(Douglas) DC-1 & DC-2 @·AIRCRAFTUBE

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    K.L.M Douglas DC-2
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    A TWA DC-2
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    LOT Douglas DC-2
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    Douglas R2D-1 - 1936
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    Douglas DC-2-112 ''Uiver''
  • Douglas R2D<br>US Navy<br>1930s Douglas R2D<br>US Navy<br>1930s
    Douglas R2D
    US Navy
    1930s

Douglas DC-1 and DC-2

In the early 1930s, fears about the safety of wooden aircraft structures (responsible for the crash of a Fokker Trimotor) compelled the American aviation industry to develop all-metal types. The United Aircraft and Transport Corporation had a monopoly on the Boeing 247; rival Transcontinental and Western Air issued a specification for an all-metal trimotor.

The Douglas response was more radical. When it flew on July 1, 1933, the prototype DC-1 had a robust tapered wing, retractable landing gear, and two 690 hp (515 kW) Wright radial engines driving variable-pitch propellers. It seated 12 passengers.

DC-1

Development of the DC-1 can be traced back to the 1931 crash of TWA Flight 599, which was caused by a Fokker F.10 Trimotor airliner suffering a structural failure of one of its wings, probably due to water which had over time seeped between the layers of the wood laminate and dissolved the glue holding the layers together. Following the accident, the Aeronautics Branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce placed stringent restrictions on the use of wooden wings on passenger airliners. Boeing developed an answer, the 247, a twin-engined all-metal monoplane with a retractable undercarriage, but their production capacity was reserved to meet the needs of United Airlines, part of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation which also owned Boeing. TWA needed a similar aircraft to respond to competition from the Boeing 247 and they asked five manufacturers to bid for construction of a three-engined, 12-seat aircraft of all-metal construction, capable of flying 1,080 mi (1,740 km) at 150 mph (242 km/h). The most demanding part of the specification was that the airliner would have to be capable of safely taking off from any airport on TWA's main routes (and in particular Albuquerque, at high altitude and with severe summer temperatures) with one engine non-functioning.

Donald Douglas was initially reluctant to participate in the invitation from TWA. He doubted that there would be a market for 100 aircraft, the number of sales necessary to cover development costs. Nevertheless, he submitted a design consisting of an all-metal, low-wing, twin-engined aircraft seating 12 passengers, a crew of two and a flight attendant. The aircraft exceeded the specifications of TWA even with two engines. It was insulated against noise, heated, and fully capable of both flying and performing a controlled takeoff or landing on one engine.

Donald Douglas stated in a 1935 article on the DC-2 that the first DC-1 cost $325,000 to design and build.

Operational history

Only one aircraft was produced. The prototype made its maiden flight on July 1, 1933, flown by Carl Cover. It was given the model name DC-1, derived from "Douglas Commercial". During a half-year of testing, it performed more than 200 test flights and demonstrated its superiority versus the most used airliners at that time, the Ford and Fokker Trimotors. It was flown across the United States, making the journey in the record time of 13 hours 5 minutes.

The DC-1 was sold to Lord Forbes in the United Kingdom in May 1938, who operated it for a few months before selling it in France in October 1938. It was then sold to Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas (L.A.P.E.) in Spain in November 1938 and was also used by the Spanish Republican Air Force as a transport aircraft. Later operated by Iberia Airlines from July 1939 with the name Negron it force-landed at Malaga, Spain in December 1940 and was damaged beyond repair.

DC-2

TWA accepted the basic design and ordered twenty DC-2s having more powerful engines and a bit more length, to carry 14 passengers in a 66-inch-wide cabin. The design impressed American and European airlines and further orders followed. Those for European customers KLM, LOT, Swissair, CLS and LAPE were assembled by Fokker in the Netherlands after that company bought a licence from Douglas. Airspeed Ltd. took a similar licence for DC-2s to be delivered in Britain and assigned the company designation Airspeed AS.23, but although a registration for one aircraft was reserved none were actually delivered. Another licence was taken by the Nakajima Aircraft Company in Japan; unlike Fokker and Airspeed, Nakajima built five aircraft as well as assembling at least one Douglas-built aircraft. A total of 130 civil DC-2s were built with another 62 for the United States military. In 1935 Don Douglas stated in an article that the DC-2 cost about $80,000 per aircraft if mass-produced.

