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| Douglas DC-3 |
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| Fact Sheet |
| Aircraft Make & Model: |
Douglas DC-3 |
| MTOW: |
25,200 lb. |
| Range: |
500 miles |
| Speed: |
170 mph |
| Seats: |
21 |
| Length: |
65 ft. |
| Wingspan: |
95 ft. |
| Height: |
16 ft. |
| Engines: |
two P&W R-1830 |
| HP or Thrust: |
1200 hp. |
| No. flown by DL: |
23 (three ex C-47's in all-cargo configuration) |
| Routes flown: |
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| Advantages: |
6 more seats than DC-2, cargo capacity, food galley |
| Drawbacks: |
Not pressurized |
| First delivery: |
Nov. 29, 1940 |
| Reason acquired: |
Most airlines were flying DC-3 fleets by 1940 |
| Last retirement: |
October 29, 1960 |
| Reason disposed: |
Replaced by Convair 340/440 |
Narrative
The DC-3
- First aircraft to make passenger travel profitable.
- Revolutionized commercial aviation with its passenger capacity, speed, and economical operation.
- Introduced into service by American Airlines in 1936.
- By 1940, carried 80% of the world's airline traffic.
- First airplane with the fuel capacity to fly New York-Chicago scheduled nonstop service.
- First airplane with a planned galley for food service.
Delta's DC-3s
- First five acquired new from Douglas Aircraft Company (cost $115,000 each) Others were ex-military.
- Ship 40, named the "City of Atlanta," was christened with a bottle of Coca-Cola.
- Orange juice christened Ship 43, the "City of Miami."
- Ship 41 was the first DC-3 placed into Delta's scheduled passenger service, entering service on Christmas Eve, 1940.
- In December 1940, Delta's route stretched from Ft. Worth, Texas, to Charleston, South Carolina. Smaller 10-passenger Lockheed Electras flew the Charleston-Atlanta section. An Atlanta to Ft. Worth DC-3 flight took 6 hours, made 4 stops and cost $38.50 ($69.30 roundtrip).
- Food service included boxed lunches of fried chicken or ham, salad and cookies. Tall thermos jugs in the galley held coffee, soup, ice water and hot water for tea. Bottles of Coca-Cola were also available. Crackers and chewing gum helped prevent airsickness and ear problems in the unpressurized cabins.
- With six Delta planes in military service during World War II, a fleet of four DC-3s kept the airline flying.
- Passenger DC-3s with cargo bins carried Delta's first cargo in 1944, primarily newspapers, shrimp, and tomato plants.
- NC49657 destroyed in mid-air collision with a small aircraft at Columbus, Georgia on April 22, 1947, killing eight of Delta's senior managers.
- In 1950, Delta modified its DC-3s to hold 28 passengers. Boarding stairs were incorporated into the aircraft doors. Exteriors shone with a bright new "white top" paint job.
- The last DC-3 left Delta service on October 29, 1960. Delta DC-3s were all sold by the end of April 1963.
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