Not all food trucks look like they've abandoned mail carrier duty for burritos. Not that there's anything wrong with the classic boxy shape, but here's something a touch more aerodynamic: a Douglas DC-3-based food truck. Though, to our eyes, the glistening aircraft half does look like a giant burrito wrapped in tinfoil.
The "DC-3 Gourmet" is a joint venture by American Airlines and Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum in Los Angeles. The plane is a Second World War veteran, hauled to the museum near Compton Airport from an airplane scrapyard in Nevada and kitted out for a new career. While most of the fuselage half has been dedicated for the kitchen, the cockpit remains as a display piece that can be visited by customers. And it's a legendary place to be: over 100,000 DC-3s were built at the Long Beach Airport, not far from the plane's current location. It's estimated some hundred are still in flying condition.
The food-plane-truck has been created as a fundraiser and attraction for the museum. The livery, seen in the below Instagram photo, has been done in the style of American Airlines' DC-3s of the 1940s, and the plane now bears the name "Flagship Compton." The idea is to create more positive hubbub in and around the community, and to inspire local youths to pursue a career in aviation. A food truck can be a good start, especially as it comes with a side helping of aircraft nostalgia.
