Went out to the Museum of Mountain Flying this morning to try and get some shots of Miss Montana before she departs tomorrow for the Normandy D-Day Celebration June 6th. There will be several C-47s (DC-3s) flying as a group from Oxford Connecticut, to Goose Bay Labrador, to Narsarsuaq Greenland, to Reykjavik Iceland, to Prestwick Scotland, and and finally Duxford Air Base England prior to all participating in a formation parachute drop at Normandy!
Although Miss Montana was not built until long after D-Day she has a long history with the Johnson Flying Service in Missoula and was the aircraft that carried 15 smokejumpers to the deadly Mann Gulch Fire near Helena, MT on August 5th 1949. Shortly after the jumpers landed the fire exploded due to high winds. There was one forest ranger on the ground to meet the jumpers making a total of i6 personnel at the fire. When the fire exploded (consumed over 3,000 acres in about 10 minutes 14 of those men were killed. The story is immortalized in Norman Maclean's "Young Men and Fire" which is an amazing read. Maclean also wrote "A River Runs Through It" which was made into a beautiful movie directed by Robert Redford.
Anyway along with Miss Montana in the museum today was a second DC-3 bearing Western Airlines paint job. This was one of the very first DC-3s purchased by the airlines and was know as a Douglas Sleeper Transport - it had 7 upper and 7 lower berths plus a separate lounge! Imagine that in 1940.....
Here are some picks of these two planes, one nose to nose! Both aircraft are owned by the Museum.
Miss Montana will be joining up with the C-53 from Ohio that Laura pictured a couple of pages ago.
Went out to the Museum of Mountain Flying this morning to try and get some shots of Miss Montana before she departs tomorrow for the Normandy D-Day Celebration June 6th. There will be several C-47s (DC-3s) flying as a group from Oxford Connecticut, to Goose Bay Labrador, to Narsarsuaq Greenland, to Reykjavik Iceland, to Prestwick Scotland, and and finally Duxford Air Base England prior to all participating in a formation parachute drop at Normandy!
Although Miss Montana was not built until long after D-Day she has a long history with the Johnson Flying Service in Missoula and was the aircraft that carried 15 smokejumpers to the deadly Mann Gulch Fire near Helena, MT on August 5th 1949. Shortly after the jumpers landed the fire exploded due to high winds. There was one forest ranger on the ground to meet the jumpers making a total of i6 personnel at the fire. When the fire exploded (consumed over 3,000 acres in about 10 minutes 14 of those men were killed. The story is immortalized in Norman Maclean's "Young Men and Fire" which is an amazing read. Maclean also wrote "A River Runs Through It" which was made into a beautiful movie.
Anyway along with Miss Montana in the museum today was a second DC-3 bearing Western Airlines paint job. This was one of the very first DC-3s purchased by the airlines and was know as a Douglas Sleeper Transport - it had 7 upper and 7 lower berths plus a separate lounge! Imagine that in 1940.....
Here are some picks of these two planes, one nose to nose! Both aircraft are owned by the Museum.
Miss Montana will be joining up with the C-53 from Ohio that Laura pictured a couple of pages ago.
Went out to the Museum of Mountain Flying this morning to try and get some shots of Miss Montana before she departs tomorrow for the Normandy D-Day Celebration June 6th. There will be several C-47s (DC-3s) flying as a group from Oxford Connecticut, to Goose Bay Labrador, to Narsarsuaq Greenland, to Reykjavik Iceland, to Prestwick Scotland, and and finally Duxford Air Base England prior to all participating in a formation parachute drop at Normandy!
Although Miss Montana was not built until long after D-Day she has a long history with the Johnson Flying Service in Missoula and was the aircraft that carried 15 smokejumpers to the deadly Mann Gulch Fire near Helena, MT on August 5th 1949. Shortly after the jumpers landed the fire exploded due to high winds. There was one forest ranger on the ground to meet the jumpers making a total of i6 personnel at the fire. When the fire exploded (consumed over 3,000 acres in about 10 minutes 14 of those men were killed. The story is immortalized in Norman Maclean's "Young Men and Fire" which is an amazing read. Maclean also wrote "A River Runs Through It" which was made into a beautiful movie.
Anyway along with Miss Montana in the museum today was a second DC-3 bearing Western Airlines paint job. This was one of the very first planes sold to the airlines and was know as a Douglas Sleeper Transport and had 7 upper and 7 lower berths plus a separate lounge!
