Airline Officials with Donald Shelley, Presenting the 1939 Douglas DC-3 to Henry Ford Museum, May 28, 1975

THF124046 / Airline Officials with Donald Shelley, Presenting the 1939 Douglas DC-3 to Henry Ford Museum, May 28, 1975

THF124047 / Airline Officials with Donald Shelley, Presenting the 1939 Douglas DC-3 to Henry Ford Museum, May 28, 1975 / back

Artifact Overview

North Central Airlines donated a DC-3 airplane to The Henry Ford in 1975. Built in 1939, the plane flew passengers for Eastern Airlines in its first 13 years. North Central then purchased it and used the plane in passenger service until 1965, when North Central converted it into a VIP aircraft. All told, the airplane logged nearly 85,000 flight hours.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Date Made

Subject Date

28 May 1975

Collection Title

Edison Institute Public Relations Records

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

EI.235.4

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Resin-coated paper

Technique

Chromogenic processes

Color

Multicolored

Dimensions

Height: 5 in
Width: 4 in

Keywords	United States, Michigan, Dearborn Photographic prints Photographs Airplanes Douglas DC-3 (Transport plane) Donations Museums Events (Activities) Air pilots Shelley, Donald A., 1911-2006 Dearborn Proving Ground (Dearborn, Mich.) Henry Ford (Organization). Henry Ford Museum

Related Content

1939 Douglas DC-3 Arriving at the Ford Proving Grounds near Henry Ford Museum, May 28, 1975

Set

Retiring “The Worlds High-Time Aircraft”

21 Artifacts

The Henry Ford's DC-3 flew to Dearborn under its own power, landing at Ford Motor Company's proving ground -- first developed as an airport in 1924 -- on May 28, 1975. Over its 36-year career for Eastern Airlines and North Central Airlines, the plane traveled 12 million miles and logged 84,875 flying hours, a record for a commercial aircraft at the time.