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Douglas DC-3

A DC-3 operated by Flygande Veteraner in Sweden

TypeAirliner and transport aircraft
ManufacturerDouglas Aircraft Company
Designed byArthur E. Raymond, chief engineer
Maiden flightDecember 17, 1935
Status>400 in limited use
Number built>13,000
Developed fromDouglas DC-2
VariantsC-47 Skytrain
Lisunov Li-2

The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. An airliner is a large Fixed-wing aircraft with the primary function of transporting paying passengers An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American Aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach California. Arthur Emmons Raymond ( March 24, 1899, Boston Massachusetts &ndash March 22, 1999, Santa Monica, California The maiden flight of an Aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Douglas DC-2 was a 14 seat twin-propeller Airliner produced by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation starting in 1934. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Overview Fixed-wing aircraft range from small training and recreational aircraft to Wide-body aircraft and military cargo aircraft. A propeller is essentially a type of fan which transmits power by converting Rotational motion into Thrust for propulsion of a vehicle such as an Because of its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II, it is generally regarded as one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made. An airline provides air transport services for Passengers or Freight, generally with a recognized operating certificate or license World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

Contents

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). Arthur Emmons Raymond ( March 24, 1899, Boston Massachusetts &ndash March 22, 1999, Santa Monica, California Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The aircraft was the result of a marathon phone call from American Airlines CEO Cyrus Smith to Donald Douglas requesting the design of an improved successor to the DC-2. American Airlines Inc (AA is a US -based airline and the world's Largest airline in total passenger miles transported and passenger fleet size Cyrus Rowlett Smith ( September 9, 1899 &ndash April 4, 1990) known throughout his life as C Donald Douglas may refer to Donald Douglas (actor, film and television actor Don Douglas (1905-1945 Scottish-born film actor of the The Douglas DC-2 was a 14 seat twin-propeller Airliner produced by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation starting in 1934. The amenities of the DC-3 (including sleeping berths on early "DST" -- Douglas Sleeper Transport -- models and an in-flight kitchen) popularized air travel in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the With only three refueling stops, eastbound transcontinental flights across the US taking approximately 15 hours became possible. Westbound trips took 17 hours 30 minutes due to typical prevailing headwinds - still a significant improvement over the competing Boeing 247. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Before the arrival of the DC-3, such a trip would entail short hops in commuter aircraft, during the day, coupled with train travel overnight.

A Douglas DC-3 (a former military C-47B) of Air Atlantique taking off at Hullavington airfield, England
A Douglas DC-3 (a former military C-47B) of Air Atlantique taking off at Hullavington airfield, England

Early U. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Air Atlantique is an Airline based in Coventry, United Kingdom. S. airlines like United, American, TWA and Eastern ordered over 400 DC-3s. United Air Lines Inc, trading as United Airlines ( is a major airline of the United States. American Airlines Inc (AA is a US -based airline and the world's Largest airline in total passenger miles transported and passenger fleet size Trans World Airlines ( TWA) renamed TWA Airlines LLC in 2001 was a major U Eastern Air Lines was a major United States Airline that existed from the late 1920s until 1991 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. A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track ( Permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another Piedmont Airlines operated DC-3s from 1948 to 1963. Piedmont Airlines was a regional airline based in Winston-Salem North Carolina; the airline began operations in 1948 One of Piedmont's DC-3s, operated by the Carolinas Aviation Museum, continues to fly to air shows today and has been used in various movies. Founded in 1992 by Floyd & Lois Wilson the Carolinas Aviation Museum displays a collection of over 50 static aircraft and a wealth of smaller historic items related to Aviation Both Delta and Continental Airlines operate "commemorative" DC-3s.

During World War II, many civilian DC-3s were drafted for the war effort and nearly 10,000 military versions of the DC-3 were built, under the designations C-47, C-53, R4D and Dakota. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Peak production of the type was reached in 1944 with 4853 being delivered. The armed forces of many countries used the DC-3 and its military variants for the transport of troops, cargo and wounded. Licensed copies were built in Japan as Showa L2D (487 aircraft) and in the USSR as the Lisunov Li-2 (between 2200 and 4900 aircraft, per varying sources). WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

A Douglas Super DC-3, taking off from Pangnirtung Airport (Nunavut, Canada)
A Douglas Super DC-3, taking off from Pangnirtung Airport (Nunavut, Canada)

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. Pangnirtung Airport is located at Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Canada, and is operated by the Government of Nunavut Nunavut (ˈnuːnəvʊt ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᓄᓇᕗᑦ is the largest and newest territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page 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 in the civil market. The US Navy had 100 of their early R4Ds converted to Super DC-3 standard as the R4D-8, later C-117D.

