HISTORY OF THE DC 3: The plane that changed the world
Video from the channel Ways to go about Douglas DC-3, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 11:58. Language: Spanish. Video type: Documentary.
What it's about
A general-interest look at the origins of the Douglas DC-3 and its influence on passenger air transport, from the competition with Boeing to the aircraft still in service today.
Historical context
In the late 1920s the Ford Trimotor dominated the market: slow, uncomfortable and seating 12 or 13. In February 1933 Boeing unveiled the 247, with a monocoque fuselage, a form of autopilot and retractable landing gear, and United cornered its production for years. TWA then wrote to Donald Douglas asking for a superior aircraft. His engineer Raymond drew up a first design in seven days, which was discussed with the airline, advised by Charles Lindbergh. The DC-1 prototype flew in mid-1933 and only one was built; lengthened and with greater range to carry 12 passengers, it led to the DC-2, which TWA bought. American Airlines then ordered a version with berths, the Douglas Sleeper Transport, which required widening the fuselage, enlarging the wings and fitting more powerful engines. With seats instead of berths, that aircraft became the DC-3.
Key facts
The DC-3 carried 21 passengers and had 50% more payload capacity for only 3% higher operating cost than the DC-2, which made travel cheaper and allowed airlines to turn a profit. In World War II, as the C-47 or Dakota, it dropped paratroopers over Normandy and supplied Berlin during the Soviet blockade. An estimated 400 are still flying; the Buffalo airline operates them in northern Canada under extreme conditions. In 2017, a restored example sponsored by a Swiss watchmaker flew around the world and became the oldest aircraft to do so.