Here are some picks of these two planes, one nose to nose! Both aircraft are owned by the Museum.
Miss Montana will be joining up with the C-53 from Ohio that Laura pictured a couple of pages ago.
Went out to the Museum of Mountain Flying this morning to try and get some shots of Miss Montana before she departs tomorrow for the Normandy D-Day Celebration June 6th. There will be several C-47s (DC-3s) flying as a group from Oxford Connecticut, to Goose Bay Labrador, to Narsarsuaq Greenland, to Reykjavik, Iceland, to Prestwick Scotland, and and finally Duxford Air Base England prior to the formation parachute drop at Normandy!
Although Miss Montana was not built until long after D-Day she has a long history with the Johnson Flying Service in Missoula and was the aircraft that carried 15 smokejumpers to the deadly Mann Gulch Fire near Helena, MT on August 5th 1949. Shortly after the jumpers landed the fire exploded due to high winds. There was one forest ranger on the ground to meet the jumpers making a total of i6 personnel at the fire. When the fire exploded (consumed over 3,000 acres in about 10 minutes 14 of those men were killed. The story is immortalized in Norman Maclean's "Young Men and Fire" which is an amazing read. Maclean also wrote "A River Runs Through It" which was made into a beautiful movie.
Anyway along with Miss Montana in the museum today was a second DC-3 bearing Western Airlines paint job. This was one of the very first planes sold to the airlines and was know as a Douglas Sleeper Transport and had 7 upper and 7 lower berths.....
Here are some picks of these two planes nose to nose!
Miss Montana will be joining up with the C-53 from Ohio that Laura pictured a couple of pages ago.
Went out to the Museum of Mountain Flying this morning to try and get some shots of Miss Montana before she departs tomorrow for the Normandy D-Day Celebration June 6th. There will be several C-47s (DC-3s) flying as a group from Oxford Connecticut, to Goose Bay Labrador, to Narsarsuaq Greenland, to Reykjavik, Iceland, to Prestwick Scotland, and and finally Duxford Air Base England prior to the formation parachute drop at Normandy!
Although Miss Montana was not built until long after D-Day she has a long history with the Johnson Flying Service in Missoula and was the aircraft that carried 15 smokejumpers to the deadly Mann Gulch Fire near Helena, MT on August 5th 1949. Shortly after the jumpers landed the fire exploded due to high winds. There was one forest ranger on the ground to meet the jumpers making a total of i6 personnel at the fire. When the fire exploded (consumed over 3,000 acres in about 10 minutes 14 of those men were killed. The story is immortalized in Norman Maclean's "Young Men and Fire" which is an amazing read. Maclean also wrote "A River Runs Through It" which was made into a beautiful movie.
Anyway along with Miss Montana in the museum today was a second DC-3 bearing Western Airlines paint job. This was one of the very first planes sold to the airlines and was know as a Douglas Sleeper Transport and had 7 upper and 7 lower berths.....
Here are some picks of these two planes nose to nose!
Miss Montana will be joining up with the C-53 from Ohio that Laura pictured a couple of pages ago.
Went out to the Museum of Mountain Flying this morning to try and get some shots of Miss Montana before she departs tomorrow for the Normandy D-Day Celebration June 6th. There will be several C-47s (DC-3s) flying as a group from Oxford Connecticut, to Goose Bay Labrador, to Narsarsuaq Greenland, to Reykjavik, Iceland, to Prestwick Scotland, and and finally Duxford Air Base England prior to the formation parachute drop at Normandy!
Although Miss Montana was not built until long after D-Day she has a long history with the Johnson Flying Service in Missoula and was the aircraft that carried 15 smokejumpers to the deadly Mann Gulch Fire near Helena, MT on August 5th 1949. Shortly after the jumpers landed the fire exploded due to high winds. There was one forest ranger on the ground to meet the jumpers making a total of i6 personnel at the fire. When the fire exploded (consumed over 3,000 acres in about 10 minutes 14 of those men were killed. The story is immortalized in Norman Maclean's "Young Men and Fire" which is an amazing read. Maclean also wrote "A River Runs Through It" which was made into a beautiful movie.
Anyway along with Miss Montana in the museum today was a second DC-3 bearing Western Airlines paint job. This was one of the very first planes sold to the airlines and was know as a Douglas Sleeper Transport and had 7 upper and 7 lower berths.....
Here are some picks of these two planes nose to nose!
Miss Montana will be joining up with the C-53 from Ohio that Laura pictured a couple of pages ago.