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. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Even today, over 70 years after the DC-3 first flew, there are still small operators with DC-3s in revenue service and as cargo planes. Cargo airlines (or airfreight carriers, and derivatives of these names are Airlines dedicated to the Transport of Cargo. The common saying among aviation buffs and pilots is that "the only replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3. " The aircraft's legendary ruggedness is enshrined in the lighthearted description of the DC-3 as "a collection of parts flying in loose formation. " Its ability to take off and land on grass or dirt runways also makes it popular in developing countries, where the runways may not always be a paved surface.

Some of the more common uses of the DC3 have been aerial spraying, freight transport, passenger service, military transport and sport skydiving shuttling. Parachuting, also known as skydiving is where a person jumps from enough height so that he can deploy a fabric Parachute and land safely


A DC-3 in service in South Africa, June 2006.
A DC-3 in service in South Africa, June 2006.

Production

10,655 DC-3s were built at Santa Monica, California and Long Beach, California in both civil and military versions. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Long Beach is a city located in southern California, USA, on the Pacific coast California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Over 2000 were built in Russia, under license, as the Lisunov Li-2 (NATO reporting name: Cab). NATO reporting names are unclassified Code names for military equipment of the Eastern Bloc ( Soviet Union and other nations of the Warsaw pact 485 were built in Japan, as the L2D Type 0 transport. More than 400 remained in commercial service, in 1998.

A DC-3 Once owned by Northwest Airlines. Now on display at The Henry Ford Museum
A DC-3 Once owned by Northwest Airlines. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Northwest Airlines Inc (often abbreviated NWA) is the principal subsidiary Now on display at The Henry Ford Museum

A wide variety of engines was fitted to the DC-3 throughout the course of production. The Henry Ford, a National Historic Landmark, (also known as the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, and more formally as the Edison Institute The original civilian airplanes used Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9s, but later aircraft (and the majority of military ships) used the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Double Wasp radial which offered better high-altitude and single engine performance. Wright Cyclone was the name given to a family of air-cooled radial piston engines designed by Curtiss-Wright and used in numerous American aircraft in the WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A few Pratt & Whitney R-2000 radials saw use. Some DC-3s were upgraded to use Rolls-Royce Dart (as in the Conroy Turbo Three), Armstrong Siddeley Mamba, or Pratt & Whitney PT6A turbines. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A turboprop engine is a type of aircraft powerplant that uses a Gas turbine engine to drive a Propeller.

In 1987, Airtech Canada offered aircraft re-engined with current-production PZL ASz-62IT radial engines of 1,000 hp (745 kW) as the DC-3/2000. Airtech Canada is a Canadian aerospace engineering firm established at the Peterborough Airport, Ontario in 1977. The Shvetsov ASh-62 (designated M-62 before 1941 is a nine-cylinder air-cooled radial Aircraft engine produced in the Soviet Union.

The Basler BT-67 is a conversion of the DC-3. The Basler BT-67 is a Fixed-wing aircraft produced by Basler Turbo Conversions. Basler refurbishes DC-3s, fitting them with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6 turbo-prop engines, lengthening the fuselage by over 3 feet (0. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 91 m) and strengthening the airframes in selected areas.

Braddick Specialised Air Services International PTY Ltd. (BSAS International) is another company to perform the "turbo-prop" conversion to DC3's designated by the Pratt & Whitney engine model PT6, over 50 DC3/C47 65ARTP / 67RTP / 67FTP's have been build and may been seen in operation around the world.

Specifications (DC-3)

Highly modified DC-3, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-65AR engines, now operated by the National Test Pilot School. Formerly operated by South Africa as a maritime patrol aircraft. Airframe has been modified with belly radar pod and chin FLIR turret. Based at Mojave Airport
Highly modified DC-3, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-65AR engines, now operated by the National Test Pilot School. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The National Test Pilot School (NTPS is the only civilian school of the seven largest Test pilot schools in the world Formerly operated by South Africa as a maritime patrol aircraft. Airframe has been modified with belly radar pod and chin FLIR turret. A forward looking infrared (FLIR is an imaging device that senses infrared radiation Based at Mojave Airport
Cockpit of DC3 operated by FAA to verify operation of navaids (VORs & NDBs) along federal airways.
Cockpit of DC3 operated by FAA to verify operation of navaids (VORs & NDBs) along federal airways. The Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of Radio navigation or radionavigation is the application of Radio frequencies to determining a position on the Earth. This article is about the radio navigation aid see VOR for other uses A Non-directional beacon ( NDB) is a Radio transmitter at a known location used as an aviation or marine Navigational aid

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Related development

Comparable aircraft

Related lists

References

External links


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