Who doesn't know it? The DC-3 is an icon of aviation: More than 10.000 copies and more than 65 years of service let become the DC-3 a synonym for civilian aviation at all. Such a career would have probably Donald W. Douglas, who designed the DC-3 do not consider possible. In 1935 the DC-3 he developed as a further and larger variation of the DC-2 (and DC-1) presented.
Douglas DC-1
TWA signed 1932 an advertisement about a modern passenger airplane to industries. TWA needed urgently an airplane because since Boeing had for the time being reserved its B 247 exclusively for United airlines. Donald W. Douglas presented thereupon in record time the DC-1, which used TWA exclusively for advertising purposes. At the same time the airline ordered 25 models of an improved execution.
Douglas DC-2
The DC-2 was the 61 centimeters longer version of the DC-1, possessed stronger engines and offered to 14 passenger Seats. The DC-2 was as complete metal low wing monoplane a modern and feature durable . The victory with the MacRobertson air race from England to Australia proved besides the efficiency of the DC-2. Douglas sold to the airlines in all world and the American Air Force 193 pieces.
Douglas DC-3
1934 American airlines wants a version with sleep compartments of the DC-2 for transcontinental flights. Douglas developed thereupon the DST (Douglas Sleeper transport), which completed first flight on 17 December 1935. With original seats fit 24 passengers in this DC-3 model. This was one of the bases of aviation history. The beginning of war the DC-3 had taken and played a dominating position at the American airlines thereby a key role in the civilian aviation. The DC-3 became in United States the airplane standard of transport. The internal-American air traffic grew between 1936 and 1941 by approximately 600 percent - and this with a nearly legendary flight safety balance. At both the DC-3 had a crucial portion. Their thereby under proof reliability and robustness made the model for the military services interesting. Thus Douglas finally supplied over 10.000 machines for the war employment. Here it carried the designation C-47. Many of these civilized models became to the standard model for existing and all again created airlines in the post-war period. The continuous popularity led Douglas even to development clearly improved super DC-3, which completed its first flight in June 1949. But the interest in this model was missing and the assembly line production don't start. But also without the super DC-3 the DC-3 with 10.928 pieces (without license production) is the mostly built airliner of all times.
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In a report from 1973 was to be read: Since years many airplane technical designers strive and directors of many airlines around replacement for the DC-3. How replace a 35 years old airplane, which fulfilled in 1970 still with over 200 large and small airlines in all world each it task posed? Still years after the World War II the number of the DC-3 in civilian use was larger than all remaining airliner types together. In December 1969 published detailed "international aviation overview" that at this time still nearly 900 DC-3 stood in the service. The DC-3 developed 1935 as advancement of the DC-2 with sleep compartments. The first flight starts on December 17th. The airlines find out that the execution found most interest daily passengers. This version was therefore manufactured up to the outbreak of World War II in large series. The war brought an enormous increase of the production numbers of this airplane: 10.928 in the United States, about 2000 Lisunov Li-2 as manufacture under licence of the Soviet Union and further 450 in Japan under the designation L2D2. After World War II thousands surplus C-47 and other military variants inundate the civilian market and found with airlines in all world for passenger and freight transport and other tasks rapid sales. One or two years later it seems the DC-3 be particularly accident-endangered but with the enormous number of DC-3 in service an error free operation is approximately not possible. Some these accidents were caused by overloading. The load-carrying capacity of the DC-3 was indicated 28 to 32 passengers. From countries of the middle east and Africa became spectacular cases published, plugged more than the double number. A cause of most crashes was probably that boundless confidence into the load-carrying capacity of the DC-3. Nevertheless all these flights ran nearly without incidents. This time and the successful service with the Berlin airbridge displaced gradually the bad reputation to be death trap. It is impossible to enumerate the official and unofficial changes which were accomplished in the past 25 years to the DC-3. They concerned generally the installation of different engine types, including propeller type turbines, changing form of the cab windows and the arrangement of the seats and furniture. Most of the 1973 still assigned machines are DC-3c, a structurally intensified version of the C-47 Skytrain or Dakota from the war years. In addition still several thousand military machines are assigned at the Air Forces of over 70 countries - also in the USA -.
Still today Swiss airline "Classic air" are use two DC-3 from the year 1942 with increased panorama windows and modernized cockpit. They carry designations HB-ISB and HB-ISC and accomplish regularly special flights between Zurich and the Scottish city Southend. The military versions led the designation C-47 "Skytrain" (freight transporter with strengthened cabin floor), C-53 "Skytrooper" (troop transporter particularly for setting from paratroopers off) and R4 D (transporter for the USA navy). After World War II modernization attempts led to the turbo DC-3. The US company Convoy build two PTL engines with for each 1600PS (1175kW). Thus the machine 400km/h most and 330km/h reached speed, a ceiling of 7600m and a range of 3300km. Still today the DC-3 in many countries is used as transporter.
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last actual: 2010-06-17