthquake-affected children in Japan a chance to dream and what we are also doing is that for every nautical mile Breitling will donate $2 for charitable causes,” said Agullo who will captain the aircraft for 42,000 kilometres till September.
Soaring story
Length: 19.7 metres
Wingspan: 29 metres
Height: 5.2 metres
Empty weight: 8.48 tonnes
Maximum takeoff weight: 11.88 tonnes
Maximum landing weight: 11.82 tonnes
Engines: 2 x 1,200 hp Pratt and Whitney R1830-9
Propellers: Standard Hamilton variable pitch constant speed
Number of seats in the cabin: 23
Crew members: 3
Cruising speed: 250 km/h
Takeoff speed: 160 km/h
Runway length necessary (max. TOW): 1,100 metres
Ceiling: 4,800 metres
Fuel consumption: 380 litres/hour
Oil consumption: 7 litres/hour
Fuel capacity: 3,050 litres
Range: 8 hours (with no reserves)
Maiden flight of the DC-3: December 17, 1935
Maiden flight of the Breitling DC-3: March 9, 1940
Number of flight hours of the Breitling DC-3: 74,500 hours
