DOUGLAS AIRLINERS - Part 1 of 3, The Humble Beginnings of the Douglas Aircraft Dynasty
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- Опубліковано 14 лис 2020
- BOOK NOTE: With our sincere apologies, Specialty Press suspended operations September 1, 2023.
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The DC-1 was used in the Spanish civil war where it out ran many a fighter plane. It was damaged beyond repair in a crash but the wreckage was used to build a frame for carrying a religious icon through the streets during holidays.
The DC-5, completely unknown, to me until today. Nice!
My goodness... I remember growing up in the 80's when Southern California still had a strong aerospace industry. My father worked for DoD and did QA inspections on the C-17 out of the Long Beach plant. We got to tour one of the first completed C-17's on family day. Great memories. Since then, pretty much every major company has left California all together. Mitsubishi, Toyota, Boeing all left Southern California, only thing left there is homeless and rising crime. What a shame.
Southern California is much more than homelessness and rising crime. Disney and the beautifully restore Union Station is still there.
FUN FACT (that no doubt everyone already knows)
the DC-4E was "crashed" in the Tokyo bay after sale to a Japanese Airline, but was actually secretly dissected by Nakajima of Japan and reverse engineered into their (sorta failed? I mean they never really used them so eh) Bomber the "G5N1 Shinzan" aka "LIZ" which they had several made before WW2 ended
it honestly looks a lot (to me) like a shrunken XB-19 Hemisphere bomber which is quite neat
🌟 Surely the best era of air travel and transport!!🌟
Agreed!
Bill Boeing's personal ride was built by Donald Douglas? I love it ! Thanks for the great presentation, Mike.
Yes Bert, they were best of friends. It was Don Douglas who offereed to supplement Boeing B-17 production in WWII by building a brand new plant in Long Beach in 1941. And yes, that was the site of the McDonnell Douglas facility that ended production with the MD-11, MD-95, and C-17. Ironic that the MD-95 then became the 717 when Boeing took over in 1997!
Most beautiful range of aircraft I think with the lines of a 4 engined fighter. I would be happy if airliners had stayed this way.
My dad's friend and fellow PhD at UCLA worked at Douglas's Clover Field facility. I was in the big hanger just before operations ended. There was a scrap and surplus sale for employees and Harold invited dad and me to go along. Harold's mom lived 2 blocks from Clover Field. Clover Field was amazingly small. It is why Douglas moved to Long Beach
Ahhh...don't see so many pics of Grand Central. Sweet!
The DC-5 was not developed from DB-7 - (contrary to what Wikipedia says) - and was displaced by the DB-7 at the start of WW2. There is a family resemblance but zero commonality unlike the earlier Douglas bombers that shared wings and tails with the DC-2 and DC-3. The DC-5 main gear retracted sideways into the wings unlike the DB-7 where they folded into the engine nacelles.
The DC-5 was supposed to replace the DC-3 but that fell to Douglas’s European agents, Fokker which took the layout and put turboprops on it to create the F-27.
C-47/DC-3's still lead useful lives today with turboprop conversions and even skis for Alaska.
Think they should build them again; called DC 3 Z ( 0 time) as they are excellent cargo haulers in the bush...
Very interesting video. I look forward to seeing Parts 2 and 3.
A DC 6 is the most comfortable plane I ever flew on. At first, lookng out the cabin window, it was a bit unnerving to see the cherry-red exhaust pipes, but the stewardess (very pretty) assured me that all was well. What a contrast to the crones you see on planes nowadays. The seats were beautiful, soft and clean. On landing, when the pilot reversed thrusted the props, I did not lose my dentures because of the jolt.
Great comment, thanks!
And it’s one of the most comfortable planes I ever had the honor of piloting
Яка чудова екскурсія! Дякую за прекрасну можливість ознайомитися з історією класичної авіації.
at the 10:33 mark, we see a proper C-47 Skytrain/Dakota. There are three distinct identifying features between the models. The DC-3 has a small single cabin door at the left/rear, and converted models have a three piece double cargo door. C-47's simply have the double cargo door. DC-3's mostly have small carb air scoops atop their nacelles, were C-47's have the very large and long "sand-shields" air intakes atop their nacelles. Lastly, original DC-3's lack the plexiglass navigator's celestial navigation bubble atop the crew cabin aft of the cock pit.
