Douglas Commercial 3 (DC-3)

Type: Commercial transport, medium – range airliner.

Manufacturer: Douglas.

First flight: December 17, 1935.

Primary use: Widely used by airlines.

T

he Douglas Commercial 3, or DC-3, was one of the most successful aircraft ever built. It has been called the greatest airplane of all time because it made air travel popular with passengers and profitable for airlines.

Day and Night Passenger Plane

The DC-3 was born when American Airlines asked the manufacturing com­pany Douglas to design a “stretched” version of their DC-2 airliner that would offer comfortable sleeping accommoda­tion. The result was the DST (Douglas Sleeper Transport), or Skysleeper, first flown in December 1935. This plane pro­vided hotel-style luxury, with fourteen sleeping berths converted from folded – down seats.

From this model, Douglas produced a day version of the airplane, which it called the DC-3. The new plane was fitted with twenty-one to twenty – four seats, ten more than the standard DC-2. The DC-3 was an immediate suc­cess. It was delivered to American Airlines in August 1936 and operated a regular flight schedule between New

TECH^TALK

RELIABLE AND STRONG

The secret of the DC-3 was its relia­bility, excellent safety record, and ease of maintenance. The DC-3 had a rugged all-metal airframe-only the control surfaces were fabric-cov­ered. The aircraft had a very strong, almost circular cross-section, and strong cantilever wings that were slightly swept back. It had a single elevator and rudder, retractable landing gear, and an automatic pilot.

Its engines were as reliable as its strong frame.

Cruising speed: 207 miles per hour (333 kilometers per hour).

Ceiling: 23,000 feet (7,000 meters). Maximum range: 2,125 miles (3,420 kilometers).

Maximum takeoff weight: 25,000 pounds (11,350 kilograms).

Wingspan: 95 feet (29 meters).

Length: 64.5 feet (19.7 meters).

Height: 17 feet (5.2 meters).

York City and Los Angeles. Its flight times were 16 hours eastbound and 17 hours 45 minutes westbound.

Before the end of the year, United Airlines also had ordered the DC-3, which was proving cheaper to operate than the Boeing 247. Over the next 2 years, thirty airlines placed orders for the DC-3. By 1939, more than 90 percent

of Americans who bought an airline ticket flew on a DC-3.