Douglas DC-3

1935 airliner family by Douglas

Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing, propeller airliner designed by Douglas. It was very successful, with 607 DC-3s being built. Even today, some companies still use DC-3’s despite better jet planes being for sale.

DC-3
A DC-3 operated in period Scandinavian Airlines colors by Flygande Veteraner flying over Lidingö, Sweden (1989)
Role Airliner and transport aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company
First flight December 17, 1935
Introduction 1936
Status In service
Produced 1936–1942, 1950
Number built 607[1]
Unit cost
US$79,500 (equivalent to $1,571,283 in 2021)[2][3]
Developed from Douglas DC-2
Variants Douglas C-47 Skytrain
Lisunov Li-2
Showa/Nakajima L2D
Basler BT-67
Conroy Turbo-Three
Conroy Tri-Turbo-Three

It was basically a longer version of Douglas’s earlier airplane, the DC-2. It was revolutionary to the airplane market when the DC-3 started being built in 1936, as it could fly farther than most aircraft at the time.

During WW2, a military version of the DC-3 known as the C-47 “Skytrain” was the primary transport of the US Military. It was used in major events like D-Day.

References

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  1. Francillon 1979, pp. 217–251.
  2. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  3. Rumerman, Judy. "The Douglas DC-3". Archived August 6, 2004, at the Wayback Machine U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission, 2003. Retrieved March 12, 2012.