American Airlines Douglas DC-3 "Flagship Orange County"

Douglas DC-3 “Flagship Orange County” at Lyon Air Museum:

 

The DC-3 airliner was not only comfortable and reliable; it also made air transportation profitable for the first time. American Airline’s President, C.R. Smith, who played a key role in the development of the DC-3, said it was the first airplane that could make money just by hauling passengers, without relying on government subsidies for transporting U.S. Mail. As a result, by 1939 more than 90 percent of the nation’s airline passengers were flying on Douglas DC-2s and DC-3s. In the 21st Century hundreds of DC-3s are still flying, many in commercial service carrying cargo and even passengers.

 

Specifications and Performance:

 

Manufacturer:

Douglas Aircraft Company

 

Model:

DC-3

 

Army Air Corps Serial Number:

42-100931

 

Prototype First Flight:

December 17, 1935

 

Crew:

2

 

Passengers:

21-28, depending on configuration

 

Power:

Two 1,200-horsepower, Pratt & Whitney R-1830 “Twin Wasp” 14-cylinder or Wright Cyclone

R-1820 9-cylinder radial piston engines

 

Weight:

Basic Empty Weight – 18,300 pounds, Gross Weight – 28,000 pounds

 

Fuel Capacity:

1,700 gallons

 

Range:

1,025 miles

 

Wing Span:

95 feet

 

Length:

64 feet, 5 inches

 

Height:

16 feet, 4 inches

 

Service Ceiling:

24,000 feet

 

Number Built:

10,629 (including military C-47 version)

 

Speed:

Maximum – 237 miles per hour Cruising – 150 miles per hour

 

History of DC-3 “Flagship Orange County” at Lyon Air Museum:

 

“Flagship Orange County,” Lyon Air Museum’s own DC-3 in American Airlines livery, started life as a C-47A built during World War II. Prior to its conversion to airliner configuration, it flew with the USAAF’s famed 440th Troop Carrier Group. And just before midnight on June 5, 1944, this aircraft was positioned at Exeter Field in England, ready to fly across the Channel with hundreds of other Dakotas. Its assigned mission: Drop members of the 101st Airborne, the Screaming Eagles, over Drop Zone DELTA, to support the D-Day invasion in Normandy at 1:40 AM, on the morning of June 6, 1944.

 

Converted after the war to a DC-3 airliner configuration, it served in various roles as a cargo and passenger transport. It has been restored and given the livery of an American Airlines “Flagship” of the late 1930s to honor the key role American Airlines played in the development of the aircraft.

 

Lyon Air Museum Location:

 

Lyon Air Museum is located in the city of Santa Ana in Southern California.

 

The address is:

19300 Ike Jones Road, Santa Ana, CA 92707

 

Website: info@lyonairmuseum.org

 

The museum is located on the immediate west side of John Wayne Airport (KSNA).

 

 

 

Done