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| Colonial Airlines Douglas DC-3 (1935) |
Purpose: The purpose of the DC-3 was to make an aircraft based upon the DC-2 to replace American’s Curtiss Condor II biplanes. A team led by chief engineer Arthur E. Raymond took nearly two years to make this aircraft. However, what they made was far better than what they expected or hoped for. After the introduction of it, the DC-3 was now in the production line and was delivered to Americans. Fortune magazine reporter wrote:- “Halfway along the runway, she left the ground so smoothly that none of the first fliers in the cabin realized what had happened until they saw the whole field rushing away behind them and the factory lights winking through the Jersey murk ahead.”
Value: The new aircraft could now make eastbound transcontinental flights in 15 hours, when it used to take 25 hours. The new plane could stay in the air for longer, go faster (thanks to the engines), was soundproof, and the amenities inside of it were better than ever. Not only that, but the cost for traveling was lower than ever, with the cost per mile decreasing from 5.7 cents to .05 cents. By the 1940s’, the DC-3 had convinced Americans to take to skies in record numbers, with more than two million American going on airplanes.
Limitations: Even though one of the most successful and influential aircraft of its time, the DC-3 was soon surpassed by other aircrafts in the future. As with most aircrafts, it did have some crashes but it was not a major factor in it being less used. As new technological advances come about, the old is usually less a part of the future.
Sources:
1. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-dc-3-revolutionized-air-travel-5444300/?no-ist
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