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Douglas DC -3
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Douglas DC -3
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The flying market changes
As the requirements of the
post-World War II air travel market
changed, the response from
Douglas™ was the faster and
more powerful Super DC-3™. The
DC-3 also played a major role in air
transport in developing countries.
ASSEMBLY GUIDE
Right wing, fuselage and engine
Assembly of the first part of the right
wing; assembly of the fuselage and
starting to fit the engines.
207
199
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Pack
Douglas DC -3
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The flying market changes
The flying market changes
As the 1940s came to an end, the
process of expansion triggered
by the appearance of the DC-3 ended
with the final modifications of the twin-
engined Douglas. In that period, the quest
for greater occupancy, speed and cargo
capacity, which was also stimulated by
military requirements, resulted in the arrival
in the commercial sector of new models
with four or six engines. Douglas had
already entered this area of development
during the war with the DC-4 (first flight
of the production model, 14 February
1942), followed by the DC-6 (inaugural
flight, 15 February 1946). The two models
The Boeing-377™ Stratocruiser, which entered into
service with Pan Am early in 1949, was one of the
new aircraft which, between the end of the 1940s
and the start of the 1950s, would oust the DC-3 from
its predominant position in the air transport market.
Faster, more powerful and with greater capacity, the
four-engine aircraft represented a challenge which the
twin-engine Douglas would not be able to overcome.
Build Douglas DC
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3199
introduced significant innovations (most
importantly, the pressurised cabin of the
DC-6), but, unlike the DC-3, they were in
a market that was already crowded with
competitors, such as the Being 307™ and
377, the Lockheed L-049 Constellation
and L-1049 Super Constellation, and
the Handley-Page Hermes, all of which
appeared in the last years of the 1940s and
in the early years of the following decade.
Larger, faster, more
powerful… the Super DC-3
Although faced with the challenge of the
competition, for Douglas the success
and long life of the DC-3 put a brake on
renewal. In seeking to respond to the new
requirements of the market, technical
obsolescence, increasing operating
costs and new safety standards set by
the authorities, the initial reaction was to
reproduce the DC-3 on a larger scale.
This was the same strategy of ‘change
with continuity’ which had marked the
transition from the DC-1 to the DC-2,
and subsequently to the DC-3. It was in
this context that the team of technical
engineers led by Malcolm K. Oleson
set about designing the Super DC-3.
The aircraft was thought of as a ‘major
A TWA Lockheed L-1049
Super Constellation.
As with other four-engine
aircraft of the time,
civilian and military uses
were closely interwoven.
Powered by four Wright
R-3350 engines of
3,250bhp, the L-1049
had a range of 5,150
miles at a cruising
speed of 304mph, with
a ceiling of 25,700 feet,
carrying – depending on
the version – from 47 to
106 passengers in its
pressurised cabin.
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200
The flying market changes
modification’ of the previous model,
rather than as something completely
new; surviving from the DC-3 were the
twin engines and the basic structure, but
numerous modifications were carried
out (as had happened with the DC-3
compared to the DC-2), making an aircraft
that was 75% new.
In terms of size, the Super DC-3
was 79 inches longer than the standard
DC-3, 39 inches being added to the
front section and 40 inches to the main
compartment, so that the usable space
was increased by six feet seven inches.
The engines were two P&W 2000s, the
same as those fitted to the four-engine
DC-4, enclosed within larger gondolas.
The front wheels were now completely
retractable and the rear one partially so.
The whole aircraft had, in fact, undergone
a profound process of aerodynamic
refinement: the outer part of the wings
was much shorter and wider, swept
back 4° to compensate for the centre
of gravity which had moved towards the
Like its predecessor the DC-4,
the DC-6 represented Douglas’s
attempt to adapt to the
changed competitive situation,
in particular to the challenge
of the Lockheed Constellation.
More than 700 examples were
produced. It came into service
in 1947 and was acquired by
United, American, Capital,
Delta, National, Braniff, Pan Am
and Panagra, among others.
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In this side view of the
DC-3S/C-117, the differences
between it and the original
model can be seen. These
include a longer fuselage,
the larger fin with its new
shape and a long connecting
dorsal surface between it
and the upper part of the
fuselage. Under the motor
gondolas are the hatches for
the undercarriage, which was
now completely retractable.