Operational history

Although overshadowed by its ubiquitous successor, it was the DC-2 that first showed that passenger air travel could be comfortable, safe and reliable. As a token of this, KLM entered its first DC-2 PH-AJU Uiver (Stork) in the October 1934 MacRobertson Air Race between London and Melbourne. Out of the 20 entrants, it finished second behind only the purpose-built de Havilland DH.88 racer Grosvenor House. During the total journey time of 90 hours, 13 min, it was in the air for 81 hours, 10 min, and won the handicap section of the race. (The DH.88 finished first in the handicap section, but the crew was by regulations allowed to claim only one victory.) It flew KLM's regular 9,000 mile route, (a thousand miles longer than the official race route), carrying mails, making every scheduled passenger stop, turning back once to pick up a stranded passenger, and even became lost in a thunderstorm and briefly stuck in the mud after a diversionary landing at Albury racecourse on the very last leg of the journey.

Civilian Variants

  • DC-2 : 156 civil DC-2s, variously powered by two Wright R-1820-F2 -F2A -F3 -F3A -F3B -F52 -F53 Cyclone radial piston engines varying in power from 710 to 875 hp (529 to 652 kW).
  • DC-2A : Two civil DC-2s, powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet SD-G, S1E-G or S2E-G radial piston engines.
  • DC-2B : Two DC-2s sold to LOT Polish Airlines, fitted with two 750 hp (560 kW) Bristol Pegasus VI radial piston engines.
  • Nakajima-Douglas DC-2 Transport : DC-2 transports license built in Japan by Nakajima.
  • Airspeed AS.23 : The designation reserved for proposed license-built production by Airspeed Ltd. in Great Britain.

Military Variants

Modified DC-2s built for the United States Army Air Corps under several military designations:

  • XC-32 : (DC-2-153) One aircraft, powered by 2x 750 hp (560 kW) Wright R-1820-25 radial piston engines, for evaluation as a 14-seat VIP transport aircraft, one built, later used by General Andrews as a flying command post.
  • C-32A : Designation for 24 commercial DC-2s impressed at the start of World War II.
  • C-33 : (DC-2-145) Cargo transport variant of the C-32 powered by 2x 750 hp (560 kW) Wright R-1820-25 engines, with larger vertical tail surfaces, a reinforced cabin floor and a large cargo door in the aft fuselage, 18 built.
  • YC-34 : (1x DC-2-173 & 1x DC-2-346) VIP transport for the Secretary of War, basically similar to XC-32, later designated C-34, two built.
  • C-38 : The first C-33 was modified with a DC-3 style tail section and two Wright R-1820-45 radial piston engines of 975 hp (727 kW) each. Originally designated C-33A but redesignated as prototype for C-39 variant, one built.
  • C-39 : (DC-2-243) 16-seat passenger variant, a composite of DC-2 & DC-3 components, with C-33 fuselage and wings and DC-3 type tail, center-section and landing gear. Powered by two 975 hp (727 kW) Wright R-1820-45 radial piston engines; 35 built.
  • C-41 : (DC-2-253) One C-39 re-engined with two 1,200 hp (890 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-21 engines, as a VIP transport for General Hap Arnold, the U.S. Army Air Corps Chief of Staff. (The Douglas C-41A was a VIP version of the DC-3A).
  • C-42 : (DC-2-267) VIP transport variant of the C-39, powered by two 1,000 hp (750 kW) Wright R-1820-53 radial piston engines, of 1,000 hp (746 kW) each, one built in 1939 for the commanding general, GHQ Air Force, plus two similarly-converted C-39s with their cargo doors bolted shut were converted in 1943.
  • R2D-1 : (3x DC-2-125 & 2x DC-2-142) 710 hp (530 kW) Wright R-1820-12 powered transport similar to the XC-32, three built for the United States Navy and two for the United State Marine Corps.

