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The Douglas DC-3 is a Fixed-wing , Propeller -driven Aircraft which revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s , and is generally regarded as one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made (also see Boeing 707 and Boeing 747 ). 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). The plane was the result of a marathon phone call from American Airlines CEO C.R. Smith demanding improvements in the design of the DC-2 . The amenities of the DC-3 (including sleeping berths on early models and an in-flight kitchen) popularized air travel in the United States . With just one refuelling stop, transcontinental flights across America became possible. Before the DC-3, such a trip would entail short hops in commuter aircraft during the day coupled with train travel overnight. Early U.S. airlines like United , American , TWA , and Eastern ordered over 400 DC-3s. These fleets paved the way for the modern American air travel industry, quickly replacing Train s as the favored means of long-distance travel across the United States. During World War II , many civilian DC-3s were drafted for the war effort and thousands of military versions of the DC-3 were built under the designations C-47, C-53, R4D, And Dakota . The armed forces of many countries used the DC-3 and its military variants for the transport of troops, cargo and wounded. Over 10,000 aircraft were produced (some as licensed copies in Japan as Showa L2D , and in the USSR as the Lisunov Li-2). 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. 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. 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. Even today, 70 years after the DC-3 first flew, there are still small operators with DC-3s in revenue service and as Cargo planes. The common saying among aviation buffs and pilots is that "The only replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3." The ability to start and land on grass or dirt runways also makes it popular in developing countries where the runways may not always be tarmac. A Swedish DC-3 was shot down over the Baltic Sea in June 1952; see the Catalina Affair . PRODUCTION 10,655 DC-3s were built at Santa Monica , California and Long Beach , California in both civil and military versions. 2000 or so were built in Russia under license as the Lisunov Li-2 . 485 built in Japan as the L2D Type 0 transport. More than 400 remained in commercial service in 1998. A wide variety of engines were fitted to the DC-3 throughout the course of production. The most popular was the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Double Wasp radial, but Wright R-1820 Cyclone, and Pratt & Whitney R-2000 radials saw use. Some DC-3s were upgraded to use Rolls-Royce Dart or Armstrong Siddeley Mamba Turbines . The Basler BT-67 is a derivative type of the DC-3. Basler refurbishes DC-3s, fitting them with PT-6 turbo-prop engines, lengthening the fuselage by over 3 feet and strengthening the airframes in selected areas. SPECIFICATIONS (DC-3) to verify operation of Navaids ( VOR s & NDB s) along federal airways.]]
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