The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Because of its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II, it is generally regarded as one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made.
The DC-3 was engineered by a team led by chief engineer Arthur E. Raymond, and first flew on 17 December 1935 (the 32nd anniversary of the Wright Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk). The aircraft was the result of a marathon phone call from American Airlines CEO Cyrus Smith to Donald Douglas requesting the design of an improved successor to the DC-2. The amenities of the DC-3 (including sleeping berths on early "DST"—Douglas Sleeper Transport—models and an in-flight kitchen) popularized air travel in the United States. With only three refueling stops, eastbound transcontinental flights across the U.S. taking approximately 15 hours became possible. Westbound trips took 17 hours 30 minutes due to typical prevailing headwinds — still a significant improvement over the competing Boeing 247. Before the arrival of the DC-3, such a trip would entail short hops in commuter aircraft, during the day, coupled with train travel overnight.
Production
A total of 10,655 DC-3s were built at Santa Monica, California and Long Beach, California in both civil and military versions. Over 2000 were built in Russia, under license, as the Lisunov Li-2 (NATO reporting name: Cab). A total of 485 were built in Japan, as the L2D Type 0 transport. More than 400 remained in commercial service, in 1998.
Specification :
Wingspan: 104"
Radio: 6 channel, 12 servos
Engine: 2 x .91 4 stroke or equivalent gas or electric.
Features:
Factory painted to scale, and pre-applied decals, covered with clear coat.
Functional flaps
All hardware included (screws, rods, fuel tanks etc...)
Epoxy resin fiberglass fuselage, built up wings, covered with solartex fabric and finished with a flat paint scheme, decals pre-applied and clear coated!