Civil operators

  • Australia.
    • Australian National Airways.
    • Holymans Airways.
  • Brazil.
    • Aerovias Brasil.
    • Aerovias Minas Gerais.
    • Cruzeiro do Sul.
    • Panair do Brasil.
  • Republic of China.
    • CNAC, jointly owned and operated with Pan American Airlines.
  • Colombia.
    • SCADTA renamed as Avianca.
    • UMCA Uraba Medellin Centra Airways.
  • Czechoslovakia.
    • ČLS (Československá Letecká Společnost, Czechoslovak Air Transport Company).
  • Dutch East Indies.
    • KNILM (Royal Netherlands Indian Airways).
  • Finland.
    • Aero O/Y.
  • Honduras.
    • SAHSA.
  • Germany.
  • Kingdom of Italy.
    • Avio Linee Italiane.
  • Japan.
    • Great Northern Airways.
    • Japan Air Transport.
    • Imperial Japanese Airways.
    • Manchukuo.
    • Manchurian Airlines.
  • Mexico.
  • Netherlands.
    • KLM ordered 18 aircraft.
  • Poland.
  • Spain Spanish Republic.
    • Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas received five aircraft.
  • Switzerland.
  • United States.
    • American Airlines.
    • Braniff Airways.
    • Delta Air Lines operated four aircraft during 1940–1941.
    • Eastern Air Lines received 14 aircraft and used them on East Coast routes.
    • General Air Lines.
    • Mercer Airlines 1 airplane, sold to Colgate Darden in late 1960s, now in the Netherlands.
    • Pan American Airways received 16 aircraft, distributing many to its foreign affiliates; some flew under its own name on Central American routes.
    • Pan American-Grace Airways (Panagra) used its DC-2s on routes within South America.
    • Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA) was the first DC-2 operator, receiving 30 aircraft.
  • Uruguay.
    • PLUNA operated two DC-2s acquired from Panair do Brasil.

Military and government operators

  • Argentina.
    • Argentine Naval Aviation - 5 (+1) DC-2 ex civilian Venezuelan .
  • Australia.
    • Royal Australian Air Force - Ten aircraft were in service with the RAAF from 1940 to 1946.
      • No. 8 Squadron RAAF.
      • No. 36 Squadron RAAF.
      • Parachute Training School RAAF.
      • Wireless Air Gunners School RAAF.
  • Austria.
    • Austrian Government.
  • Finland.
    • Finnish Air Force Donated by the Swedish military during the Winter War (1939-1940) which flew a bombing mission based on Tampere on 22 February 1940.
  • France.
    • French government.
  • Germany.
    • Luftwaffe.
  • Kingdom of Italy.
    • Regia Aeronautica 2 aircrafts.
  • Japan.
    • Imperial Japanese Army Air Service - A single example of the DC-2 was impressed by the Imperial Japanese Army.
  • Spanish Republic.
    • Spanish Republican Air Force took over the DC-2s from LAPE inventory.
  • United Kingdom.
    • Royal Air Force.
  • United States.
    • United States Army Air Corps.
    • United States Army Air Forces.
    • United States Marine Corps.
    • United States Navy.