These modifications, together
with the detailed work of
refining the aerodynamics and
the adoption of more powerful
engines, helped to raise the
aircraft’s maximum speed to
almost 240mph.
tail, while the tail surfaces, the rudder and
the hinge between it and the fuselage
were widened and lengthened. Thanks
to these modifications, the capacity
of the DC-3S was increased to 34
passengers and three crew members,
the cruising speed to 238mph, the
ceiling to 24,000 feet and the range to
1,600 miles.
Overall, however, the Super DC-3
was not a great success. The price/
performance ratio was particularly poor
and the offer to convert the DC-3s
still operating into the new aircraft, in
exchange for a payment contribution of
$150,000, did not result in the success
expected. The tooling, design and
development of the Super DC-3 cost
the company about $3,000,000 and,
according to Donald Douglas himself,
the production capacity installed
would have been able to produce 10
Another view of the DC-3S.
This plane was built in 1952
as a US Navy R4D-8, with
the serial number 43312. The
aircraft is still in use today,
registered to TMF Aircraft of
Opa Locka (Miami, Florida),
a company which carries out
cargo transport to and from
the Bahamas and Central
America. Its registration
number, N587MB, can
be seen on the side. The
company also has another
DC-3S R4D-8 (registration
N32TN), previously exhibited
in the US Navy Museum in
Pensacola, Florida.
Formed in 1946 as a solely international airline,
SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System) started
operating with DC-3s used by the partner
companies on local and regional routes in 1948.
Among the partners, only the Swedish airline ABA
had possessed DC-3s before the Second World
War, while the companies with the Danish flag
(Det Danske Luftfartskelskab) and Norwegian (Det
Norske Luftfartskelskab) had formed their own
fleet in the succeeding years with government
surplus materials. The DC-3s of SAS (20 from
ABA, 13 from DNL and 15 from DDL) continued
to operate until the end of the 1950s, before
finding their way to Africa in many cases.
As well as Pan Am and Panagra, Braniff
International made a great contribution to the
popularity of the DC-3 in Latin America. Founded
in 1928 and active on the routes of the Midwest
and south-eastern United States, from 1945 the
company extended its activities to routes between
Mexico and Central and South America.
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202
The flying market changes
aircraft a month in three different cabin
configurations. But the number of the
DC-3S aircraft sold to airlines was only
three; these were sold to Capital Airlines
as conversions of the standard DC-3,
at a unit cost of $250,000. In spite of
its declarations of approval, Capital used
the new DC-3S for less than two years
and never finalised an order for 20 more
aircraft, with which it had intended to
modernise its fleet.
The DC-3 and air transport in
the developed world
There were two factors that pushed the
DC-3 out of the mainstream air transport
market: increasing operating costs, and
the constraints put on its operation by the
federal air transport authorities. In spite of
increased availability, the strong demand of
the immediate post-war period had raised
the prices of spare parts. In 1947, a piston
rod which in 1937 cost $75 had increased
to $225, and a cylinder which cost $17.50
was $60. High fuel consumption was
another element which contributed to
raising the operating costs. Over the legal
amortisation period, the DC-3 had no tax
advantages. Although its more recent
competitors cost more to buy, they paid
for themselves earlier, and could cover
their costs with a usage rate lower than
the 75 to 80% required by the DC-3.
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Swissair was one of the European companies which continued using the DC-3 in its own fleet for the longest time. Four of the five aircraft acquired
in 1937 (HB-IRA, HB-IRE, HB-IRI and HB_IRO; the fifth, HB-IRU, sold to the Swedish airlline ABA in 1940, had crashed in 1943) were only
decommissioned in 1955. A DC-3D acquired in 1946 (HB-IRB) continued to be used by Swissair until 1962 and the twin of the latter (HB-IRC) until
1969. The four DC-3 aircraft had been acquired from the US airline Ozark Air, while the two DC-3Ds were sold in Norway and South Africa.
Confirming the versatility and operating capacity
of the DC-3 20 years after its appearance on the
market, an R4D-5 of the US Navy was the first
aircraft to land and take off from the North Pole,
on 30 September 1956. On this occasion, the
C-47 carried seven technicians and the necessary
equipment to install a series of navigation aids for
a scientific observation station.
A DC-3 coming to ground
on a very rough landing strip.
The ability of the twin-engine
Douglas to utilise even
makeshift airstrips was a
large part of the reason for
its success both in military
engagements and with small
outfits in countries of the
developing world. In these
contexts, toughness, and
simplicity of operation and
maintenance were invaluable,
compensating for the gradual
increase in operating costs
and the growing technology
gap between the aircraft and
its more recent competitors.
