Modified version of the Douglas DC-3 with a reinforced fuselage floor and large cargo door. Delta acquired these military surplus "Flying Freighters" to support new cargo services as World War II ended.
Once wartime restrictions eased, Delta officially launched its air freight business on August 15, 1946. Rates were approximately 60 percent cheaper than air express. All-cargo C-47 were operated whenever a shipment or combination of shipments was too heavy or too large for the cargo bins of the DC-3 and DC-4 passenger planes.
Scheduled C-47 all-cargo flights started on April 1, 1947. With initial service between Atlanta, Cincinnati and Chicago, Delta offered the first all-cargo scheduled service between the northern U.S. and Atlanta. Frequent early shipments included magazines, shrimp, mushrooms, flowers and car parts. Air freight, air mail and air express continued to be carried on regular passenger plane flights.
By the mid-1950s, the C-47 was too small for Delta's cargo service which had grown 724 percent from 1947 to 1956. Delta replaced the C-47 in 1957 with all-cargo Curtiss C-46 freighters
that had double the payload capacity.
