The mid-1930’s was the golden age of aviation. It's hardly surprising then that an airliner featuring the most advanced technologies of the time was designed and built during that period. It was the bestselling Douglas DC-3.
Born under duress
Actually, it wasn't the manufacturing company's idea to create this aircraft. In 1934 American Airlines started thinking about replacing the transcontinental night-time express Curtiss AT-32 with a more modern machine - something like the just-presented DC-2. They wanted a 14 sleeping berths plane capable of flying nonstop from New York to Chicago (one of the main routes by American Airlines). President of American Airlines Cyrus R. Smith asked Donald Douglas to make such an aircraft for them. The airline was willing to order 10 machines. Douglas wasn't thrilled by the offer: DC-2 sold briskly enough and he didn't really want to invest considerable resources into design work for the sake of such a small order. However, Smith kept pressuring until Douglas finally gave up. Obviously, the boss of Douglas Aircraft didn't want to lose an important client.
The flying sleeper
Originally the designers were going to install sleeping berths in DC-2. However, the narrow fuselage didn't allow turning the aircraft into a "flying Pullman". So it was decided to create a brand-new model utilising the DC-2 solutions to the fullest possible extent. The new project was named DST (Douglas Sleeper Transport).
A new elongated fuselage was designed, more circular in section. The width of the passenger cabin was increased by 0.66 m. The cabin was divided into 7 compartments with 2 seats in each. The seats could be converted into sleeping berths, one on top of the other. There were narrow portholes at the upper level. The wingspan was increased too, as well as the front wing sweep. The tail plane grew bigger, and the aircraft was equipped with more powerful 892-hp Wright Cyclone SGR-1820-G5 engines.
A lot of thought was given to passenger comforts. The cabin was upholstered with a new soundproof material reducing the noise level to 55 decibels - less than in Pullman sleeping cars. It was established that certain shades of green added to passengers' air sickness, so designers tried to avoid using them in interior decoration.
The triumphant arrival
The new airliner's appearance was finalised by May 10, 1935. Two months later, on July 8, 1935, American Airlines paid the company to make 10 DST aircraft. By the end of the year the contract was changed: now the airline wanted 20 machines, with only 8 of them being express sleepers. The other 12 were to be made for day flights, with 28 seats in each. The modification was designated DC-3.
DST prototype was ready by December 14, 1935. It had its maiden flight on December 17, 1935. The flight lasted for an hour and a half and went smoothly. Flight-testing took half a year and then on May 21, 1936 the aircraft got its certification. The first machines were delivered to the client.
American Airlines started using DST on June 26, 1936. In August the day flight version was put into operation. DC-3 showed excellent results. Following the success of the American Airlines, more US airlines became interested. DC-3 was very much in demand. Air carriers were happy not just with the new machine's specifications but with the price too: the new plane came at $79,500. In 1940 80% of mainline US airlines' fleet was made up by DC-3. The airplane was very popular outside the USA as well: in Canada, Europe and other regions.
The ubiquitous Dakota
After the USA got involved in WWII, the army and the navy needed an awful lot of transport aircraft. Of all the existing designs, DC-3 suited them best. The aircraft was modified in line with the requirements of the military, and turned into a cargo plane. The new version was designated C-47 Skytrain. These machines were supplied to the American and Allied air forces. The Royal Air Force designated them Dakota C, and the name caught on: all over the world people started calling the DC-3/C-47 "Dakotas".
After the war, between 1945 and 1950, there probably wasn't a single airline which hadn't used a Dakota. It was the most popular airliner in the world.
The secret of longevity was in the high durability and reliability. However, DC-3's main strength was its excellent efficiency. It was the first machine to make passenger flights profitable. Before that civilian carriers depended on government subsidies, but now they could live on their own. As American Airlines' President Cyrus Smith put it, "it's the first aircraft which makes money without having to carry mail" (referring to government mail-delivery contracts).
In terms of longevity, DC-3 is unrivalled. Not only Dakota's peers but many aircrafts designed to replace it have long since been written off, but this plane is still flying. Obviously, they say that "DC-3 can be replaced only with another DC-3" for a reason.
Vasily Lanskoy
Photoreport
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