The immortal airliner

Technically the first DC–3 variant to fly, X14988 (experimental aircraft couldn’t carry an N registration then) was equipped as and named the Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST) with sleeping berths. Following the DC–2’s success, desire for side-by-side sleeping berths from American Airlines pushed Donald Douglas to design the larger DST, wide enough to house a side-by-side berth configuration. The variant with regular seats became known as the DC–3.

Impressively, there was no prototype. The same airplane that took off from Santa Monica that December would earn a type certificate and shortly thereafter be delivered to American Airlines as NC14988.

 The DC–3 saw worldwide commercial success, and, in many ways, paved the way for modern commercial aviation. It flew longer, faster, and more comfortably than just about any other airliner at its time. But a lot of the airframe’s success came during World War II. The Douglas Company manufactured more than 10,000 military C–47 Skytrain cargo variants and C–53 Skytrooper variants during the war effort.

A lot of that manufacturing happened at Douglas Aircraft’s headquarters in Santa Monica. At its peak, the Clover Field plant was home to more than 40,000 employees, including employing many “Rosies”—a term derived from Rosie the Riveter, representing the women who took over military manufacturing jobs as men went to fight in World War II.

The aircraft become not only a shining example of American aviation engineering, but the DC–3 proved itself incredibly reliable and relatively easy to maintain. The last United States Air Force C–47 retired in 1975 after amassing more than 20,000 hours.

There are more than 100 DC–3s (and variants) still flying, and, apart from sightseeing and charter flights, companies like Desert Air Alaska, an Alaskan air cargo company, continue to operate the DC–3. Today, the aircraft lives on not only as an engineering marvel and one of the most successful airlines of its time, but also as a living reminder of the incredible sacrifices of the men and women who served valiantly in the air during World War II.

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