DC-3 / PIAPIA Douglas DC 3 airplane model. Undoubtedly a classic airliner, and almost certainly as well known to travelers all over the world as to aviation enthusiasts, by the end of 1991 the Douglas DC 3 as a type, had been in service continuously for 55 years, with a safety record that has become almost legendary. Civil DC 3s delivered to US airlines before the nation became involved in World War II played a most important part in the development of reliable