Originally Posted by
Pilot DAR
Similarly, now that I work on the Basler DC-3's, I know how much goes into their rebuild, and ongoing maintenance - it's a lot! No manufacturer of an aircraft more than a half century ago envisioned the aircraft still being in service in this era, nor did they enact a continuing airworthiness program to support such operations. Further to that, aircraft manufactured for military purposes in the WW2 years were definitely not made with decades longevity in mind!
What would be the economics of building a new fleet of C47/DC3s from scratch for GA purposes, including nostalgia displays and enthusiasts' flights? Presumably the blueprints are still available. Or would the cost of manufacturing new recip engines be too much a problem?
A few years ago in the UK a brand new 'Peppercorn' A1 steam loco was built from the original drawings (at a cost of £3m it has to be said).