San Francisco California-1939: A United Air Lines DC-3 Aircraft On A Loading Ramp On An Overcast Day

$149 · Editorial onlyDirect license: editorial use only. $149 flat from Stockfilm for documentary, news and educational use, plus internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.

Year1939
Decade1930s
LocationSan Francisco, California, United States
Duration6s
Price$149 USD
Collection1939 California

$149 · Editorial onlyDirect license: editorial use only

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

Before you add to cart: Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement. Checkout will only offer editorial, educational, internal and social/web scopes.

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Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

A United Air Lines DC-3 Aircraft On A Loading Ramp On An... — Clip Details

A vintage 8mm home movie clip from 1939 captures a United Air Lines DC-3 aircraft on a loading ramp in San Francisco, California. The black-and-white footage shows the plane's tail with U.S. Mail markings and the iconic United Airlines logo on the fuselage. Shot through a film frame, the grainy, nostalgic quality highlights the era's aviation history. The overcast sky and stationary aircraft suggest a quiet moment at the airport, offering a rare glimpse of mid-century commercial aviation.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: Black & white
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: editorial use only Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 6s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 127270506

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Editorial only Direct license: editorial use only. Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.

Editorial use only; commercial use is not offered for this clip. Review the flags below for your editorial context.

People visible: No
Logos / trademarks: Yes
Audible music: No

Flags come from automated catalog metadata, not a legal opinion. The source is an original 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie reel. For high-stakes commercial use, request a full rights review.

Source & Documentation

Source reel: Reel 1166 · 8mm · 5″ reel
Original reel label: may
Reel-level year note: 1939
Reel-level location note: california
Date: 1939 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate. A reel-level note shows the same year, but the clip-to-reel link is itself a catalog match, so this is not counted as independent confirmation.
Location: San Francisco, California, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate. A reel-level location note is linked, but the clip-to-reel link is itself a catalog match, so this is not counted as independent confirmation.
Licensing route: Direct license available from Stockfilm

Confidence labels are defined on Archive Integrity. Fields without a recorded value are shown as not recorded rather than assumed.

View source reel context Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: 1930s aviation footage for documentary or educational sequences needing a United Air Lines DC-3 on an airport loading ramp in San Francisco.
Period detail: The DC-3 form, tail number markings, U.S. Mail text, and United Air Lines fuselage logo provide visible late-1930s commercial aviation clues.
Home-movie behavior: The clip has a traveler-shot viewpoint from near the ramp, observing the parked aircraft through a film frame rather than staging a formal aviation scene.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include the aircraft tail, rudder, rear fuselage, United logo, U.S. Mail text, wing surface, propeller area, and overcast sky.
Film character: Black-and-white 8mm texture, soft focus, light grain, gate edges, and slight frame variation give the clip a physical home-movie record quality.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a short aviation insert, travel transition, airport cutaway, or memory beat for prewar commercial flight.
Historical context: The footage shows commercial air travel as seen from ground level, emphasizing aircraft branding and ramp-side access rather than passenger activity.
Research note: Visible United Air Lines branding and aircraft markings may require trademark or contextual review; no people are visible, so likeness issues appear limited.
Research search match: Relevant searches include 1939 San Francisco airport home movie, United Air Lines DC-3 ramp footage, and 1930s commercial aviation 8mm film.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with same-reel travel material, then San Francisco 1939 airport footage, then broader 1930s aircraft, airline, and transportation scenes.

Still Frames From This Clip

1939 San Francisco home-movie frame showing the rear of a United Air Lines DC-3 with tail and fuselage markings. — United Air Lines DC-3 seen from the rear quarter on the ramp.

United Air Lines DC-3 rear fuselage and tail appear in a black-and-white 1939 San Francisco airport frame. — Tail, wing, and branded fuselage of the parked United aircraft.

Black-and-white 8mm view of a United Air Lines DC-3 tail and rear fuselage on a San Francisco airport ramp in 1939. — The DC-3 tail and U.S. Mail markings fill the frame.

Rear-quarter view of the United Air Lines DC-3 under an overcast sky.

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