The Douglas DC-3 of Dakota Norway Foundation flying at "Flying Legends Airshow" in 2013
The Douglas DC-3 is a fixed-wing propeller-driven airliner. Its speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made. The major military version was designated the C-47 Skytrain, of which more than 10,000 were produced. Many DC-3s and converted C-47s are still used in all parts of the world. The DC-3 was the result of a marathon telephone call from American Airlines CEO C. R. Smith to Donald Douglas, during which Smith persuaded a reluctant Douglas to design a sleeper aircraft based on the DC-2 to replace American's Curtiss Condor II biplanes. Douglas agreed to go ahead with development only after Smith informed him of American's intention to purchase twenty aircraft. The new aircraft was engineered by a team led by chief engineer Arthur E. Raymond over the next two years, and the prototype DST (for Douglas Sleeper Transport) first flew on December 17, 1935 (the 32nd anniversary of the Wright Brothers' flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina). A version with 21 passenger seats instead of the sleeping berths of the DST was also designed and given the designation DC-3. There was no prototype DC-3; the first DC-3 built followed seven DSTs off the production line. Total production of all derivatives was 16, than 400 remained in commercial service in 1998. The amenities of the DC-3 and DST popularized air travel in the United States. With only three refueling stops, eastbound transcontinental flights crossing the in approximately 15 hours became poss The DC-3 that the Dakota Norway Foundation owns and flies, is originally a military model, the C-53D Skytrooper. This version was delivered in the period between February and July 1943 from the Douglas plant in Santa Monica, California. Dakota Norway's DC-3 has USAAF serial 42-68823 and was delivered to the United States Army Air Force at the end of June 1943.
Size: 5000px × 3570px
Location: Duxford Cambridgeshire UK
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -47, aircraft, dakota, dc-3, douglas, engine, flying, norwegian, silver, skytrain, twin
