| DC-1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Douglas DC-1 on its handover toTranscontinental & Western Air (Predecessor of Trans World Airlines) in December 1933 | |
| Role | Prototype airliner Type of aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Douglas Aircraft Company |
| First flight | July 1, 1933 |
| Introduction | December,1933 |
| Status | Destroyed |
| Primary user | Transcontinental & Western Air |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed into | Douglas DC-2 |
TheDouglas DC-1 was the first model of the famous American DC (Douglas Commercial) commercial transport aircraft series. Although only one example of the DC-1 was produced, the design was the basis for theDC-2 andDC-3, the latter being one of the most successful aircraft in the history of aviation.
Development of the DC-1 can be traced back to the1931 crash of aTWA airliner, aFokker F-10 trimotor in which a wing failed, likely because water had seeped between the layers of the wood laminate and dissolved the glue holding the layers together. Following the accident, theAeronautics Branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce placed stringent restrictions on the use of wooden wings on passenger airliners.[1][2]Boeing developed an answer, the247, a twin-engined all-metalmonoplane with a retractable undercarriage, but their production capacity was reserved to meet the needs ofUnited Airlines, part ofUnited Aircraft and Transport Corporation which also owned Boeing. TWA needed a similar aircraft to respond to competition from the Boeing 247 and they asked five manufacturers to bid for construction of a three-engined, 12-seat aircraft of all-metal construction, capable of flying 1,080 mi (1,740 km) at 150 mph (242 km/h). The most demanding part of the specification was that the airliner would have to be capable of safely taking off from any airport on TWA's main routes (and in particularAlbuquerque, at high altitude and with severe summer temperatures) with one engine non-functioning.[3][4]
Donald Douglas was initially reluctant to participate in the invitation from TWA. He doubted that there would be a market for 100 aircraft, the number of sales necessary to cover development costs. Nevertheless, he submitted a design consisting of anall-metal, low-wing, twin-engined aircraft seating 12 passengers, a crew of two and a flight attendant. The aircraft exceeded the specifications of TWA even with only two engines, principally through the use ofcontrollable pitch propellers.[5] It was insulated against noise, heated, and fully capable of both flying and performing a controlled takeoff or landing on one engine.
Donald Douglas stated in 1935 that the first DC-1 cost $325,000 to design and build.[6]
Only one aircraft was produced. The prototypefirst flew on July 1, 1933,[7] flown byCarl Cover. It was given the model nameDC-1, or Douglas Commercial Model 1.[8] During a half-year of testing, it performed more than 200 test flights and demonstrated its superiority over the most-used airliners at that time, theFord Trimotor andFokker Trimotor. It was flown across the United States on February 19, 1934, making the journey in the record time of 13 hours 5 minutes.[9]
TWA accepted the aircraft on 15 September 1933 with a few modifications (mainly increasing seating to 14 passengers and adding more powerful engines) and subsequently ordered 20 examples of the developed production model which was named theDouglas DC-2.[10]
The DC-1 was sold toLord Forbes in the United Kingdom in May 1938, who operated it for a few months before selling it inFrance in October 1938. It was then sold toLíneas Aéreas Postales Españolas (L.A.P.E.) inSpain in November 1938 and was also used by theSpanish Republican Air Force as a transport aircraft.[11] It was later operated byIberia Airlines from July 1939 with the nameNegron; it force-landed atMálaga Airport, Spain, on October 4, 1940 and was damaged beyond repair.[10]
Data from McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920[12]
General characteristics
Performance
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