Incidents and accidents

  • December 20, 1934 : A KLM DC-2-115A (PH-AJU, Uiver) crashed at Rutbah Wells in Iraq, killing all seven on board. The aircraft was operating a flight from Schiphol to Batavia. This was the first loss of a DC-2 and the first fatal accident involving the DC-2.
  • May 6, 1935 : TWA Flight 6, a DC-2-115 (NC13785), crashed near Atlanta, Missouri due to navigation errors, killing five of eight on board; New Mexico Senator Bronson M. Cutting was among the dead.
  • July 20, 1935 : A KLM DC-2-115E (PH-AKG, Gaai) crashed on landing at Pian San Giacomo in bad weather, killing all 13 on board.
  • January 14, 1936 : American Airlines Flight 1, a DC-2-120 (NC14274), crashed into a swamp near Goodwin, Arkansas for reasons unknown, killing all 17 on board.
  • April 7, 1936 : TWA Flight 1, a DC-2-112 (NC13721), crashed into Chestnut Ridge near Uniontown, Pennsylvania in fog due to pilot error, killing 12 of 14 on board.
  • December 9, 1936 : A KLM DC-2-115E (PH-AKL, Lijster) crashed on takeoff at Croydon Airport killing 15 of the 17 passengers and crew on board. The aircraft was operating a flight from London to Amsterdam. Juan de la Cierva, inventor of the autogiro, was among the dead.
  • March 25, 1937 : TWA Flight 15A, a DC-2-112 (NC13730), crashed into a small gully near Clifton, Pennsylvania due to icing, killing all 13 on board.
  • July 28, 1937 : A KLM DC-2-115L (PH-ALF, Flamingo) crashed into a field near Belligen, Belgium after takeoff due to an in-flight fire, killing all 15 on board.
  • August 10, 1937 : Eastern Air Lines Flight 7, a DC-2-112 (NC13739), crashed on landing at Daytona Beach Airport after striking a power pole, killing four of nine on board.
  • August 23, 1937 : A Pan American-Grace Airways DC-2-118A (NC14298) crashed and burned 20 mi north of San Luis, Argentina in dense fog, killing all three on board.
  • November 23, 1937 : ALOT Polish AirlinesDC-2-115D (SP-ASJ) crashed in the Pirin mountains, killing all six occupants. The aircraft was operating a flight from Thessaloniki to Bucharest.
  • March 1, 1938 : TWA Flight 8, a DC-2-112, crashed in Yosemite National Park due to severe weather, killing all nine on board; the wreckage was found three months later.
  • July 19, 1938 : A Pan American-Grace Airways DC-2-118A (NC14272, Santa Lucia) crashed into Mount Mercedario, killing all four on board; the wreckage was found in early 1941.
  • August 6, 1938 : An Aeroflot DC-2-152 (CCCP-M25) exploded in midair and crashed near Bistrita, Romania; there were no survivors.
  • August 24, 1938 : Kweilin Incident in China. The first commercial airplane in history to be shot down.
  • October 25, 1938 : An Australian National Airways DC-2-210 (VH-UYC, Kyeema) crashed into Mount Dandenong due to weather and navigation errors, killing all 18 on board.
  • January 7, 1939 : A Swissair DC-2-115B (HB-ITA) crashed into a hill near Senlis, Oise killing five of 17 passengers and crew. The aircraft was operating a flight from Zurich to Paris.
  • March 26, 1939 : Braniff Airways Flight 1, a DC-2-112 (NC13237), lost control and crashed on takeoff at Oklahoma City after an engine cylinder blew, killing eight of 12 on board.
  • August 9, 1940 : A Deutsche Luft Hansa DC-2-115E (D-AIAV) crashed near Lämershagen, Germany due to pilot error, killing two of 13 on board.
  • October 29, 1940 : Shootdown of the Chungking (previously the Kweilin).
  • February 12, 1941 : A China National Aviation Corporation DC-2-190 (40, Kangting) struck a mountain near Taohsien, Hunan in a thunderstorm, killing the three crew.
  • July 1941 : A Soviet Air Force DC-2-115F (ex.LOT Polish AirlinesSP-ASK) was destroyed on the ground at Spilve Airport by German fighters.
  • August 2, 1941 : A US Treasury DC-2-120 (NC14729) was being delivered to the RAF when it crashed at Bathurst (now Banjul), Gambia, killing the three crew.
  • March 14, 1942 : A China National Aviation Corporation DC-2-221 (31, Chungshan) crashed near Kunming, killing 13 of 17 on board.
  • May 25, 1942 : USAAF C-39 38-505 crashed on takeoff from Alice Springs Airport, Australia due to overloading, killing all 10 on board.
  • October 1, 1942 : USAAF C-39 38-524 struck a hill at high speed 15 mi northwest of Coamo, Puerto Rico due to an unexplained malfunction and low visibility, killing all 22 on board in the worst-ever accident involving the DC-2.
  • January 31, 1944 : USAAF C-39 38-501 crashed near Sioux City AAB due to a possible engine fire, killing the three crew.
  • February 7, 1951 : Finnish Air Force DC-2-200 DO-3 (ex. OH-LDB Sisu) crashed on takeoff from Malmi Airport due to engine failure; the fuselage is preserved at the Suomen ilmailumuseo (Finnish Aviation Museum) in Helsinki.