Thanks, and yes, I'm making the point of crossover in DC-3 and C-47 design.
And still speaking of DC-3 and C-47 external differences, you can spot, the DC-3 had a aerodinamic fairing in the tail cone, but in the C-48 it's square cut, with a loop, to engage the hook of the transpot sailpanes they tug.
Even the mechanics wore a tie to work!
Great channel Mike...you touch on on the Aviation subjects I love!
Many thanks, and so glad you're enjoying the channel!
Interesting. Didn't know the DC-4 started out as the military variant and only later became the civilian variant.
The very first (civilian) DC-4, ooerated by Western Airlines, can be seen in an early airport scene of the picture "The Best Years Of Our Lives ", made in 1946.
Great video! I really loved the information, and Mike, you have a very comfortable yet attention getting narration style, and it fits the subject perfectly.
I was also thrilled to see the various versions, some of which I had heard about but not seen. I rewatched "The Aviator" a couple of days ago and my ears perked up when I heard you talking about flying above the weather at 20,000ft or so. In the background we see a plane with the TWA livery... Trans Western Airways. "The Aviator" made a pretty big deal of Howard Hughes purchase of TWA and the fleet of Lockheed Constellations to do just that. The Connie could and did fly above the rough weather, giving those fare-paying passengers less sheer terror and hence, the possibility of flying more and more.
Great job... I can't wait to see the next two parts.
Many thanks!
Appreciate the great comment Don, many thanks!
Great stuff! The founder and CEO of Braathens, of Norway, Mr. Ludvig G. Braathens flew on a DC-3 sleeper and the bunk beside, up or down, I do not know, but it was Marilyn Monroe! I also heard that it was the english, RAF that came up with all the nick names of the DC aircraft, like Dakota and so on.
Thanks for the upload of your good work. I'm one of those that loves the history of man's journey through the 'technology minefield', but I'm not the guy who wants to sit through long technical explanations or debates of this theory or that, nor watch some grade school level 'Claymation' take on how that shovel full of dirt turned into a steel beam. Perfect ingredients for my level.
Appreciate the comment, thanks!
Very interesting and timely for me because in a few months time I'm giving talk on the DC-3 to a Transport History group.
Thanks for posting this.
I love the detail.
My late Grandfather built DC-3's for the War, said they essentially knew how to build it "solo" .
Great comment, thanks from a fellow Douglas fan!
Very enjoyable history lesson on early Douglas aircraft Mike. Look forward to the next two installments.
Thanks Glenn, and Part 2 featuring the DC-4, DC-6, and DC-7 will post later this week.
The DC-3 was the very 1st airplane that I flew in, again going on a holiday from Sydney to Forster in NSW Australia. I was 6 years old and cried all the way 😭 worried that the plane was going to fall outa the sky. I remember vividly seeing lakes below us and asking my uncle if the damn thing could land on water! I was so scared 😱 what an experience for a 1st flight. The trip was probably a 2hr or so trip i reckon? Dno. Don’t remember the return trip 🤔 I was probably flight acclimatised by then! 😂
Neat story, thanks!
Dc4e was purchased by Japan and served as the basis for the Liz
Ahhh, the DC-4, as I believe was featured in The High And The Mighty with John Wayne 👍
Yes, absolutely, and Part 2 posting later this week will feature a photo of the actual airplane used in the movie.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 it is a movie worth watching, but I prefer the story that it was (loosely) based on in Ernest Gann's book Fate Is the Hunter. The crux of the real story is that the DC-4 Gann was flying should have crashed due to a design flaw with the rudder hinge pins causing vibration (flutter), but they decided to keep the cruise speed up since they had plenty of fuel and a long ways to go. The speed they happened to choose kept them above the speed that the tail would begin to flutter and soon fail, but he was unaware until the next day when he was called to the airport and heard the story of what could have been. I guess it's too hard to make a movie about what didn't happen, though.
You might consider making a video about the Ernest Gann movies (Island In the Sky, The High and the Mighty, and Fate Is the Hunter), and how the movies deviated from the stories that Gann wrote. Pretty close (but the wrong planes - no C-87's available) in Island In the Sky; Loosely Based for The High and the Mighty; Completely unrelated for Fate Is the Hunter (but I do like the movie's story, which holds its own).
Having been inside the B-247 the main spar ran thru the passenger compartment which is awkward and limited its flexibility
Interesting point, thanks!
