What you Didn’t Know about the Amazing DC-3!
Video from the channel Mentour Now! about Douglas DC-3, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 21:55. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.
What it's about
An informative piece on the origin and longevity of the Douglas DC-3, from the TWA competition that made it possible to the aircraft still flying in the 21st century.
Historical context
On 31 March 1931 a TWA Fokker F-10 trimotor crashed in Kansas due to the failure of a wooden spar; among the victims was coach Knute Rockne. New restrictions on wood and Boeing's priority to deliver its 247s to United led TWA to request an all-metal aircraft. Douglas responded with the twin-engined DC-1, followed by the DC-2, of which almost 200 units were built between 1934 and 1939. The DST (Douglas Sleeper Transport), with a cabin 2.3 m wide and berths requested by American Airlines director Cyrus Rowlett Smith, gave way in 1936 to the 21-to-30-seat DC-3.
Highlights
Before switching to military production in 1942, a little over 600 civilian DC-3s were built, followed by more than 10,000 C-47 Skytrain or Dakota aircraft. Lisunov built more than 6,000 Li-2s under licence until 1952, and Showa and Nakajima built almost 500 in Japan. The Super DC-3 was bought only by the US Navy, with about 100 units. The magneto switches are located above the windscreen so they can be checked from outside during the pre-flight inspection.