As well as this there was the cost of
complying with the orders imposed by
the FAR 4B relating to transport aircraft.
In spite of the progressive withdrawal
from US passenger routes (American
Airlines, which was the first of the major
companies to do so, took the last of its
DC-3s out of service in 1949), the DC-3
nonetheless continued in operation.
In June 1949, TWA still had 65 in
operation, Delta 43 and Northeast 21.
On 31 December 1971, there were still
1,470 DC-3s operating around the world,
and in 1975, 400. Various European
carriers continued to use the DC-3 until
the end of the 1960s. KLM, Alitalia and
Aer Lingus took the last of their DC-3s
out of service in 1964; Swissair and
Air France in 1969. In many cases, the
decommissioned aircraft found their way
to the former colonies, as happened to
those of BOAC, which went to form the
East African Company in 1958 and, from
1958, the national airlines (Nigeria, Ghana
and Sierra Leone Airways and Gambia Air
Shuttle) born from the dissolution of the
West African Airways Company.
The DC-3 also successfully caught
on in Latin America, after being
decommissioned by United States
airlines. Pan Am’s part-ownership of
Panagra and the various South American
Build Douglas DC
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204
The flying market changes
Donald W. Douglas Sr.
The start of the commercial decline of the DC-3 corresponded to
the progressive detachment of Donald W. Douglas from direct
activities in the company that he had founded. Born in New York on
6 April 1892, Douglas had been admitted to the Naval Academy of
Annapolis in 1909, and this delayed the start of the aircraft designer’s
career for three more years. Having received a degree in aircraft
engineering at MIT in 1914, he worked for a year as assistant to
Jerome Hunsaker. He then found a job at the Connecticut Aircraft
Company and in 1915 became chief engineer at the Glenn Martin
Company in Santa Ana, California. After holding the post of Chief
Civilian Aeronautical Engineer in the Aviation Section of the US Army
Signal Corps for a time, in 1918 Douglas went to work for Martin (with
its headquarters now in Cleveland, Ohio), for whom he designed the
Martin MB-1 bomber.
His move into the world of the aircraft entrepreneurs took place in
1920 with the brief experience of the Davis-Douglas Company and the
coast-to-coast Douglas Cloudster. When David-Douglas closed down,
still in 1920, Douglas formed the Douglas Aircraft Company, where he
was able to use some of the experience gained with the Cloudster by
making the new Douglas DT torpedo bomber for the Navy in 1921.
From then on, the position of Douglas was gradually consolidated,
in the fields of both military and civilian aircraft, culminating in the
boom in military aircraft in the Second World War. Throughout this
period, Douglas kept the management of the company concentrated
in his own hands as president and as chairman of the company’s
board of directors. He handed over the first role to his son, Donald
W. Douglas Jr., in 1957, but he kept his position as chairman of the
board until the merger of Douglas with McDonnell (1967). Thereafter,
he was made honorary president of the new McDonnell-Douglas
company, a position he held until his death at the age of 88 in Palm
Springs on 1 February 1981.
Donald W. Douglas Sr. presided over the management of the Douglas Aircraft
Company from its foundation until its merger with the McDonnell Aircraft
Corporation in 1967. From the end of the 1920s, the name of Douglas acquired
the best minds in the United States aeronautical industry for the factories in
California; these included Arthur Raymond, John Northrop, Jerry Vultee, Lee
Atwood, Ed Heinemann and James Kindelberger. Northrop and Vultee later
formed their own companies, while Atwood and Kindelberger went on to North
American Aviation.
Build Douglas DC
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3205
companies favoured this process, as well
as encouraging the competition, in the
regional market, between Pan Am and
Braniff International (which would itself
be merged with Panagra in 1967), both
great users of the twin-engine Douglas.
In this way, new users were allied with
The military versions
of the DC-3S
If the Super DC-3 got only a cool reception from
the commercial sector, it was given a warmer
welcome by the US armed forces, in particular
the US Navy. The version originally produced for
the USAF (the YC-47F; a DC-3S modified with the
installation of more powerful engines and a flat
metal floor in the style of the C-47) was actually
rejected after the testing stage in favour of the
Convair C-131, but the Navy and the Marine Corps
(USMC) commissioned Douglas to carry out the
conversion of 100 R4D-5, 6 and 7 aircraft into the
standard DC-3S; the new aircraft were given the
denomination R4D-8 and, later, C-117D (1962).
