Reportage "Le DC3 et le Douglas C-47" (Partie 2/4)
Video from the channel Théo Aviation about Douglas DC-3, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 12:30. Language: French. Video type: Documentary.
What it's about
Second of the four parts of a report on the DC-3 and the C-47, devoted to the technical origins of the aircraft: from the DC-1 to the DC-2, and from the DC-2 to the DC-3.
Historical context
TWA commissioned Douglas to build an airliner, and its technical advisor, Charles Lindbergh, demanded that it be able to keep flying on a single engine. In the early trials the DC-1 proved unstable. The team turned to the Caltech wind tunnel and, after more than 200 tests, swept the wing's leading edge and added a curved fairing joining the wing to the fuselage to improve aerodynamics. Douglas also added flaps, which shortened the takeoff run on the small runways of the day. The DC-1 never entered production, but in 1934 the DC-2 appeared: it carried 14 passengers, was faster, and dealt a severe blow to Boeing. In May 1935, C. R. Smith, president of American Airlines, asked Douglas for a version with sleeping berths.
Key facts
American ordered ten sleeper aircraft for $795,000. To fit the berths, Douglas widened the circular fuselage, the largest of its time, and by swapping the berths for seats it increased capacity by 50%. The DC-3 carried seven more passengers than its predecessor on just 3% more fuel, and was the first profitable airliner. It cut the 25-hour coast-to-coast flight in half, had heating and a cabin free of smoke and unusual noise, and helped establish the figure of the flight attendant.