Signing Copies Of 'Together We Fly: Voices From the DC-3' At AirVenture

By Tom Patton

Julie Filucci was joined by former Cessna CEO Jack Pelton on a rainy Wednesday morning at AirVenture to sign copies of her new book "Together We Fly: Voices From the DC-3." Pelton wrote the forward for the book

Julie Filluci, Jack Pelton

The book tells the story of one of history's iconic airplanes from the point of view of those who flew them. In the process of writing the book, Julie, a CFI and ATP with a DC-3 rating, learned to fly the Douglas taildragger.

Filucci told ANN she wrote the book to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the DC-3 by telling the stories of those who flew them as a way to demonstrate what the airplane meant to them in a way that "wasn't too technical ... because people can relate to that even if they're not in the aviation industry."

Filucci said moving up to the DC-3 was very intimidating at first "just because of its size and the horsepower of the engines and it's a taildragger. But once you got over that mentally, it's just a big airplane, which is pretty slow and pretty massive, so there are things about it that are very forgiving. So it's both challenging and not as hard as you think."

Filucci acknowledges that getting women into aviation can be a challenge. "There are some sociological reasons behind it, especially if you look at how traditionally people got into aviation. And there are things you have to get over. It's a big mechanical object and women aren't traditionally thrown into those situations. But what I've found is that once somebody gets over those barriers, or doesn't have those for what ever reason, there are a lot of strengths that women bring to aviation should help us expand it out.

"Julie and I have been friends for a while," Pelton said. "When she started writing and flying the DC-3, we just started talking about it. My connection was having worked at Douglas years ago, and my father having flown the DC-3 in the Army Air Corps. We both share kind of a similar passion for that ... for the Douglas family and the history of what it meant so, she asked me if I'd write the forward, which I was honored to do so."

"Together We Fly: Voices From the DC-3." is available at AirVenture at the ASA booth, and on Amazon.com.

FMI: www.asa2fly.com/Together-We-Fly-Voices-From-the-DC-3-P1510_product1.aspx