Hundreds of Douglas Dakota airliners still fly , nearly 80 years after their introduction . Canada 's Maritime Airways offers scheduled passenger flights on occasion . DC-3s opened the door to profitable coast - to - coast airline service . Nickamed ` ` ' Birds , '' the DC-3s are known for their rugged landing gear and airframes .
Hundreds of Douglas DC-3 airliners still fly , nearly 80 years after their introduction . Canada 's Buffalo Airways offers scheduled passenger flights on DC-3s . DC-3s opened the door to profitable coast-to-coast airline routes . Nickamed `` Gooney Birds , '' the DC-3s are known for their rugged landing gear and airframes .