The Era of Legends: Douglas DC-3
The exhibit and its value
In this article, we share our experience working on the exhibition zone «The Story of One Douglas» at the «Wings of Victory» Museum Complex in Verkhnyaya Pyshma.
Before you stands the Douglas DC-3 — the transport aircraft that changed the course of aviation history in the 1930s. Thanks to this model, airlines launched regular flights between the east and west coasts of the United States and significantly improved passenger service quality in the latter half of the decade.
During World War II, various modifications of the aircraft were used by many countries.
Although nearly eighty years have passed since production ended, some DC-3s are still flying today — a true testament to their reliability.
Concept, artistic and technical solutions
Space organizes the story
The Douglas DC-3 was delivered to the museum in 2018. Since then, it had been displayed alongside other aircraft in a large hangar on the first floor. The standard visitor scenario was simple: here’s the plane, and here’s a sign in front of it. Not exactly exciting, right?
We decided to completely rethink this scenario and give visitors the opportunity to «fly around» the aircraft from all sides. The new route creates the impression that the visitor is following a moving camera, observing the object from multiple angles — as if in a documentary film.
To achieve this effect, we designed an observation staircase-ramp that allows visitors to rise above the plane, walk along the tail section, and descend near the passenger door. This way, the exhibit can be seen from any point of view.
To learn more about the DC-3, visitors follow a short route, moving from one information display to another. This approach gradually shifts the viewer’s focus and keeps their attention engaged:
Welcome-stand
A long table under the wing presents key facts about the rise of the «Douglas Aircraft Company» and the creation of the DC-3 model.
Staircase-ramp
It curves around the aircraft, allowing visitors to walk close to the plane’s main components. Nearby panels display technical information — for example, about the aircraft’s revolutionary wing shape and engine features.
Timeline
The elongated form of the ramp perfectly fits a chronological sequence of dates. Our timeline presents not only major milestones in the DC-3’s history, but also notable facts about this specific exhibit.
Prismatrons
Across from the viewing platform, at eye level, rotating display panels — prismatrons — feature key photographs from the DC-3’s history.
Emotional contrast
The tail of the aircraft is a kind of point at which the semantic content of the exposition changes.
Here the viewer finds himself in an improvised area of the old airport. Standing at the baggage belt, he will see advertising posters from the second half of the 20th century, a flip-board with flight schedules, and of course suitcases with things from the «golden era» of aviation.
Moreover, guests of the exposition can go inside the legendary aircraft — sit in a comfortable chair, imagine themselves in the passenger seat and immerse themselves even deeper into the atmosphere of the past.
Multimedia
Unlike our multimedia exhibitions, where interactivity is the main form of engagement, here we used it selectively. Our goal was to lighten a large volume of textual material with simple yet meaningful interactive details. Across the entire exhibition, there are only four interactive elements:
Throttle lever. The mechanic is simple but engaging: move the throttle — and you “take off.” The roar of the engine plays through the headphones, and the tachometer shows rising RPMs. *Propellers up!*
Audio spot inside the cabin. From the speakers, visitors hear the voice of the aircraft’s captain telling the story of this particular plane in an engaging way.
Flip board. The atmosphere of an old airport is conveyed not only through the baggage belt and vintage posters — the distinctive flipping sound and key flight destinations appear on the display.
Video mapping. Archival footage and interactive maps of the most popular routes are projected directly onto the aircraft’s fuselage.
Graphic design
We used a minimal color palette — white text on a black background — ensuring that all presented materials stand out clearly.
The typeface Helvetica Neue, a refreshed version of a timeless classic, was chosen for its improved readability, especially in smaller sizes. This was crucial since all information was also duplicated in English.
Special attention was given to image restoration: considerable effort went into retouching old photographs and restoring historical documents to enhance resolution and quality for large-format printing. Neural networks were actively used in this process.
Some diagrams of the aircraft’s design, landing trajectories, and maps of popular routes had to be redrawn from scratch.
Universal Principles of Exhibition Design
A well-thought-out exhibition always rests on a strong metaphor.
In the case of the DC-3, that metaphor became the «camera fly-around» — immersing the viewer in the world of aviation.
However, choosing the right storytelling device is only the first step toward creating a truly captivating exhibition space.