DC-3 History
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DOUGLAS DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner that had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s/1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version of the Douglas DC-2. It is a low-wing metal monoplane with conventional landing gear, powered by two radial piston engines of 1,000–1,200 hp (750–890 kW). (Although most DC-3s flying today use Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engines, many DC-3s built for civil service originally had the Wright R-1820 Cyclone.) The DC-3 has a cruise speed of 207 mph (333 km/h), a capacity of 21 to 32 passengers or 6,000 lbs (2,700 kg) of cargo, and a range of 1,500 mi (2,400 km), and can operate from short runways.
The DC-3 had many exceptional qualities compared to previous aircraft. It was fast, had a good range, was more reliable, and carried passengers in greater comfort. Before the war, it pioneered many air travel routes. It was able to cross the continental US from New York to Los Angeles in 18 hours and with only 3 stops. It is one of the first airliners that could profitably carry only passengers without relying on mail subsidies.
Following the war, the airliner market was flooded with surplus transport aircraft and the DC-3 was no longer competitive due to its size and speed. It was made obsolete on main routes by more advanced types such as the Douglas DC-4 and Lockheed Constellation, but the design proved adaptable and useful on less glamorous routes.
Civil DC-3 production ended in 1942 at 607 aircraft. Military versions, including the C-47 Skytrain (the Dakota in British RAF service), and Soviet- and Japanese-built versions, brought total production to over 16,000. Many continue to see service in a variety of niche roles: 2,000 DC-3s and military derivatives were estimated to be still flying in 2013; a 2017 article put the number at that time at more than 300.
Source: Wikipedia
DOUGLAS C-47 SKYTRAIN
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain was the first fully militarised transport to be based on the DC-3 Airliner and was the first transport aircraft to be ordered in large numbers for the USAAF. Eventually 965 C-47s were built, before production moved on to the C-47A.
A number of modifications had to be made to turn the DC-3 into a useful military transport. The standard airline passenger door had to be replaced with a large split cargo door, hinged at both ends (unlike the door on the DC-2 based C-33, which was hinged at the front and in the middle). The front half of the door on the DC-3 contained a smaller conventional passenger door, which could be opened independently of the main doors. A cargo hoist could be installed above the door, to allow heavier cargos to be loaded.
Inside the aircraft the airliner interior was stripped out, and replaced with 28 folding canvas seats mounted on the side of the fuselage. These were eventually replaced with 28 folding metal seats, also attached to the side of the aircraft. The C-47 was also given a reinforced cargo floor, allowing it carry up to 6,000lb of cargo. Cargo tie-down rings were installed in the floor.
The C-47 carried 804 US gallons of fuel, a slight decrease on the 822 gallons of the DC-3, but another 900 gallons could be added in fuselage tanks to increase the ferrying range of the aircraft. Finally the wingspan was increased by 6 inches over that of the commercial DC-3.
The first order for the C-47 (for 545 aircraft) was placed in September 1940, but the first aircraft were not delivered until two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. By then thousands more aircraft had been ordered, and the C-47 Skytrain would remain the most important Allied transport aircraft to the end of the Second World War.
Despite its later fame, the DC-3 was not particularly well suited to act as a cargo plane. Even with the large cargo door it was not easy to maneuver heavy payloads, and the overall payload was itself too light. The cargo door was too far above the ground for the aircraft to be loaded from the bed of a truck, and when the aircraft was on the ground the cargo compartment was on a slope. It became so dominant because the Curtiss C-46 Commando and Douglas C-54 Skymaster both failed to appear in significant numbers until 1944.
Douglas R4D
The US Navy was the third largest operator of military versions of the Douglas DC-3, after the USAAF and the RAF, and eventually received over 550 aircraft in seven main versions, giving them the designation R4D
The Navy’s R4Ds spent most of their time delivering supplies and personnel to the far-flung elements of the US Navy, playing a vital part in the war in the Pacific. Some of them came much closer to the enemy, flying supplies into airfields virtually on the front line as the Marines fought their way across the Pacific.
In 1962 the separate Air Force and Navy systems of aircraft designations were replaced by a modified version of the Air Force system. All surviving Navy aircraft were given new designations. Those R4Ds that were based on the standard DC-3 were redesigned as C-47s, to match the Air Force aircraft.
R4D-1
The Navy placed its first order for the DC-3 on 16 September 1940. This was for thirty aircraft similar to the C-47, with the same stronger cargo floor and larger cargo door, and powered by Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 engines. They only differed in the use of naval instruments and radios. Eventually the Navy received 104 R4D-1s, 66 from Navy contracts and 40 diverted from Army contracts. The first of these aircraft were not delivered until February 1942, so the first DC-3s to enter Naval service were the two R4D-2s.
R4D-2
The first two DC-3 transports to enter Navy service were two aircraft impressed from Eastern Airlines. They were similar to the Wright Cyclone powered C-49, and were used as staff transports from Pensacola and Anacostia. Unlike most military DC-3s they retained their airline interiors, and were later re-designated as R4D-2Fs then R4D-2Zs to reflect this.
