Douglas DC-3

The Douglas DC-3 is a fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft which revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s, and is generally regarded as one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made (also see Boeing 707 and Boeing 747).

History

The DC-3 was engineered by a team led by chief engineer Arthur E. Raymond and first flew on December 17,1935 (the 32nd. anniversary of the Wright Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk). The plane was the result of a marathon phone call from American Airlines CEO C.R. Smith demanding improvements in the design of the DC-2. The amenities of the DC-3 (including sleeping berths on early models and an in-flight kitchen) popularized air travel in the United States. With just one refuelling stop, transcontinental flights across America became possible. Before the DC-3, such a trip would entail short hops in commuter aircraft during the day coupled with train travel overnight.

Early U.S. airlines like United, American, TWA, and Eastern ordered over 400 DC-3s. These fleets paved the way for the modern American air travel industry, quickly replacing trains as the favored means of long-distance travel across the United States. Piedmont Airlines operated DC-3s from 1948 to 1963. One of Piedmont's DC-3s, operated by the Carolinas Aviation Museum continues to fly today to air shows and has been used in various movies.

During World War II, many civilian DC-3s were drafted for the war effort and thousands of military versions of the DC-3 were built under the designations C-47, C-53, R4D, and Dakota. The armed forces of many countries used the DC-3 and its military variants for the transport of troops, cargo and wounded. Over 10,000 aircraft were produced (some as licensed copies in Japan as Showa L2D, and in the USSR as the Lisunov Li-2).

After the war, thousands of surplus C-47s were converted to civil service, and became the standard equipment of almost all the world's airlines, remaining in front-line service for many years. The ready availability of ex-military examples of this cheap, easily maintained aircraft (it was both large and fast by the standards of the day) jump-started the worldwide post-war air transport industry. Douglas had developed an improved version with a greater cargo capacity and a different wing which it attempted to sell during this time frame, but with all these surplus aircraft, the Super DC-3 did not sell.

Numerous attempts were made to design a "DC-3 replacement" over the next three decades (including the very successful Fokker Friendship) but no single type could match the versatility, rugged reliability, and economy of the DC-3, and it remained a significant part of air transport systems well into the 1970s. Even today, 70 years after the DC-3 first flew, there are still small operators with DC-3s in revenue service and as cargo planes. The common saying among aviation buffs and pilots is that "The only replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3." The ability to start and land on grass or dirt runways also makes it popular in developing countries where the runways may not always be tarmac.

A Swedish DC-3 was shot down over the Baltic Sea in June 1952; see the Catalina affair.

Production

10,655 DC-3s were built at Santa Monica, California and Long Beach, California in both civil and military versions. 2000 or so were built in Russia under license as the Lisunov Li-2 (NATO reporting name: Cab). 485 built in Japan as the L2D Type 0 transport. More than 400 remained in commercial service in 1998.

A wide variety of engines were fitted to the DC-3 throughout the course of production. The most popular was the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Double Wasp radial, but Wright R-1820 Cyclone, and Pratt & Whitney R-2000 radials saw use. Some DC-3s were upgraded to use Rolls-Royce Dart or Armstrong Siddeley Mamba turbines.

The Basler BT-67 is a derivative type of the DC-3. Basler refurbishes DC-3s, fitting them with PT-6 turbo-prop engines, lengthening the fuselage by over 3 feet and strengthening the airframes in selected areas.

Specifications (DC-3)

References

Francillon, René (1979). McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920: Volume I. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-87021-428-4
Yenne, Bill (1985). McDonnell Douglas: A Tale of Two Giants. Greenwich, CT: Bison Books. ISBN 0-517-442876
Pearcy, Arthur (1995). Douglas Propliners: DC-1 - DC-7. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-261X

External links

The Online DC-3 Aviation Museum
Centennial of flight Commission on the DC-3
Aviation Records on the DC-3
Aviation History on the DC-3
Airliners.net DC-3
Flying Piedmont Airlines DC-3, formerly owned and operated by Piedmont Airlines, and US Air
Pionair Airline flying restored DC-3s (Current primary aircraft is the Convair CV-580, a turboprop conversion of the Convair_CV-240.)
Basler BT-67 Re-manufactured and turbinized version of the DC-3
Discovery Air Tours (formerly Dakota National Air) Charter DC-3 operator at Bankstown Airport, New South Wales Australia
The DC-3 Hangar
Warbird Alley: DC-3/C-47 page
Early 1970's DC-3 turboptop conversions by Conroy Aircraft, who also developed the Aero Spacelines Guppy series and the Conroy Skymonster.
Gold Timer Foundation Restorers of the only remaining Li-2 still in flying condition. HA-LIX regularly flies sight-seeing flights. (Hungarian)

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History

Production

Specifications (DC-3)

References

External links

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