Douglas DC-3 N728G
We’ve got another light painting of yet another wonderful aircraft created during AirVenture 2025, this one is Douglas DC-3 N728G!
I’d already created two cool projects for Ray and Melisa Fowler that week. The first, “Old Crow”, is a historic aircraft if there ever was one! During World War II, Old Crow was flown in battles by Triple-Ace, Clarence Emil “Bud” Anderson!
The finished light-painted artwork of “Old Crow” at AirVenture 2025!
Please check out “Old Crow’s” entire story by clicking on this link.
The second project, CubCrafters XCub N920RS, was created at Hickory Oaks Campground in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
This is one cool-looking aircraft, and the amazing sunset was icing on the cake!
You can enjoy that wonderful aircraft and its light painting story at this link.
Then, they were kind enough to offer a third aircraft for me to light paint, the McDonnell Douglas DC-3 N728G.
Not As Easy As It Sounds
Ray and Melisa gave me the unique opportunity to light paint this airplane during the AirVenture Saturday Fireworks Spectacular. Creating this project wasn’t as easy as it might seem. A lot of hoops needed to be jumped through to make this happen. In the hours leading up to it, I didn’t think anything of it. I found out later that wasn’t the case at all!
It turns out that because of where this plane was in the Warbirds section at EAA, it was sitting in a “sterile location”. Because it was so close to the show’s active runway, without special permission, no one was allowed in that area during and after the show!
I got to park our Honda Odyssey, “The Enterprise D”, right next to the DC-3! That made for quick setup and take down, and not having to carry everything to a distant parking lot after the fireworks show concluded!
I found out that Ray and Melisa had to get clearance from the FAA, the Civil Air Patrol, the Control Tower, and Warbirds’ approval for me to be in the area with the DC-3!
While I was setting up my camera gear, I received this text from Ray: “Are you all good? If you have any issues, let me know. You can remind everyone that you are approved by the Airboss (Boyd Martin), Warbird Security (Bill Gius), and the FAA. …you can also mention you are considered essential crew with the DC3 with me, Ray Fowler.”
After all of that, I felt pretty special, and more than a bit nervous at the same time! I was very careful to do only what I was there to do, nothing more.
Warbird Security
Here’s the full setup of the camera and the image it captured of the DC-3 on our iPad Pro’s screen. The airshow had started, and you could already see aircraft in the air. Now, it just needed to get dark so I could begin light painting everything.
While I was setting up, the guy in charge of Warbird Security, a nice guy named Bill Gius (amongst the many hats that he dons, he’s the Warbird’s Security guy), drove up to say hello. We were having a nice conversation until he interrupted me, telling me that, “You’d better cover your ears”. Just then, a fighter jet flew right over us! Yep, that was a great idea!
Bill stayed for a little while longer, then I was pretty much on my own with the DC-3. Thank you, Bill, for helping make this image possible!
A Little Bit of History About Douglas DC-3 N728G
The Douglas DC-3, registration N728G, has a rich history as a commercial airliner, military transport (C-47), and even a “Candy Bomber” during the Cold War. Here’s a more detailed look back on this DC-3:
- 1942: N728G was built as a Douglas DC-3.
- Early Service: It flew with American Airlines and was then acquired by TWA.
- Conversion: It was converted to a cargo configuration, likely for military or cargo operations.
- Post-War: It saw service with various operators, including Union Steel & Wrecking, Ozark Airlines, and Fairchild-Hiller.
- Later Years: It was acquired by Royal West in 1980 and eventually purchased by The Museum of Flight in 1987.
- Significance: The DC-3, and specifically N728G, represents a pivotal era in aviation history, known for its reliability, profitability, and its role in both commercial and military aviation.
This is the setup image, taken just before the light painting of DC-3 N728G.
The Liberty Foundation
It is important to note that Ray Fowler is the Executive Director of The Liberty Foundation Inc. The Liberty Foundation restores and preserves aircraft for future generations to be able to enjoy and learn about their history.
The light-painted photograph of the DC-3, “Old Crow”, and any other of their aircraft that I light paint for the foundation will help them to raise funds for just that purpose. I intend that these artworks will be for sale in the store found on their website.
Light Painting Douglas DC-3 N728G
Because the logo and engines on this aircraft are so prominent (and very cool looking), I decided to get up close to the DC-3 for its light painting. I was also going to attempt to capture as many of the show’s fireworks as I could to use in the artwork’s sky.
I’d say mission accomplished! The airshow’s finale explosion looks pretty darn cool, too!
The completed light painting of Douglas DC-3 N728G with lots of fireworks! Pretty cool!
I took 256 images that night, and nearly 100 of them were used in the completed artwork! As usual, I’ve created a short “Build Video” for our YouTube channel that starts off with the images that I used, and then the final light painting coming to life, one layer at a time, in post-production. The link to view it is below:
A big thank you to everyone who was a part of allowing me to be there with this aircraft during the fireworks show. I appreciate it very much! Also, thank you, Ray and Melisa, for asking me to create this image of this amazing plane! I hope we can do many more in the years to come! – M&J