In article <XnsA77493D7DDA6AHortenzyFortensnort@216.166.97.131>, Andrew Chaplin
says...
>
>joet5 <joet5@optonline.net> wrote in
>news:e51ahch61dlj058ag1iskgd1n96phpkdkg@4ax.com:
>
>>
>> begin 644 US 1942-023894 C-47A to USN 12443 R4D-8 USNColl.jpg
>>
>> Attachment decoded: US 1942-023894 C-47A to USN 12443 R4D-8 USNColl.jpg
>> `
>> end
>
>What advantages did the modified tail of the USN DC-3 produce?
"Both the vertical and horizontal tail surfaces were enlarged, and given square
tips, improving the single-engine performance of the aircraft."
Douglas R4D-8 (Super DC-3)
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_douglas_R4D-8.html
"The Douglas R4D-8 emerged from an unsuccessful attempt by Douglas to extend the
commercial lifespan of the aging DC-3. At the end of the Second World War a vast
number of DC-3s, C-47s, C-53s and Dakotas flooded onto the commercial market,
but by the end of the 1940s many of these aircraft were threatened by
increasingly strict Civil Air Regulations in the United States, and the looming
expiry of their airworthiness certificates in 1952.
"Douglas responded by developing a modified version of the DC-3, the DC-3S or
Super DC-3, which could be produced by upgrading existing aircraft. The new
aircraft had a stronger longer fuselage, with room for 30 passengers. The
passenger door was moved forward, and the door itself could be used as the
boarding stairs. Both the vertical and horizontal tail surfaces were enlarged,
and given square tips, improving the single-engine performance of the aircraft.
The engine nacelles were modified so that they could carry either 1,475hp Wright
Cyclone engines or 1,450hp Pratt & Whitney R-200-D7 radial engines, and to allow
the wheels to be fully enclosed. Finally the outer panels of the wing were
shortened, and 4 degrees of sweepback was added to the trailing edges.
*
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