As well as the Navy, Douglas also developed
three special versions of the C-117: the R4D-8T
(TC-177D) for training, the R4D-8Z (VC-117D) for
personnel transport and the R4D-8L (LC-117D) for
operation in Arctic regions.
An R4D-8 of the US Navy in
the version for operating in
Arctic conditions (R4D-8L).
The US Marine Corps was
the principal customer for
the DC-3S. The aircraft in
the photograph (BNC17219),
made its first flight in 1944
as R4D-5, after having been
ordered by the USAAF as
the C-47A, registration
42-93374. It was irreparably
damaged on 12 November
1961 at Sentinel Range on
the Ellsworth Mountains in
Antarctica, when it lost its left
undercarriage after landing.
‘historic’ operators such as Cubana de
Aviación and the Venezuelan LAV. Also
in Latin America, the spread of the C-47
in the military sphere had an effect on
the civilian market. Many of the aircraft
received by the South American armed
forces between the end of the 1940s
and the early 1950s in the context of the
various United States aid programmes
were handed over to private operators
after decommissioning (usually small or
medium-small operators), thus continuing
to provide services. In some cases, they
are still doing so today. ■
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206
Take the pieces of the front landing gear supplied with
Pack 7. Take both parts of piece SD52 and glue them
together, making sure that they are exactly aligned.
Smooth the joint with a file and abrasive paper.
Take the laser-cut framework from this pack, which contains
pieces for the central part of the right wing. Remember to
remove the pieces with a craft knife one at a time, and use a file
and abrasive paper to make the outline smooth and even.
Now take the wheel pivot SD52 and wheel SD53. Smooth
off any imperfections. Apply primer to both pieces and paint
them aluminium.
The central section of the right wing is assembled in the same
way as shown in Pack 8, but symmetrically opposite. Position
and glue pieces A9, A10, A11 and A12 into piece A3. Make
sure that the joints are exactly at right angles.
Fit the tyre SD54 to the wheel SD53. Complete the
assembly of the rear landing wheel with two of the screws
TR supplied with Pack 7, as shown. Put the whole
assembly safely aside to be used later.
Complete the assembly by fitting and gluing pieces A4, A5,
A6, A7 and A8. Keep piece A13, included in the laser-cut
sheet, to be fitted later.
21 3
654
Assembly Guide
Right wing, fuselage and engine
SD52 SD52 SD54SD53
SD53 TR
A9
A10
A11
A12
A3
A5
A4
A7
A8
A6
90°
WIDE
NARROW
N.B. Some elements supplied with each pack, in particular the sheets
of laser-cut plywood parts, may not look exactly identical to those in
the step-by-step photographs. But of course, the individual assembly
pieces included within the laser-cut plywood parts will have exactly the
same shapes, sizes and descriptions as those shown here.
See the back cover for a checklist of your parts for this pack.
Build Douglas DC
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3207
Assembly Guide
Fit and glue the stringers into all the notches of the module.
File the notches if necessary so that the outer surfaces of
the stringers are flush with the ribs. Apply wood filler where
necessary and paint the whole assembly green.
From the lower part of the assembly, remove the piece of the
stringer indicated, so as to leave an opening in the structure.
Prepare covering piece A7bR. Mark and cut out the rectangle
shown to provide access to the opening you have just made.
Take pieces C69D and C70D and use a file and abrasive
paper to remove any imperfections. Prepare cladding piece
A7aR and mark the lines of rivets. Apply primer and paint
green as shown. Leave it to dry.
Fit and glue cladding pieces A7aR and A7bR in place. Align
the rectangle in piece A7bR exactly with the space made in
the previous step.
Insert and glue pieces C69D and C70D in position, as shown
in the photograph.
Complete the cladding of the assembly with covering pieces
A7cR and A7dR.
87 9
121110
C70D
A7aR
C70D
C69D
C69D
A7bR A7aR A7bR A7dR
A7dR
A7cR
A7cR
19mm 15mm
44mm
11mm
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208
Assembly Guide
Right wing, fuselage and engine
Complete the central section of the right wing, following the
procedure used in the central section of the left wing in Pack
8, adding the landing gear and the engine cowling for the
right side of the aircraft.
Accurately mask both the sections of the wings as illustrated,
leaving only the engine cowling exposed.
