Thursday, July 17, 2008

DC-3

Workhorse of the Skies
Sky Watch Friday

I photographed this as we traveled through. It was fun to watch even small breezes and wind shifts turn this large plane. Once a workhorse, now a weather vane. One of my favorite airplanes of all time.



DC-3 at Whitehorse Airport, Yukon Terr., Canada
Worlds Largest Weather vane
(Rain Coming from the West)




The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Because of its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II, it is generally regarded as one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made. (Follow the link to read about one of the most famous planes in history)


.....To participate in Sky Watch Friday visit Sky Watch Friday.

Troy and Martha

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

Am I first?
Am I really first?
Sure hope so ... maybe that means I'll have a special flight on that DC-# ... who knows ...

imac said...

What a great capture, certainly rough skies there and the plane, great post.


The Team thanks you for your sky post and making this new venture a great success.

Unknown said...

American DC in Canada! Look out, the Bristish are coming!! LOL

EG CameraGirl said...

The DC-3s definitely were special. I wonder if they are still flying them in South America. They flew way after the Second World War. (I once read a ton of Ernest K. Gann books. LOL)

Anonymous said...

That has to be the most unique weather vane I've seen! Fantastic sky when you photographed it!

kjpweb said...

You got to be kidding! That's a weather vane? And that plane turns into the wind? Well - this is the most interesting thing I've seen in a while! Cool!
Cheers, Klaus

Michele said...

Now that's amazing! I had to giggle as visions of this beast spinning uncontrollably in a strong gust of wind and a passerby unaware of this "Weather Vane" may fear a disastrous event had just occurred.
Great post.

Cath said...

Great shot and those clouds rumbling along behind...

Cicero Sings said...

What a neat way to display and still put to good use this treasure from the past.

Anonymous said...

Hello from Colorado. Nice picture. Love the airplane and the stormy clouds.

Anonymous said...

Very wonderful shot! I love the plane and the skies!

My SWF is posted HERE.

Hope you can drop by. Happy weekends!

Sandpiper (Lin) said...

Wow! Nice! I can almost feel the air there.

Louis la Vache said...

"Louis" likes these old planes almost as much as he likes old cars and ships!

While we're on the subject of old planes, y'all come see this TBM "Avenger".

SandyCarlson said...

That's an amazing shot. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

How hard must the wind blow to turn THAT weather vane? That's got me scratching my head.
The sky is great - I love all those ominous looking clouds.

Lilli & Nevada said...

great capture of the sky and the plane

Pat - Arkansas said...

Wonderful photo! The unwary visitor might be quite taken aback at the sight of this 'weather vane.' T'was clever of someone to think of this tribute to a workhorse aircraft. Neat Sky Watch.

Neva said...

Wow....what an awesome shot....

Sharon said...

The threatining sky give that picture so much interest! Great catch!

Louise said...

Interesting! Thanks for the education, and a very nice sky in the background!

Rune Eide said...

That was a weather vane out of the ordinary! It is nice that they take care of it, but somehow I feel tat it is too good for that job! Considering its history, it out to have been gilded.

I have never been in one, but if you have, I envy you the experience!

Tom said...

Nice to this making it onto Sky Watch...

Thank you for joining the sky watch team on their new venture… I hope you enjoy your sky watching and come back for more.

Tom

Janet said...

Interesting plane, interesting sky!

Sandy said...

Amazing, a weather vane, it doesn't seem possible. I'm not playing skywatch today, just stopped by to wish you a good one.

Doug Taron said...

Now THAT'S a weathervane!

Larry D said...

Great photo! Amazing weather vane. Happy SWF!

AphotoAday said...

Yep, the DC-3 was the best airplane ever built -- I'd rather ride in one of those (only have done it once) than any of the jet monsters we have today.

Hope you are having a great Sky Watch Friday.

By the way, Troy, my new Epson R2880 will be here next friday... Fun, fun, fun...

Best regards, Don.

Bob Johnson said...

DC-3 as a weather vane, wow, that would have been cool to watch, it's amazing what they can do with planes, who knew they could be used for weather vanes,lol.

Pappy said...

Great old airplane and nice sky background for SWF. They are still in use today in many countries.

becky aka theRAV said...

love the clouds in the background.

Catherine said...

Great sky~watch capture! Biggest weather vane I've ever seen..:)
~How bout them Cowboy's!!
Maybe you get a shot of that beautiful Texas sky through the dome of the Cowboy's stadium during your Texas travels..love my Cowboys!! :)
Happy weekend,& happy sky~watching!
Cat in Va.

Anonymous said...

What a cool photo! I love it! :)
Great capture of the plane vane, and the stormy sky behind it.

chanpheng said...

That's a great picture. I bet it flew in some pretty stormy skies, when it was still flying!

My contribution to SWF is Sunset pictures after a long day of travel to a remote district.

me ann my camera said...

A very interesting picture of this 'weather vane'!

Petunia said...

Great shot:) It looks a bit like a statue as if the plane is standing on a foundation or something:)

Petunia's SWF

storyteller said...

Ah … I love this DC3 photo against threatening skies for your Sky Watch post. I participated in Sky Watch for the 3rd time this week here with cloud views from my deck.
Hugs and blessings,

Genie said...

Wow, that's wild. I wonder how they got it so sensitive! I'll have to Google that now!