![]() A few years earlier, such a trip entailed short hops in slower and shorter-range aircraft during the day, coupled with train travel overnight. in about 15 hours with three refueling stops, while westbound trips against the wind took 17 + 1⁄ 2 hours. Eastbound transcontinental flights could cross the U.S. The DC-3 and DST popularized air travel in the United States. Įx-military Air Atlantique C-47B at RAF Hullavington in 2005 No prototype was built, and the first DC-3 built followed seven DSTs off the production line for delivery to American Airlines. Its cabin was 92 in (2,300 mm) wide, and a version with 21 seats instead of the 14–16 sleeping berths of the DST was given the designation DC-3. Raymond over the next two years, and the prototype DST (Douglas Sleeper Transport) first flew on Decem(the 32nd anniversary of the Wright Brothers' flight at Kitty Hawk) with Douglas chief test pilot Carl Cover at the controls. The new aircraft was engineered by a team led by chief engineer Arthur E. Douglas agreed to go ahead with development only after Smith informed him of American's intention to purchase 20 aircraft. The DC-2's cabin was 66 inches (1.7 m) wide, too narrow for side-by-side berths. Smith to Donald Douglas, when Smith persuaded a reluctant Douglas to design a sleeper aircraft based on the DC-2 to replace American's Curtiss Condor II biplanes. The DC-3 resulted from a marathon telephone call from American Airlines CEO C. Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 engine of American Airlines "Flagship Knoxville" Many continued to be used in a variety of niche roles 2,000 DC-3s and military derivatives were estimated to be still flying in 2013 a 2017 article put the number at that time at more than 300. Military versions, including the C-47 Skytrain (the Dakota in British RAF service), and Soviet- and Japanese-built versions, brought total production to over 16,000. It was made obsolete on main routes by more advanced types such as the Douglas DC-4 and Lockheed Constellation, but the design proved adaptable and useful on less commercially demanding routes.Ĭivilian DC-3 production ended in 1942 at 607 aircraft. įollowing the war, the airliner market was flooded with surplus transport aircraft, and the DC-3 was no longer competitive due to its inadequate size and slow speed. It is one of the first airliners that could profitably carry only passengers without relying on mail subsidies. It was able to cross the continental United States from New York to Los Angeles in 18 hours, with only three stops. Before the war, it pioneered many air travel routes. It was fast, had a good range, was more reliable, and carried passengers in greater comfort. The DC-3 had many exceptional qualities compared to previous aircraft. The DC-3 has a cruising speed of 207 mph (333 km/h), a capacity of 21 to 32 passengers or 6,000 lbs (2,700 kg) of cargo, and a range of 1,500 mi (2,400 km), and can operate from short runways. ![]() (Although the DC-3s originally built for civil service had the Wright R-1820 Cyclone, later civilian DC-3s used the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engine. It is a low-wing metal monoplane with conventional landing gear, powered by two radial piston engines of 1,000–1,200 hp (750–890 kW). ![]() It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version of the Douglas DC-2. Manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner ![]()
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