Take both pieces SD68. Use a file and abrasive paper to
remove any moulding marks. Fit and glue each piece into the
lower part of the cowling of both engines (of the right wing and
the left wing), as shown in the photograph.
In the lower part, be careful to cover the landing gear and to
mask the hollow areas completely.
Take pieces SD69. Use a file and abrasive paper to remove
imperfections. Fit and glue the pieces onto the upper part
of the cowling of both engines, as illustrated.
Apply primer to the engine cowling and leave it to dry.
1413 15
181716
SD68
SD69 SD69
SD68
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3209
Assembly Guide
2119
20
Now apply the base coat of black gloss paint. Leave it to dry.
Paint the engine cowling chrome, applying two or three light
coats with the airbrush at low pressure.
Gently and carefully remove all the masking from both the central wing sections.
Build Douglas DC
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210
Assembly Guide
Right wing, fuselage and engine
2422
23
Take the photo-etched grilles S42. Carefully smooth them
and attach them as shown to both the central sections of
the wings. Keep the remaining parts of the photo-etched
sheet to be fitted later.
Keeping the various parts of the aircraft in front of you, apply
primer to the rear side of the crew cabin with a brush.
Without gluing it, put the crew cabin and the passenger cabin together. On the rear side of the crew cabin, mark the position of the
aluminium stringer which separates the beige and sky blue colours of the walls of the passenger cabin.
S42
S42
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3211
Assembly Guide
Paint the part above the line beige and the lower part sky
blue. Leave to dry.
Mask the opening of the module, leaving a border 1mm wide round the doorway. Paint the door frame aluminium, as shown.
2725
26
Separate the crew cabin from the passenger cabin. Using the
mark made in the previous step as a guide, make a broken
pencil line, parallel with the floor, on the rear side of the crew
cabin, as indicated by the arrows.
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212
Assembly Guide
Right wing, fuselage and engine
Cut two pieces of a stringer painted aluminium and glue these
onto each side of the door as illustrated.
From a left-over piece of aluminium for the cladding, cut
two pieces 6 x 3mm. Without cutting right through, mark
the centre line of both pieces with a knife. Then take a punch
and carefully mark four rivets on each piece, as shown.
Take piece 2DOOR from the laser-cut framework supplied with Pack 2. Apply wood filler where necessary and paint both sides
beige, then leave to dry. Mask the central part of both sides (see the second-from-left photograph above) and paint the edges
aluminium. Leave the paint to dry, then carefully remove the masking.
In the positions indicated, glue the hinges made in the
previous step to the door and let the adhesive dry. With flat-
nose pliers, carefully bend the hinges so that they are at an
angle of about 90°.
With a file and abrasive paper, smooth the door handles SJ
supplied with Pack 2. Apply primer and paint them aluminium.
Once dry, fit them to both sides of the door, as shown.
2928
30 3231
6mm
6mm
3mm
12mm
12mm
24mm
24mm
6mm
2DOOR
SJ
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3213
Assembly Guide
Using a craft knife, remove the paint in the contact area of the joint between the crew cabin and the passenger cabin. If you do not
want to install lighting in your DC-3, ignore the instructions relating to the installation of the electrical system.
Fix the door to the rear side of the crew cabin section, as illustrated.
Fit and glue the crew cabin to the passenger cabin using the
bamboo pins as a guide when joining them together. Then
stand the fuselage up vertically, as illustrated, to keep the
two parts together while the glue dries.
33 35
34
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214
Assembly Guide
Right wing, fuselage and engine
The crew cabin is now attached to the passenger cabin. Prepare the final section of the fuselage (from Pack 5) to be joined to the rear part of the
passenger cabin. Carefully thread a piece of soft wire through the assembly to make it easier
to fit the cables for the LED lighting into the tail section.
With a craft knife, carefully remove the paint from the contact area between the kitchen and the
passenger cabin, indicated by broken lines in the photograph.
Twist together the wires which emerge from the rear part of the passenger cabin and the wire
which you positioned in Step 37.
36 37
3938
Build Douglas DC
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3215
Assembly Guide
The parts of the fuselage shown above are now permanently joined together.
Pull the cables through to the rear of the plane by using the guide wire, as shown above, then remove the guide wire.
Join and glue the tail section (kitchen) to the passenger
cabin using the dowel pegs as a guide. Position the fuselage
vertically, as shown in the photograph, to keep the join
together while the adhesive dries.
40 41
42
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