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Subject: Douglas DC-2
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-2
The Douglas DC-2 is a 14-seat, twin-engined airliner that was produced by the
American company Douglas Aircraft Corporation starting in 1934. It competed with
the Boeing 247. In 1935, Douglas produced a larger version called the DC-3,
which became one of the most successful aircraft in history.
In the early 1930s, fears about the safety of wooden aircraft structures drove
the US aviation industry to develop all-metal airliners. United Airlines had
exclusive right to the all metal twin-engine Boeing 247; rival TWA 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.
TWA accepted the basic design and ordered twenty of the upgraded DC-2s which
were longer, had more powerful engines, and carried 14 passengers in a
66-inch-wide cabin. The design impressed American and European airlines and
further orders followed. Although Fokker had purchased a production licence from
Douglas for $100,000, no manufacturing was done in Holland. Those for European
customers KLM, LOT, Swissair, CLS and LAPE purchased via Fokker in the
Netherlands were built and flown by Douglas in the US, sea-shipped to Europe
with wings and propellers detached, then erected at airfields by Fokker near the
seaport of arrival (e.g. Cherbourg or Rotterdam)., 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 built. 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.
Role
Passenger & military transport
Manufacturer
Douglas Aircraft Company
First flight
May 11, 1934
Introduction
May 18, 1934 with Trans World Airlines
Status
Retired
Primary users
Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA)
KLM
Pan American Airways
Produced
Number built
198
Developed from
Douglas DC-1
Developed into
B-18 Bolo
Douglas DC-3
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.
Specifications (DC-2)
General characteristics
Crew: two-three
Capacity: 14 passengers
Length: 62 ft 6 in (19.1 m)
Wingspan: 85 ft 0 in (25.9 m)
Height: 15 ft 10 in (4.8 m)
Empty weight: 12,455 lb (5,650 kg)
Loaded weight: 18,560 lb (8,420 kg)
(540 kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 210 mph at 6,800ft (338 km/h / 182 kts)
Cruise speed: 174 mph (151 kn, 278 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)
*
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