Douglas DC-2
The Douglas DC-2 is a twin-engine airliner the Douglas Aircraft Company and had its maiden flight on 11 May 1934., You could seat 14 passengers and was designed to compete with the Boeing B -247. In 1936 an enlarged version was built with the DC-3, which should be one of the most successful aircraft in the world.
The military use versions of the DC-2 were called in the U.S. Navy R2D and the United States Army Air Forces C -32A, C -33, C-34, C -38, C -39, C -41 and C- 42nd
History
At the beginning of the 1930s, the American aircraft industry began with the construction of aircraft with metal hulls, as wooden structures no longer met the safety requirements. The TWA sought to make the Boeing 247 United Airlines competition can, after a plane with an all-metal fuselage and three-blade propeller.
Douglas then presented the prototype DC-1 with space for twelve passengers.
The TWA was happy with the basic concept and ordered 20 DC-2 with improved engines and space for 14 passengers. The interest was piqued by other airlines and further orders were received. The models for European customers, including the Czechoslovakian CLS, Lufthansa, KLM, LOT and Swissair have been assembled by Fokker in the Netherlands from Douglas - parts.
In Japan also 5 DC -2 were mounted and a complete delivery. It is disputed whether and to what extent the five machines were assembled from there home-made components or only the final assembly of Douglas - parts. They came from 1936-1938 at Nihon Koku yuso Kabushiki Kaisha - NKYKK (Japan Air Transport Corp.. ) Are used. Then there 32 pieces of Nakajima AT- 2 were prepared as smaller, superficially similar copy of the DC-2.
Although she was constantly in the shadow of its successor model DC-3, it was the DC-2, which showed that both passengers comfortable, but also can be transported safely and reliably. For private U.S. airlines, the DC-2 in other respects was an important milestone. For the first time they had an aircraft that was economical enough to be alone profitable by the passenger transport. Until then, all aircraft had been heavily dependent on grants and contracts for the carriage of mail. A total of 201 DC -2 were built in the United States (complete or as a kit ); the exact number of possible further Japanese machine is controversial.
Their finest hour was the DC - 2 is likely in October 1934 when the " Uiver " for the KLM second place in the MacRobertson Air Race from Mildenhall (Great Britain ) to Melbourne (Australia) and won the victory in the handicap standings. The " Uiver ' covered the distance in a time of 90 hours and 13 minutes back, and slew of other things also also participating Boeing 247 was remarkable was the fact that these DC-2 ( despite a temporary emergency landing in Albury (Australia), at which had to be unloaded the freight) only a specially constructed for this race de Havilland DH88 Comet subject.
There were also models of the DC-2 for military use, such as a post or aircraft for the transport of cargo or VIPs ( see U.S. pattern labels in the Introduction).
DC-2 day
Even today it is the DC-2 have failed to emerge from the large shadow of the famous successor. While many airlines, clubs and organizations posterity have received a large number of " Dakota ", there is only a single airworthy DC-2 today. It is operated by the Dutch Aviodrome and wears the same color scheme as the " Uiver ". It is the DC-2 with the hull number 1404, which originally belonged to the U.S. Navy.
At least two other aircraft of this type still exist: In Aviodrome is also a machine held by the Dutch Dakota Association, which flew earlier for the Eastern Air Lines. These DC -2 with the hull number 1288 is, however, in poor condition and is a future restoration project of the museum. An original PanAm belonging DC-2 ( hull number 1368 ) was used by McDonnell Douglas as a museum aircraft; these flights were however set with the acquisition of McDonnell Douglas by Boeing in 1997. Since 2005, this copy is exhibited in the Museum of Flight in Seattle.