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Gladwin, owner of DesertAir Alaska, says there are more king-size beds, large freezers and other cumbersome cargo in villages throughout Alaska since he started the Anchorage-based company this spring.
DesertAir is based at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, one of the busiest cargo airports in the United States. "I don't want to do battle with the big guys, but I'll go anywhere in the state the big guys don't, won't or can't do,'' Gladwin said. He's made about 25 charter cargo flights so far this year and business has taken off better than expected, he said. Arguably the most famous, durable and beloved airplane in the history of aviation, the DC-3 is perfectly suited for Alaska, Gladwin said. The airplane can carry more than 6,500 pounds per flight and has a doorway large enough to load a jeep. The old tail-draggers, first built in 1935, can land and take off in a strip as short as 1,000 feet, although Gladwin shoots for about 2,200 feet. The DC-3 also can land and take off in a field or a beach, or can be fitted with skis or pontoons, if need be, Gladwin said. "She's a wonderful old airplane -- a pretty tough old girl,'' said Gladwin, whose airplane was built in 1942, with the military designation of C-47. The airplane is now redesignated as a DC-3C. After the war, that airplane spent years hauling cargo along the Pacific Coast and was based out of both Seattle and San Francisco, Gladwin said. "There is still nothing out there that can do what this airplane can do, and that is bringing a big load into a small strip,'' Gladwin said. "The drawback,'' Gladwin admitted, "is she's slow.'' But that's not necessarily a bad thing, as the two pilots on board cruising along at 160 mph at 2,500 feet can do some whale watching. "From a flying standpoint, looking at all the scenery is a lot of fun,'' Gladwin said. "There are pilots who have flown them, and the rest of the pilots want to fly them," Gladwin said. Gladwin worked for years in Alaska in the airline industry, mostly with Northern Air Cargo in Anchorage. A few years ago, he decided to move Outside, setting up DC-3 charter services in Salt Lake City and Columbus, Ohio. He came back because he missed Alaska and the people here. He opted to keep the name of the company, DesertAir, in Alaska because the oxymoron works in marketing the company. There are deserts in Alaska, Gladwin points out, albeit Arctic deserts. "Everybody asks about our name,'' Gladwin said. "They remember us that way.'' He's in the process of closing those Lower 48 operations, and will bring two more DC-3Cs to Anchorage beginning next year. One of the DC-3s was used by the now-defunct Reeve Aleutian Airways. Reeve's airplane dropped paratroopers on D-Day. One of the soldiers tracked the airplane and Gladwin down in Salt Lake City. "He had his jump record showing he jumped out of that very airplane,'' Gladwin said. Reeve's airplane also spent more than 20 years flying in the Aleutian Chain, known for some of the worst weather in the world -- a testament to the airplane's toughness. That would bring to five the number of DC-3s in service in Alaska. ERA Aviation has two restored DC-3s used for daily flight-seeing tours to Prince William Sound and Mount McKinley. The tours are based on a 1940s theme, complete with vintage magazines, big band music and period uniforms. Attention is paid to minutiae, said Larry Kirkwood, crew chief for ERA's DC-3s. He also will fly for DesertAir. "The hostesses even have the seam on the back of their stockings,'' Kirkwood said. Like Gladwin, Kirkwood speaks of the DC-3 with reverence. He has several hundred hours of flight time in DC-3s, also dubbed as the "Gooneybird'' by pilots of WWII. "She's a big ol' docile airplane,'' said Kirkwood. "Easy to fly.'' Kirkwood's flown several more modern airplanes over the years, and has been grounded by glitches to high-tech computerized equipment. Though the avionics are updated in the DC-3s, there is still little to go wrong. Instead of a computerized equipment for taking outside air temperatures, Kirkwood said the DC-3 pretty much has just a basic thermometer "sticking out of the roof.'' "Works fine,'' he said. Another feature Kirkwood likes are the cockpit's sliding windows, which give pilots suntanned elbows in the summer. Kirkwood relishes waving to other pilots in the air. Kirkwood, Gladwin and three other pilots will fly DesertAir's DC-3s. Two mechanics have been hired to keep them running. Northern Air Cargo is providing the ground service. More than 10,000 DC-3s and C-47s were built until production ended in 1946. Today, there are more than 1,000 still in service around the world, according to the Douglas Aircraft Co. A piece of planned obsolescence, the DC-3 is not, Gladwin said. There are literally tons of new parts still available -- everything except the original serial-number plate. The parts, compared to those of other airplanes, are inexpensive and can be shipped to Alaska in less than a day, Gladwin said. "It's like my grandmother's toaster, when it breaks I can fix it,'' Gladwin said. A complete airplane, with low hours on the twin 14-cylinder engines, fetches about $250,000 -- a bargain, Gladwin said. Kirkwood and Gladwin said DC-3s will likely fly well into this century. "I don't think there is any end in sight,'' Kirkwood said.
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