|
 Douglas DC-2 - Seattle, WA
N 47° 31.191 W 122° 18.013
10T E 552683 N 5263173
One of many static aircraft displays located at the Museum of Flight at King County International Airport. Admission fees apply.
Waymark Code: WMVHK8
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 04/21/2017
Views: 4
Located at the Museum of Flight are a large number of static aircraft on display. One of them is a Douglas DC-2. The Museum of Flight website contains a page devoted to this aircraft and it reads:
The DC-2 was developed in 1933 when TWA and the Douglas Aircraft Company decided to increase the fuselage length of the DC-1 passenger plane by two feet -- adding one additional row of seats, increasing the seat capacity to 14. The first DC-2 took to the air on May 11, 1934. Commercial and military versions of the DC-2 quickly became popular and filled the skies around the world. The U.S. Army Air Corps and later the U.S. Army Air Forces was the largest customer for the DC-2. The safe, comfortable, and reliable DC-2 was soon overshadowed when, in 1935, an improved version, the famous Douglas DC-3, flew for the first time.
The Museum's DC-2 was a former Pan American Airways aircraft that was flown by the Douglas Historical Foundation until McDonnell Douglas' merger with The Boeing Company in 1997.
The DC-2 is currently being stored offsite in private facilities and will be moved to the Museum once proper storage and exhibit locations are identified.
A nearby placard also highlights this Douglas DC-2 in more detail and reads:
Early Commercial Aviation - Introducing a New Age
The period of rapid development of technology and public excitement around aviation from 1919-1938 is known as the Golden Age of Aviation. Early aviators introduced the world to many firsts during these years as air shows and record breaking flights were frequent events. The fast pace of development of larger,
faster, and safer aircraft during this time led to the beginning of commercial aviation.
DC-2 and 247 Rivalry
Boeing developed the 247,
a new high-speed, low-wing, all-metal airliner, in the early 1930s.
U.S. airlines knew they needed the modern aircraft to be successful, but only United Air Lines (UAL) could have it Becaue Boeing Airplane Company, UAL, was a subsidiary of giant United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (UATC), it was required to deliver the first 60 Model 247s to its corporate cousin.
Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA) decided that waiting for the Boeing 247 was not an option. TWA chose the Douglas Aircraft Company to build a prototype of a comparable aircraft. In July 1933,
the DC-1 (for "Douglas Commercial 1") first flew. Impressed with the DC-1's performance, TWA ordered 20 production 14-passenger aircraft, known as the DC-2. Its comfort and speed made it an immediate success. Douglas went on to build 211 production DC-2s,
while Boeing built only 75 of their Model 247s.
Type of Aircraft: (make/model): Douglas Dc-2
Tail Number: (S/N): 1368; Registration No. N1934D / Tail Number says NC13711
Construction:: original aircraft
Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): Museum of Flight - Aviation Pavilion
inside / outside: inside
Other Information:: Not listed
Access restrictions: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Photo of aircraft (required - will be interesting to see if the aircraft is ever repainted or progress if being restored)
Photo of serial number (required unless there is not one or it is a replica)
Photo(s) of any artwork on the aircraft (optional but interesting)
Tell why you are visiting this waymark along with any other interesting facts or personal experiences about the aircraft not already mentioned.
|