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The (7 decade!) history of DC-3 N28AAFormer PBA DC-3 is alive and well south of Atlanta. N28AA, serial number 2239, was formerly registered as NC25666, N25666, and N139PB. Photo by Rich Davidson. The Douglas DC-3, arguably the most important airliner of all time, revolutionized the airline industry in the late 1930s and continued flying with major trunk airlines well into the 1960s. In the '70s and '80s, DC-3s continued to fly with smaller carriers and dominated the commuter airline scene in south Florida. PBA, short for Provincetown- Boston Airline, was the most famous of those operators. (In fact, the the Sunshine Skies header photo at the top of this page is of a PBA DC-3.) One of PBA's "threes", N139PB, is alive and well in rural Williamson, Georgia, 40 miles south of Atlanta. Owned by Ron Alexander and registered as N28AA, this great aircraft continues to fly regularly from the Peach State Aerodrome. Peach State is also home of the Candler Field Museum, which plans to recreate Atlanta Airport as it appeared in the 1930s. For local history and aviation buffs, this sounds like a dream come true. DC-3s have always been a favorite here at Sunshine Skies, particularly those that flew for PBA. I'm also a big fan of "then and now" photos, so I asked Ron Alexander if he had any recent pictures of his aircraft to include here. He answered with a detailed history of his aircraft and a dozen fantastic shots that chronicle N28AA's seven amazing decades of service. Great stuff! Before we get into the history of the aircraft, here are a couple of photos courtesy of Ron Alexander...  Although several rows of seats have been removed, the passenger cabin essentially looks as it did when it was flying with PBA in the 1980s.  Now... sit back, fasten your belts, and CLICK HERE to follow this DC-3 through time... BACK TO NEWS Sunshine Skies Historic Commuter Airlines of Florida and Georgia by David P. Henderson Zeus Henderson Zeus Press dc-3 pba provincetown boston airline naples n28aa alexander aeroplane poly fiber |
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