I do - but it's not that straightforward.

The Douglas DC-3 began life as a sleeper (i.e. bed equipped) enlarged version of the Douglas DC-2. It was referred to as the Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST). It was intended for cross continental US flights and expected to compete against the main railroads of the day.

Most airlines opted for standard seating rather than bunks and so the "normal" version was dubbed the DC-3.

Over 800 airliner DC-3s had been delivered to airlines all around the world BEFORE December 1941. This was a record for an airliner up to that time.

The US Army had looked at a military version of the DC-3 and, in fact, they already had a hybrid DC-2/DC-3 design in service called the C-33.

When the US entered the war, massive orders were placed for a freighter version of the DC-3 which was given the military designation C-47. It had a much elarged cargo door and a strengthened floor to take vehicles and other freight.

The US Navy also orderd them and referred to them a R4Ds.

The Royal AIr Force ordered them in large numbers too and referred to them as the Dakota.

The Russians built them under licence as the Lisunov Li2.

The Japanese built them WITHOUT a licence and even built an all wooden derivative. Japanese versions were referred to as the "Tabby".

Production of the DC-3/C-47/R4D ceased immediately the war ended as it was considered obsolete by 1945. In fact, if the war had not intervened, Douglas would have ceased production around 1942 and replaced it with the more modern DC-5.

As it was, with massive numbers of DC-3s coming off numerous production lines, only a handful of DC-5s were completed and production wasn't resumed after the war.

Over 13,000 DC-3/C-47/R4D/Li2s were built between 1935 and 1945.

Since the war, small numbers of DC-3s have been converted using more powerful piston engines or even turboprops but the vast majority of the few hundred still in operation are pretty much standard.

Edited by Eric Mc on Monday 29th June 14:10

spitfire-ian

3,842 posts

229 months

[report]

[news]

Monday 29th June 2009

dr_gn said:

There is a Sunderland underwater in Pembroke Dock that is due for recovery soon hopefully.

http://www.pdst.co.uk/

NDT

1,753 posts

264 months

[report]

[news]

Monday 29th June 2009

spitfire-ian said:

NDT said:

I remember hearing somewhere that there's a piece of legislation that will soon be applied to them preventing them from carrying fare-paying passengers. IIRC it may be because they don't have an escape chute???

Already in place I believe frown

tossers.
Talk about ignoring the two common-sense rules of legislation:
1) Specify what you want to happen rather than how to make it happen
2) Work out how much effect to how many people - is small, do nothing.
I just made them up by the way, but they work for me.

Benni

3,517 posts

212 months

[report]

[news]

Monday 29th June 2009

Has anyone ever seen the film "Dakota" by Wim Verstappen (1974) ?
It´s about a one-man airline operating a -Dakota- (surprise surprise)
in the netherland antilles, the pilot gets involved in a dodgy deal
and has to fly non-stop to Holland.
He makes it by refuelling the wings in-flight from barrels carried in the
passenger compartment.
Great film, saw it on german TV in the 70s, lots of beautiful Dakota shots,
a lengthy pre-flight check etc etc, seemed to be quite realistic.

(cue PH experts ripping it to pieces after calculating fuel consumption)

Eric Mc

122,053 posts

266 months

[report]

[news]

Tuesday 30th June 2009

We don't tend to see too many non-English language films over here.

In the UK we had a TV series (shown in 1982) a about an airline being set up by a de-mobbed RAF pilot at the end of WW2. The series was called "Airline" and starred Roy Marsden. The Dakota featured fairlyu largely.

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