Somewhere in the lore
I recall a remark ~ "the DC-3 may have been the most nearly perfect execution of an aircraft design goal"
(One could add, "with available techno.. unexciting but reliable, predictable, able to fly with many parts with holes in them, survive hellish weather" yada) And IIRC - they were the heroes of the Burma run in WW-II; over mountains, lousy fields, overloaded etc. I guess Berlin airlift was the biggest project (?)
But no stereo headphones or A/C :(
Possibly related, and I've mentioned it before: the ex-Russ pilot who defected by driving his Fulcrum / MIG-29 to Turkey.. in an exciting night takeoff -- dragging the starter unit behind him until the cable broke off!
He laid out a similar design philosophy for USSR fighters: no fancy schmancy techno-rebuild of 8? hours for every flight hour; movable intake filters so you could land / take off at rotten dusty fields. This while being capable of virtually hovering, like our cranky special-purpose thingies.
(Think you might enjoy Fulcrum: A Top Gun Pilot's Escape from the Soviet Empire, by Alexander Zuyev 1992 Warner Books.)
Ashton
