The story of The Spirit of Douglas
Donald Wills Douglas was the man who made aviation bigger, faster and safer. On 17 December 1935, Douglas gave the world the DC-3 – an aircraft that transformed commercial aviation and made air travel part of everyday life.
Douglas wasn’t simply building aircraft, he was reimagining what was possible in the skies. His designs carried presidents, pioneers and ordinary people across continents, creating new connections between nations and cultures.
Today, his legacy lives on not just in history books, but in the design and ambition of every modern airliner. And in the Spirit of Douglas, that vision still soars.
History carried in her wings
The Spirit of Douglas you see today has her story written into her fuselage. Since the aircraft first took the skies in 1942, she has carried passengers and freight across borders, oceans and decades. She has flown through wartime and peacetime, through the grind of daily service and the pride of preservation.
Every rivet holds memory and every flight log marks a moment in history. Restoring her was about more than mechanics. It was about honouring the journeys she has already made and preparing her to take on one more: a mission to reconnect with her own past while inspiring the future.
A legacy in every rivet
