Dreams Air

Aurora, Oregon

Encountering this massive aircraft at Aurora State Airport was a truly awe-inspiring experience. This retired DC-3, which bravely served during WWII, has an incredible 91,000 hours of logged flight time behind it – perhaps the most airtime of any plane in history. I couldn’t believe how well kept it was, just gleaming from polish and completely free of dents or rust spots. With this beast of yesteryear in such good condition, it seemed as if takeoff could happen at any second. I couldn’t leave this location without getting a shot that embodied the power and speed this machine’s pilots must have experienced decades ago. As I peered over the metallic shoulder of this DC-3, I was completely blown away away by the sheer magnitude of its construction. I could almost feel the ground falling away as I imagined speeding towards the wispy clouds in the distance. I quickly took the shot before the cloud formations above had any chance to dissipate. It was an otherworldly moment that I’ll never forget. This image is a tribute to the heroic pilots who took on the skies, and the ingenuity that gave them the promise of safe passage.