Niswonger back in the DC-3 cockpit after 45 years thanks to Flagship Detroit Foundation
GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – After flying a Douglas DC-3 aircraft in college, one Greene County man was back in the cockpit on Saturday 45 years later. He piloted the airplane again thanks to the Flagship Detroit Foundation, a non-profit that provides education and historical preservation of the plane.
Scott Niswonger, a businessman, philanthropist and founder of the Niswonger Foundation, has flown the DC-3 before. He described Saturday’s flight as a nostalgic feeling.
“Oh man, it was just—the memories just flooded back when this was so popular,” Niswonger said. “I’ve flown this plane in the Arctic and all over back in the day.”
Photo: WJHL Photo: WJHL Pictured: Scott Niswonger Photo: WJHL Photo: WJHL
The DC-3 aircraft is part of a nationwide tour with the Flagship Detroit Foundation, a non-profit that provides education and historical preservation of the DC-3.
Niswonger said flying the aircraft was the real deal, flying thousands of feet in the air at 160 mph.
“This one is a lot of work,” he said. “There’s no boosted controls, there’s no autopilot, and you have to fly it the whole time.”
Blake Butler, a volunteer pilot for the Flagship Detroit Foundation, said flying the DC-3 shows a piece of aviation history.
“We exist to show this airplane and what commercial aviation was like in the late 1930s and early 1940s…to show the iconic role of the DC-3 and how it brought commercial aviation to what it is today,” Butler said.
There will be another event with the DC-3 aircraft in September.
To learn more about the Flagship Detroit Foundation, visit its website.
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