The DC-3 Society celebrates the Douglas DC-3's 90th anniversary with a weeklong broadcast series (Dec. 16–18, 2025) featuring panels, firsthand accounts and a private documentary screening. Highlights include Transatlantic Tuesday on long-distance crossings, a private Wings of Legacy film event and Throttle Thursday, a pilot Q&A on flying and maintaining DC-3s. Tuesday and Thursday sessions will stream via the society's Zoom and Facebook channels; two other broadcasts have been postponed to the new year.
DC-3 at 90: DC-3 Society Hosts Weeklong Broadcast Series Celebrating the 'Gooney Bird'
On December 17, 1935, the Douglas DC-3 made its first flight — a milestone anointed this year with its 90th anniversary on December 17, 2025. To mark the occasion, the DC-3 Society, an organization dedicated to preserving and celebrating the famed "Gooney Bird," is staging a weeklong series of broadcasts that bring together pilots, historians, restorers and operators who keep DC-3s flying around the world.
About the Broadcast Series
The series aims to honor the DC-3's unparalleled legacy and highlight the people and organizations who maintain these historic twin-engine taildraggers in active service. Programs include panel discussions, first-hand accounts of transoceanic flights, a documentary screening with reunion crewmembers and a pilot-focused Q&A on flying and maintaining the type in today's regulatory and technical environment.
Transatlantic Tuesday
Date & Time: Tuesday, December 16, 2 p.m. EST.
Focus: Long-distance DC-3 operations, historic ocean crossings and the crews who flew them.
Sponsor: Globalair.com
Moderator: Stephen Lashley (DC-3 Society).
Confirmed Participants: Eric Zipkin (Placid Lassie), Steve Rose (D-Day Doll), Doug Rozendaal (That's All, Brother) and Moreno Aguiari (DC-3 Society board president, former Pan Am crewmember).
Wings of Legacy — Private Film Screening
Date & Time: Wednesday, December 17, 3 p.m. EST.
Focus: Anniversary screening of the documentary Into Flight Once More, with executive producers and reunion crewmembers reflecting on the DC-3's historic maiden flight and lasting influence.
Sponsors: FunD AV Consulting, Sound Off Films, Vintage Aviation News.
Participants: Joe Anderson (former Spirit of Benovia; executive producer), Kevin Riley (flight operations/logistics), Chris Hicks (D-Day Doll), Shane Wallace (Betsy's Biscuit Bomber), Doug Rozendaal and additional guests to be announced.
Note: This event will be held on Sound Off Films' Zoom platform and is not open to the public.
Throttle Thursday
Date & Time: Thursday, December 18, 2 p.m. EST.
Focus: Pilot- and maintenance-focused Q&A on what it takes to operate and keep DC-3s airworthy in the modern aviation environment.
Sponsor: Bradley Mack Aviation.
Moderator: Julie Boatman (JulietBravoFox Media; author of Together We Fly: Voices from the DC-3).
Panelists: Members of the Spirit of Douglas "Odyssey" global flight team — Nick Cerretani, Mark Stewart and Paul Bazeley — plus Sergio Alen (Florida Air Cargo), Brooks Petitt (Vaerus Jet Sales) and Daniel Wotring (Spirit of Douglas / Aerometal International Fleet).
The DC-3 Society noted that two additional broadcasts originally scheduled for Monday and Friday have been postponed due to scheduling conflicts; revised dates will be announced in the new year.
How to Watch
The Tuesday and Thursday sessions will be hosted on the DC-3 Society's Zoom platform and livestreamed to the group's Facebook page. The Wings of Legacy screening is a private event on Sound Off Films' Zoom and will not be publicly accessible.
“With the 90th anniversary of the first flight of the Douglas Sleeper Transport—the start of the DC-3 line—we're recognizing just how relevant the airplane remains today,” said Julie Boatman. “It was the icon of innovation in its day, and the field from which it flew—Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO)—continues to reinvent itself as a hub for electric and VTOL aircraft. I just know Donald Douglas would be proud.”
For updates, participant additions and rescheduled dates, visit the DC-3 Society's website and social channels.
