Editing Douglas DC-3 (section)

=== DC-3 in the 21st century===
[[File:DC-3 in SoAfrica.jpg|thumb|[[Rovos Air]] C-47A operating in South Africa, 2006]]
[[File:RNZAF C-47 Dakota, 2010.jpg|thumb|DC-3 flown as a [[warbird]], previously flew for the [[Royal New Zealand Air Force]] and New Zealand's [[National Airways Corporation (New Zealand)|National Airways Corporation]].]]
Perhaps unique among prewar aircraft, the DC-3 continues to fly in active commercial and military service as of 2021, eighty-six years after the type's first flight in 1935, although the number is dwindling due to expensive maintenance and a lack of spare parts.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021|reason=The original version of this unsourced claim was made in the 5 May 2017 edit; although the AS OF date has since been updated a couple of times, there is no cited source for any date.}} There are small operators with DC-3s in revenue service and as [[cargo airline|cargo aircraft]]. Applications of the DC-3 have included passenger service, aerial spraying, freight transport, military transport, missionary flying, [[skydiving|skydiver]] shuttling and sightseeing. There have been a very large number of civil and military operators of the DC-3/C-47 and related types, which would have made it impracticable to provide a comprehensive listing of all operators.

A common saying among aviation enthusiasts and pilots is "the only replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3".<ref>Holden 1991, p. 145</ref><ref>{{cite news|last= Glancey|first=Jonathan|title=The Douglas DC-3: Still Revolutionary in its 70s|date=October 10, 2013|publisher=BBC|url= http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131009-dc3-still-flying-at-70|access-date= January 21, 2017}}</ref>
Its ability to use grass or dirt runways makes it popular in developing countries or remote areas, where runways may be unpaved.<ref>{{cite news|title=Colombia's Workhorse, the DC-3 airplane |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/colombias-workhorse-the-dc-3-airplane/2012/03/09/gIQA8yN36R_gallery.html#photo=1 |access-date=March 15, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.buffaloairways.com/index.php?page=douglas-dc-3 |title=Douglas DC-3 |website=[[Buffalo Airways]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118181052/http://www.buffaloairways.com/index.php?page=douglas-dc-3 |archive-date=January 18, 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 1, 2021}}{{cbignore|bot=InternetArchiveBot}}</ref>

The oldest surviving DST is N133D, the sixth Douglas Sleeper Transport built, manufactured in 1936. This aircraft was delivered to [[American Airlines]] on 12 July 1936 as NC16005. In 2011 it was at Shell Creek Airport, [[Punta Gorda, Florida]].<ref>
{{cite web|last=Moss|first=Frank|title=World's Oldest DC-3|publisher=douglasdc3.com|url=http://www.douglasdc3.com/olddc3/olddc3.htm|access-date= August 9, 2011}}</ref> It has been repaired and has been flying again, with a recent flight on 25 April 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sunshine Skies|url=https://www.facebook.com/sunshineskiesdc3/posts/507107916018608 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/419623481433719/507107916018608 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|access-date=2020-06-23|website=www.facebook.com|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=N133D Flight Tracking and History|url=http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N133D|access-date=2020-06-23|website=FlightAware|language=en}}</ref> The oldest DC-3 still flying is the original American Airlines ''Flagship Detroit'' (c/n 1920, the 43rd aircraft off the Santa Monica production line, delivered on 2 March 1937),<ref>Pearcy 1987 p. 22</ref> which appears at airshows around the United States and is owned and operated by the Flagship Detroit Foundation.<ref name="DC-3."/>

The base price of a new DC-3 in 1936 was around $60,000–$80,000, and by 1960 used aircraft were available for $75,000.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110430163718/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1960/1960%20-%202684.html "The de Havilland Aircraft Co. Ltd"]. ''[[Flight International|Flight]]'', November 18, 1960, p. 798. Retrieved January 1, 2021.</ref> In 2023, flying DC-3s can be bought from $400,000-$700,000.

As of 2024, the Basler BT-67 with additions to handle cold weather and snow runways are used in Antarctica including regularly landing at the South Pole during the austral summer.