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| Douglas DC-3 |
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| Fact Sheet |
| Aircraft Make & Model: |
Douglas DC-3 |
| MTOW: |
25,200 lb. |
| Range: |
500 miles |
| Speed: |
170 mph |
| Seats: |
21 |
| Length: |
65 ft. |
| Wingspan: |
95 ft. |
| Height: |
16 ft. |
| Engines: |
two P&W R-1830 |
| HP or Thrust: |
1200 hp. |
| No. flown by DL: |
23 (three ex C-47's in all-cargo configuration) |
| Routes flown: |
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| Advantages: |
6 more seats than DC-2, cargo capacity, food galley |
| Drawbacks: |
Not pressurized |
| First delivery: |
Nov. 29, 1940 |
| Reason acquired: |
Most airlines were flying DC-3 fleets by 1940 |
| Last retirement: |
April 1963 |
| Reason disposed: |
Replaced by Convair 340/440 |
Narrative
The DC-3
- First aircraft to make passenger travel profitable.
- Revolutionized commercial aviation with its passenger capacity, speed, and economical operation.
- Introduced into service by American Airlines in 1936.
- By 1940, carried 80% of the world's airline traffic.
- First airplane with the fuel capacity to fly New York-Chicago scheduled nonstop service.
- First airplane with a planned galley for food service.
Delta's DC-3s
- First five acquired new from Douglas Aircraft Company (cost $115,000 each) Others were ex-military.
- Ship 40, named the "City of Atlanta," was christened with a bottle of Coca-Cola.
- Orange juice christened Ship 43, the "City of Miami."
- Ship 41 was the first DC-3 placed into Delta's scheduled passenger service, entering service on Christmas Eve, 1940.
- In December 1940, Delta's route stretched from Ft. Worth, Texas, to Charleston, South Carolina. Smaller 10-passenger Lockheed Electras flew the Charleston-Atlanta section. An Atlanta to Ft. Worth DC-3 flight took 6 hours, made 4 stops and cost $38.50 ($69.30 roundtrip).
- Food service included boxed lunches of fried chicken or ham, salad and cookies. Tall thermos jugs in the galley held coffee, soup, ice water and hot water for tea. Bottles of Coca-Cola were also available. Crackers and chewing gum helped prevent airsickness and ear problems in the unpressurized cabins.
- With six Delta planes in military service during World War II, a fleet of four DC-3s kept the airline flying.
- Passenger DC-3s with cargo bins carried Delta's first cargo in 1944, primarily newspapers, shrimp, and tomato plants.
- NC49657 destroyed in mid-air collision with a small aircraft at Columbus, Georgia on April 22, 1947, killing eight of Delta's senior managers.
- In 1950, Delta modified its DC-3s to hold 28 passengers. Boarding stairs were incorporated into the aircraft doors. Exteriors shone with a bright new "white top" paint job.
- The last DC-3 left Delta service on October 29, 1960.
Ship 41
- Ship 41 is the only Delta passenger DC-3 left in existence.
- Delta is the only carrier known to possess its first new revenue-carrying DC-3.
- Restoration was completed in October 1999.
- The plane is housed in Delta's original 1940s hangars in Atlanta.
Service History
Ship 41 flew into Atlanta as the second delivered of Delta's first group of five DC-3s in late 1940. Delta's Ship 40 was being used for pilot training, so Ship 41 was the first DC-3 placed into Delta's scheduled passenger service, entering service on December 24, 1940.
Retired from Delta service after 18 years, Ship 41 was sold to North Central Airlines. Since then, Ship 41 flew for many owners.
In 1990 there was an effort, led by Delta's retirees, to locate one of Delta's first five DC-3s. Ship 41 was discovered in Puerto Rico, registered as N29PR, and had been flying cargo with Air Puerto Rico. The aircraft was purchased in 1993 by Delta, and flown back to Delta headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia for restoration.
Awards
No other DC-3 in the world has been restored with such impeccable care and attention to detail. The restoration has received prestigious awards:
- In 2000, the DC-3 received the Judges' Choice "Lindy" award at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture OshKosh, the world's premier aviation event.
- In 2001, Ship 41 was the first aircraft ever to win a National Preservation Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Challenging Restoration Project 
The enormity of the project can be understood when tasks such as the complete rebuilding of the cockpit had to be undertaken. The cockpit was brought up to 1990s standard without detracting from the original Douglas design or the period look of the aircraft. For example, instruments are all analogue but were uniformly painted, the radio and navigation and communications equipment were positioned discreetly and the seats, pedals, control column and control systems were all renewed.
Modern fire and soundproofing insulation methods were used inside the structure of the cockpit and cabin area. The galley and boarding ramp were rebuilt into exact 1940s replicas from old photographs in the Delta Air Lines Corporate Archives. The cabins seats were remade with the original 1940s patterns and fabric.
Parts Contributed
Donations to the restoration project included:
- Supply of zero-hour engines and accessories from JRS Enterprises in Minnesota.
- Landing gear and hydraulic valves from Basler at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
- Radios from Collins.
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