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AllFlying |
70 years
of the DC3 Dakota
 (Jan
2006) The Douglas DC-3, which made air travel popular and airline profits possible,
is universally recognized as the greatest airplane of its time. Some would argue
that it is the greatest of all time.
Design work began in 1934 at the insistence
of C.R. Smith, president of American Airlines. Smith wanted two new planes --
a longer DC-2 that would carry more day passengers and another with railroad-type
sleeping berths, to carry overnight passengers.
The first DC-3 built was the
Douglas Skysleeper Transport, and it was the height of luxury. Fourteen plush
seats in four main compartments could be folded in pairs to form seven berths,
while seven more folded down from the cabin ceiling. The plane could accommodate
14 overnight passengers or 28 for shorter daytime flights. The first was delivered
to American Airlines in June 1936, followed two months later by the first standard
21-passenger DC-3.
In November 1936, United Airlines, which had been a subsidiary
of Boeing until 1934, became the second DC-3 customer. The DC-2 had proved more
economical than the Model 247 and United assumed the DC-3 would continue that
lead. Initial orders from American and United were soon followed by orders from
more than 30 other airlines in the next two years.
The DC-3 was not only comfortable
and reliable, it also made air transportation profitable. American's C.R. Smith
said the DC-3 was the first airplane that could make money just by hauling passengers,
without relying on government subsidies. As a result, by 1939, more than 90 percent
of the nation's airline passengers were flying on DC-2s and DC-3s.
In addition
to the 455 DC-3 commercial transports built for the airlines, 10,174 were produced
as C-47 military transports during World War II. For both airline and military
use, the DC-3 proved to be tough, flexible, and easy to operate and maintain.
Its exploits during the war became the stuff of legend. Today, more than six decades
after the last one was delivered, hundreds of DC-3s are still flying and still
earning their keep by carrying passengers or cargo.
Specifications
First
flight: Dec. 17, 1935
Model number: DC-3
Wingspan: 95 feet
Length: 64
feet 5.5 inches
Height: 16 feet 3.6 inches
Ceiling: 20,800 feet
Range:
1495 miles
Weight: 30,000 pounds
Power plant: Two 1200-horsepower Wright
Cyclone radial engines
Speed: 192 mph
Accommodation: 3 crew and 14 sleeper
passengers, or 21 to 28 day passengers, or 3725 to 4500 pounds freight.
(Story:
Boeing) CNN
history -- click
here
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