Aircraft Make & Model:
Douglas DC-2-120
Engines:
2 Wright Cyclone
No. flown by DL:
4 purchased used from American Airlines
RoutesFlown:
Ft. Worth, Texas, to Charleston, South Carolina (Air Mail Route 24)
First Delivery:
February 4, 1940
First Scheduled Service:
March 16, 1940 (March 15, 1940 inaugural postponed due to engine issue on eastbound flight and CAA delay of westbound flight)
Reason Aquired:
Carried four more passengers and up to 80% larger payload than the Lockheed 10 Electra.
Reason Disposed:
Sold to British Purchasing Commission for wartime use in early 1941.
Narrative:
Douglas DC-2 1940-1941
First Douglas aircraft to join the Delta fleet.
First Delta airplane in which passengers and crew could stand erect when walking through the cabin.
Passengers boarded and exited on ramps pushed up to the DC-2. Earlier and shorter Delta aircraft only required step stools.
The larger size of the DC-2 required the addition of a new crew member—a flight attendant—called a “stewardess” at the time.
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