R4D-3
The twenty R4D-3s were C-53 Skytroopers transferred from an Army Air Force contract.
R4D-4
Ten similar aircraft under construction for Pan Am were impressed into Navy service as the R4D-4, and were used as personnel transports.
R4D-5
Eighty-one C-47As, with 24 volt electrical systems, were transferred to the Navy as the R4D-5, making them the second most numerous version of the aircraft in Naval service.
See below for the R4D-5s that were modified for special purposes under new designations. In 1962 the surviving aircraft were redesignated as the C-47H.
R4D-6
One hundred and fifty C-47Bs, with the two speed turbocharger, were diverted from a USAAF order, and operated as the R4D-5. In 1962 the surviving aircraft were redesignated as the C-47J.
R4D-7
Forty-one TC-47B trainers were allocated to the Navy, where they were given the designation R4D-7.
Special Purposes
A number of R4Ds were modified for special purposes, and were given modified designations, as below. In the 1962 re-specification the suffixes were replaced by prefixes, some matching existing Air Force designations.
The R4D-5Ls were ski-equipped aircraft used to support US Antarctic expeditions. On 31 October 1956 one of these aircraft became the first aircraft to land at the South Pole.
|
Role |
R4D-4 |
R4D-5 |
R4D-6 |
Post 1962 |
|
Special electronic operations |
|
R4D-5E |
R4D-6E |
|
|
Antarctic and Arctic operations |
|
R4D-5L |
R4D-6L |
LC |
|
Radar countermeasures |
R4D-4Q |
R4D-5Q |
R4D-6Q |
EC |
|
Personnel transport |
|
R4D-5R |
R4D-6R |
TC |
|
Air-sea warfare training |
|
R4D-5S |
R4D-6S |
SC |
|
Navigation training |
|
R4D-5T |
R4D-6T |
|
|
Staff transport |
|
R4D-5Z |
R4D-6Z |
VC |
DOUGLAS R4D-8 (SUPER DC-3)
The Douglas R4D-8 emerged from an unsuccessful attempt by Douglas to extend the commercial lifespan of the aging DC-3. At the end of the Second World War a vast number of DC-3s, C-47s, C-53s and Dakotas flooded onto the commercial market, but by the end of the 1940s many of these aircraft were threatened by increasingly strict Civil Air Regulations in the United States, and the looming expiry of their airworthiness certificates in 1952.
Douglas responded by developing a modified version of the DC-3, the DC-3S or Super DC-3, which could be produced by upgrading existing aircraft. The new aircraft had a stronger longer fuselage, with room for 30 passengers. The passenger door was moved forward, and the door itself could be used as the boarding stairs. Both the vertical and horizontal tail surfaces were enlarged, and given square tips, improving the single-engine performance of the aircraft. The engine nacelles were modified so that they could carry either 1,475hp Wright Cyclone engines or 1,450hp Pratt & Whitney R-200-D7 radial engines, and to allow the wheels to be fully enclosed. Finally the outer panels of the wing were shortened, and 4 degrees of sweepback was added to the trailing edges.
The first modified aircraft made its maiden flight on 23 June 1949, and was a technical success. Payload increased, while top speed went up by 40mph and cruising speed by 44mph. Unfortunately the aircraft was a commercial failure. Despite its improved performance, the Super DC-3 still trailed behind newer aircraft (most notably the Convair Liner series), which appealed to the larger airlines, while smaller airlines were eventually able to get their DC-3s recertified. Only four commercial aircraft were sold.
An attempt to interest the USAF was no more successful. The first prototype was evaluated as the YC-47F (after a short spell as the YC-129), but was rejected in favour of the Convair C-131, based on the Liner. The aircraft was then passed on to the Navy, and finally found a customer.
After evaluating the aircraft during 1951, the US Navy awarded Douglas with a contract to convert 100 of their existingR4D-5s, -6s and 7s to the new standard, with the designation R4D-8. They retained this designation until 1962, when under the combined Department of Defense system they became the C-117D.
Three special versions of the R4D-8 were developed – the R4D-8T (TC-177D) trainer, the R4D-8Z (VC-117D) staff transport and the R4D-8L (LC-117D) cold weather aircraft.
The Navy’s R4D-8s saw combat in Korea, where they were used for night drops and as flareships, to illuminate areas under attack at night. In Vietnam most were used as conventional transport aircraft, but some were used as electronic monitoring aircraft.
Engines: Wright R-1820-80 x2
Power: 1,475hp each
Crew: Three plus 33 passengers
Wing span: 90ft
Length: 67ft 9in
Height: 18ft 3in
Empty weight: 19,537lb
Loaded weight:
Maximum weight: 31,000lb
Maximum speed: 270mph at 5,900ft
Cruising speed: 251mph
Maximum range: 2,500 miles