Survivors

There are no longer DC-2s in commercial service, however, several aircraft have survived into the 21st century:

  • c/n 1404: The Aviodrome in Lelystad, the Netherlands, owns and operates one of the last flying DC-2s. This former United States Navy aircraft is painted in the Uiver's KLM color scheme and is sometimes seen in European airshows. It is registered as NC39165 since 1945, though it now also wears PH-AJU as a fictional registration to match that of the historic Uiver aircraft. The aircraft was operated by Mercer Airlines of Burbank, California, and sold in the late 1960s to Colgate Darden, who restored it in General Air Lines colors and moved it to his private airport in South Carolina.
  • c/n 1288: Also located at the Aviodrome in the Netherlands though owned by the Dutch Dakota Association. It is far from airworthy and will not be restored to such a condition. Its first operator was Eastern Air Lines.
  • c/n 1368: A former Pan Am aircraft that was used by the Douglas historical foundation until the merger with Boeing in 1997. It is now housed at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. This aircraft (N1934D) was restored to flying condition in 2007 and flown to Santa Maria, California for a new paint job. It received a TWA "The Lindbergh Line" livery and interior trim.
  • One DC-2-115E (c/n 1354, reg. DO-1, ex. PH-AKH, SE-AKE) is preserved at the Aviation Museum of Central Finland (Finnish Air Force Museum) in Jyväskylä. The DC-2 is currently being restored to display condition (completion date estimated as September 2011). Another wingless fuselage (c/n 1562, reg. DO-3, ex. OH-LDB "Sisu") was on display at the Finnish Aviation Museum in Vantaa. The fuselage was transported to the Aviation Museum of Central Finland in 2011 where it was used in the DO-1 restoration project.
  • c/n 1292: There are three DC-2s surviving in Australia as of 2006; this aircraft, c/n 1292, is one of ten ex-Eastern Air Lines DC-2s purchased and operated by the RAAF during World War II as A30-9. It is under restoration by the Australian National Aviation Museum. at Moorabbin Airport in Victoria, Australia.
  • c/n 1376 is owned by Steve Ferris in Sydney, Australia, and has been under restoration to flying status for many years. It was originally delivered to KNILM in 1935. At the outbreak of World War II it was flown to Australia and was conscripted into use with the Allied Directorate of Air Transport. In 1944 it joined Australian National Airways and finished its flying career in the 1950s with Marshall Airways. It is registered as VH-CDZ. It is the most complete of all the Australian DC-2s as of 2008.
  • c/n 1286 Ex-Eastern Air Lines and RAAF, preserved (dressed as the historic "Uiver", PH-AJU) at Albury, New South Wales as centerpiece of Uiver Memorial at Albury Airport. Removed from display late 2002 and into 2003 for preservation work.
  • C-39A (Serial Number 38-515) is at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. The aircraft is currently in storage at the museum.

Notable appearances in media

The DC-2 was the "Good Ship Lollipop" that Shirley Temple sang about in the film Bright Eyes (1934). A DC-2 appears in the 1937 film Lost Horizon; the footage includes taxiing, takeoff, and landing, as well as views in flight.

Author Ernest K. Gann recounts his early days as a commercial pilot flying DC-2s in his memoir Fate Is the Hunter. This includes a particularly harrowing account of flying a DC-2 with heavy ice.

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This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Douglas DC-2 of Wikipedia ( authors )

Specifications (DC-2)

  • Crew : two-three
  • Capacity : 14 passengers
  • Length : 62 ft 6 in (19.1 m)
  • Height : 15 ft 10 in (4.8 m)
  • Wingspan : 85 ft (25.9 m)
  • Wing area : 940 ft² (87.3 m²)
  • Empty weight : 12,455 lb (5,650 kg)
  • Loaded weight : 18,560 lb (8,420 kg)
  • Maximum speed : 210 mph at 6,800ft (338 km/h)
  • Range : 1,085 mi (1,750 km)
  • Service ceiling : 22,750 ft (6,930 m)
  • Rate of climb : 1,030 ft/min (310 m/min)
  • Powerplant : Two Wright GR-1820-F53 Cyclone 9-cylinder radial engines
  • Power : 730 hp (540 kW) each

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This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Douglas DC-2 of Wikipedia ( authors )
Douglas DC-1 - DC-2 - C33 - C-39 - R2D : Your comments on this subject
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    Why this site?