Fantastic Mike!, like all your videos. Aviation, Art, Anecdotes...all together!, thanks.
Thanks Piero - appreciate the comment!
Your presentation puts the development of aviation in perspective. Thank you for this world class presentation
Appreciate the comment, thanks! Part 2 posting later this week will feature the DC-4, DC-6, and DC-7.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Watched it twice as the content was feature packed. Thorough content so interesting
And as always a Great Presentation really like all the photos.
Thanks John, and some real beauties coming in parts 2 and 3!
Excelent Mike thanks.
Where do you get these amazing pictures that NO other channel seems to have? BEST av channel.
Thanks for the question. I've been avidly collecting aviation photos since about age 12. Ten years at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach; 25 years as an Air Force Artist; editing and producing WINGS & AIRPOWER Magazines; then editing books for Specialty Press. Plenty of good Musuem archives along the way as well, so including digital images, more than 100,000 photos I now get to share with wonderful subscribers like yourself. Appreciate the comment!
I loved the history of the logo, thank you. M.
Looking forward to part 2 and 3!
Thanks Jerry, and Part 2 on the DC-4 thru -7 is posting today.
I think only American Airlines ordered their DC3s with the passenger door on the right side of the fuselage (as shown in the picture at 10.26,
alongside the stagecoach), as, I think all other passenger DC3s and C47s had that door on the left.
Interestingly, I saw one of these on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle about 25 years ago.
Thanks for the comment, and DC-3 door location was an airline-specified requirement. Original-delivery United DC-3s and DSTs also had right-hand doors, but those later acquired by the airline from other carriers did not.
Thanks for this great history of the DC family. Looking forward to the rest of the series. I always loved the DC-3 as a DC-3 and a C-47. Some still flying to date. As an addendum, how about a story on the famous DC-2 1/2.; which emphasizes the quality build of this aircraft.
Yes, 'should have mentioned the DC-2-and-a-half. Part 2 will feature the DC-4, -6, and -7. Thanks for watching!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Looking forward to it. I always have preferred the prop jobs over the jests.
Omg I love it 💖
Thanks!
Another great one Mike
Thanks, Max!
No mention here of the twin-engine Douglas Dolphin flying boat (introduced 1930). Under the 'Catalina Airlines' banner, this was Douglas' very first commercially profitable airline. That's pretty significant, but no glory here. Don't forget that the title of this video is 'Douglas Airliners'...it does not distinguish between land and sea based aircraft.
Good point thanks, but this series covers the "DC" family of Douglas Commercial airliners. Appreciate the comment!
Great video series Mike. Have you ever read a book called The Dakota Hunter by Hans Wiesman? Superb read if you’re a DC-3/C-47 fan.
Thanks for the comment, and yes, I've indeed seen that book. You're right - super story about the great Doug.
Tim McCoy wife's account.
Spent close to a decade as Copilot on DC6/7s .l love those aircraft.
A salute with great admiration Tim, and Part 2 posting later this week focuses on the DC-6 and DC-7 families. Thanks for watching!
Looks like flying in a good prop plane would be safer than a jet.
I think you need to add the MacRobertson Race of 1934 and the DC-2 performance that was stunning for the day.
Good point, and that's covered in this video: ua-cam.com/video/q6MeOblHgt8/v-deo.html
you forgot to mention the DC2 winning the London to Melbourne air race...
this was done by the Üiver" a DC2 aircraft operated by the royal Dutch airline, KLM.
It didn’t win, it came in second
@@skooter2767k excuse me??
@@ingeposch8091 it didn’t win, it came in second. One of the Dehavilland Comets entered won the race.
@@skooter2767k me bad...
it indeed came in second in the regular race, but had won the "handicap-race".
i looked it up again, but it was quite a feat and a Boeing 247 came in third.
ua-cam.com/video/-fQLtI9DA_8/v-deo.html The Comet, this one specifically won, not the DC2
Correction to my comment in Vol 3. not "ummm" but "uhhh" If you are using a script stay on it. If NOT? START!
uhhh , yeah . . . . . ummm, I'll have to go check that comment out . . . lol . . . . not.
Really nice work. As a teacher I just want to encourage you to stop saying uh. Once or twice is OK, but it's distracting and hurts the presentation. You have a very personable and credible presentation, know what you're going to say and just say it.