Florida -- Back To The 1940S On A Vintage Plane

Aboard a DC-3 winging its way to Key West the Andrews Sisters are crooning "Rum and Coca-Cola" over the speakers. Passengers flip through the pages of the Saturday Evening Post and Life, where ads for Cuban cigars and Studebakers scream out for their attention.

Air travel is still romantic; the world is abuzz over the progress of the World War II.

At the head of the cabin, the flight attendant alerts passengers to the news of the day: ". . . Bette Davis turns 37 today . . . Judy Garland has married Vincente Minnelli, who directed her in `Meet Me In St. Louis.' Garland was divorced last week . . . NBC is experimenting with television and hopes that eventually there will be a television in every home . .."

Back in time

It seems that you have been transported through time, back to the 1940s.

Just one hitch: This is not a dream.

From the days when Henry Flagler's railroad carried rich tourists to the Florida Keys for winter holidays, getting to Key West always has been an adventure.

Today, thanks to Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic Airlines, travelers can go back in time and fly into Key West aboard a DC-3, a plane that has been the object of a long-standing love affair with pilots since its introduction in 1935.

Indeed, traveling back in time has never been so much fun.

The pilots are decked in leather bomber jackets (for winter) and the summer khaki uniforms that now are seen only in old war movies. Flight attendants don the tailored suits and slim skirts of the era, along with white gloves. They pose with every passenger alongside the historic plane for a complimentary Polaroid photograph.

Since January, Vintage has flown from Orlando, Fla., to Key West four times a week - every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Most of the flights are averaging between 65 and 80 percent of capacity, said John McCollum, Vintage's sales director.

In May, Vintage also began offering day trips to Cape Canaveral. And recently, the airline began offering 45-minute sunset flights in both Key West and Orlando.

Who takes such a trip?

For the Key West excursion, "at least half the people are tourists, and the rest are locals or aviation buffs," McCollum said.

Vintage operates the one-day trip much like a shore excursion on a cruise ship - passengers fly to Key West, hop an open-air trolley to town and get a good sightseeing tour along the way.

In town, passengers can embark on either a snorkeling and sailing tour or set out for sightseeing. At the end of the day, travelers meet the trolley near Key West's famous Sunset Pier and head back to the airport.

But for many passengers, the flight itself is the main attraction.

When you climb aboard the DC-3, you realize that this isn't going to be your average airline flight. Unlike commercial jets, which sit horizontally on the tarmac, the DC-3's landing gear props its nose up rakishly on the runway. Passengers board at the rear of the plane, so getting to your seat can be a real climb, thanks to the incline of the aisle.

Inside, you'll step back in time to another era in travel. The 28 seats are larger than those on today's commercial airliners. But unlike the ones on original DC-3s, these recline. The seats also have 1940s era head covers, which were used to keep men's pomades and women's hairdressing from mussing the upholstery.

Two long picture windows line the sides of the aircraft. And although they weren't originally available in DC-3s, they do provide a stunning view. The windows also boast curtains - unheard of on today's planes. Likewise, the wood-paneled cabin looks distinctly different from the molded plastic of today's jets.

Workhorse of the air

Originally designed as a luxury sleeper that would compete with passenger trains, the original DC-3 came equipped with sleeping berths that folded out.

But shortly after its introduction, the plane went through several incarnations. Because of its wide body, the plane could seat three and four people abreast, making air travel profitable for airlines. Seats soon replaced the sleeper berths as DC-3s grew in popularity.

When World War II broke out in 1939, the American public became more familiar with DC-3s - many American soldiers flew in versions of the DC-3 that were co-opted for military use.

Known then as the "workhorse of the air," the DC-3 continues to live up to that reputation. Today between 1,500 to 2,000 of the original 11,000 DC-3s are still flying.

"It's like flying a Mack truck," said Vintage pilot Jack Miller. "It's a little heavy on the controls."

But Miller, like many pilots in the air today, began his career at the controls of a DC-3.

Cruise the cockpit

You'll also get the chance to watch the pilots in action - a rare glimpse at the inner workings of an aircraft in flight.

Passengers are allowed in the cockpit individually where, for five or 10 minutes, they can sit in a jump seat, don a pair of headphones and talk to the two pilots.

While the stewardess passes out champagne and mimosas, the view outside is unlike that seen on any commercial airliner.

The planes fly below the clouds at an altitude of just 4,000 to 6,000 feet - giving passengers a close-up, breathtaking view of the Florida landscape.

And for much of the trip, after the plane reaches the Gulf of Mexico, the view consists of the emerald green waters below. Even over the loud hum of the engine, passengers can hear Glenn Miller's orchestra over the speakers.

After an hour and fifty minutes, the plane begins its descent into Key West.

As it gently glides onto the runway - the smoothest landing this passenger has ever experienced - Ann Miller belts out "Too Darn Hot" over the speakers.

Hemingway look-alikes

At the airport, it's plain, as one passenger said, "that you have stepped into another world."

Breezes blow the palms at Key West's tiny and somewhat backward-looking airport.

Pink taxicabs line up outside the airport and the cabbies - bearded, burly fellows who bear an eerie resemblance to Key West's most famous resident, the late writer Ernest Hemingway - hang out, waiting for fares.

----------------------------------- MORE INFORMATION ----------------------------------- -- Vintage Air Tours flies one-day excursions to Key West on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The flights depart Orlando International Airport at about 9 a.m. and return to Orlando at about 11 p.m.

The trip costs $278.80 for adults and $212.46 for children, which includes trolley transportation.

-- Vintage also flies to Cape Canaveral on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The 30-minute flight leaves Orlando International Airport at 8:30 a.m. and lands at Titusville's Space Center Executive Airport, where a bus shuttles passengers to Kennedy Space Center's Spaceport USA. Admission to Spaceport USA is included. Passengers arrive back at Orlando at 5 p.m. Cost is $49 for adults, $39 for children.

The company also offers "Champagne Aerial Cruises," sunset flights aboard the DC-3s. The 45-minute flight, from Orlando or Key West, costs $49 per person. -- To make reservations or for more information, call 1-800-835-9323.