This photo is so beautifully lit that it almost looks as though it could have come from a movie. I don’t know why a photographer was standing on the tarmac of the United Airport Terminal in Burbank when this Boeing 247 landed late one night in 1933, but it’s hard to imagine a more perfectly composed image—especially with a full moon shining through the clouds.
A Boeing 247 at night in front of the United Airport Terminal, Burbank, California, 1933
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Yes, it is a wonderful picture.
Some of the dry technical background on this plane (leading to the Flying Fortress): http://www.airvectors.net/avb17_1.html
Gives some numbers for United Air Lines’ orders, of which I’m wildly guessing that this is one of that group of early models. American was smart to wait for the DC-2/DST/DC-3 line (TWA jumped first) and UAL got caught in catch-up because they bought into this flying batchelor apartment with the deadly wing spar hump in the center aisle….”Care for some spilled coffee with your dropped apple, sir?”. Other than that, I’ve been assured that a Graflex can work wonders and sardine cans usually do look better from the external viewpoint. Now where did they attach that lid key?
NC13315 which crashed on way to Burbank (now flying as Western) in 1937 but an early version later upgraded…perhaps the very plane in this shot?: https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/lw3346.htm