Douglas DC-5
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| Douglas DC-5 | ||
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| Missing image Douglas_R3D-2.jpg | ||
| Description | ||
| Role | Passenger Transport | |
| Crew | 6 | |
| Passengers | 16-22 | |
| First flight | February 20, 1939 | |
| Entered service | ||
| Manufacturer | Douglas | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 62 ft 6 in | 19.05 m |
| Wingspan | 78 ft 0 in | 23.77 m |
| Height | 19 ft 10 in | 6.05 m |
| Wing area | 824 ft² | 76.55 m² |
| Weights | ||
| Empty | 13,680 lb | 6,202 kg |
| Loaded | 20,000 lb | 9,072 kg |
| Maximum takeoff | lb | kg |
| Powerplant | ||
| Engine | 2 × Wright GR-1820-F62 Cyclone | |
| Power (each) | 850 hp | 635 kW |
| Performance | ||
| Maximum speed | 227 mph @ 7,690 ft | 365 km/h @ 2,345 m |
| Range | 1,600 miles | 2,575 km |
| Ferry range | km | miles |
| Service ceiling | 23,700 ft | 7,225 m |
| Rate of climb | ft/min | m/min |
The Douglas DC-5, the least well-known of the famous DC airliner series, was a 16-seat, twin-propeller airplane intended for shorter routes than the DC-3 or DC-4. By the time it entered commercial service in 1940, many airlines were canceling orders due to World War II, and the Douglas corporation was already converting to war production.
Consequently, only five civilian DC-5's were ever built: one prototype and four production aircraft. Ironically, the prototype (configured with just 8 seats) became the personal airplane of William E. Boeing; his own company was already in full military production mode. It was later converted for military use. The other four planes were sold to KLM and used by their colonial subsidiaries; two of them later operated in Australia, and in 1948 the last surviving DC-5 was apparently smuggled to Israel for possible military use. The planes in US Army service are designated C-110.
There was also a military version of the plane for the Navy, called the R3D. Only seven were made.
See also:List of civil aircraft
Reference
- Douglas Propliners: DC-1 -- DC-7 by Arthur Pearcy (1995, Airlife, ISBN 1-85310-261-X).