    Discovery

    This website is dedicated to one's aeronautical passion (which I hope we share) and was realised mainly as an educationnal tool. Knowing that, you'll notice that each new visit brings random topics for the purpose of making new discoveries, some achievements or characters certainly not deserving the oblivion into which they have sometimes fallen.

    By these pages, we also want to pay tribute to all those who gave at one time or another, their lives or health in the name of freedom, aeronautical security or simply our comfort.

    Centralisation

    Internet is full of websites dedicated to aviation, but most are dedicated to subjects or periods that are very limited in space or time. The purpose of this site is to be as general as possible and thus treats all events as well as characters of all stripes and times while putting much emphasis on the most significant achievements.

    The same years saw birth of technologies like photography and cinema, thus permitting illustration of a large part of important aeronautical events from the start. Countless (and sometimes rare) media recently put online by enthousiasts finally give us access to these treasures, but the huge amount of information often makes things a little messy. A centralization effort is obviously most needed at this level.

    All persons who directly or indirectly contributed to the achievement or posting of such documents are here gratefully acknowledged.

    General

    Fluid website

    This site automatically fits the dimensions of your screen, whether you are on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

    Bilingual website

    You can change the language by clicking on the flag in the upper left or via "Options" in the central menu. Of course, the videos remain in the language in which they were posted ...

    Browser compatibility

    The site is not optimized, or even designed to run on older browsers or those deliberately deviating from standards. You will most probably encounter display issues with Internet Explorer. In this case, it is strongly recommended installing a modern (and free!) browser that's respecting the standards, like Firefox, Opera, Chrome or Safari.

    Cookies and Javascript

    This site uses cookies and JavaScript to function properly. Please ensure that your browser is configured accordingly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Site for the retention or disclosure of personal information about its Visitors. See the "Legal" page for more on this subject.

    Website layout

    Left menus

    Because of the lack of space on smartphones and small tablets, these menus are hidden. Everything is nevertheless accessible via the main menu option, located between the video and photo sections. This menu is placed there for compatibility reasons with some browsers, which play the videos over the menus.

    "Search" and "Latest" :
    The link "In Titles" restricts the search to the titles of different forms. Use this option if you are looking for a plane, a constructor, a pilot or a particular event that could have been treated as a subject.

    The link "In Stories" will bring you to a search in all texts (the "Story" tab) and will take more time. The search term will appear highlighted in green when opening the corresponding story.

    Would you believe, "Timeline" will show all subjects in chronological order.

    "Random" will reload the entire page with a new random topic.

    The bottom section keeps you abreast of the latest five entries. New topics are added regularly. Don't hesitate to come visit us often : add bookmark.

    Blogs and Comments central section

    Under the photos section comes the comments tabs window :

    You can enter general comments in your own language via one of the two buttons on the left (BLOG EN and BLOG FR). Note that these buttons are accessible regardless of the language to allow some participation in the other language.

    All comments are subject to moderation and will be published only if they comply with the basic rules of decorum, while remaining relevant to the purpose of this site.

    The third tab allows you to enter comments on the shown topic and is bilingual. Personal anecdotes, supplements and other information questions will take place here.

    The "Story" tab shows the explanatory texts. They are most often taken from Wikipedia, a site where we participate regularly.

    The "Data" tab is reserved for list of features and specifications.

    Right menus

    On a smartphone, the lack of space is growing and this menu is moved to the bottom of the page to give priority to videos and pictures.

    The top right icons are links to videos posted by third parties (on their own responsabilities) or by ourselves. The link below these icons will take you to the channel of the one who posted the video. Feel free to suggest other videos if you think they are of some interest (Use the BLOG button or the "Contact" link).