Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3

Author: Robert Jackson

Publisher: Air World

Published: 2020-12-30

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 1526759993

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A guide to the plane that changed commercial aviation: “A whopping 109 color photos shows kits in various stages of completion . . . Enjoyed it.” —Historical Miniatures Gaming Society No airliner in the history of commercial aviation has had a more profound effect than the Douglas DC-3. Reliable and easy to maintain, it carried passengers in greater comfort than ever before. Its origins stem from a design by the Douglas Aircraft Company of Santa Monica, California. Known as the Douglas Commercial One, or DC-1, this new aircraft was revolutionary in concept. It was quickly developed into the DC-2, which led to Douglas’ domination of the domestic air routes of the United States, and of half the world. Experience with the DC-2 led to an improved version, the Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST), first flown on December 17, 1935. This in turn evolved into a 21-seat variant, the DC-3, featuring many improvements. The first American Airlines DC-3 entered service in June 1936, and within three years of its introduction the aircraft accounted for a staggering 95 percent of all US commercial air traffic. From commencement of service to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the DC-3 increased domestic revenue passenger miles more than fivefold. Of the 322 aircraft operated by the country’s airlines in December 1941, 260 were DC-3s. At the pre-war peak, 30 foreign airlines operated the DC-3. On the eve of war, the DC-3’s scheduled flights represented 90 percent of international air traffic. In addition to over 600 civil examples of the DC-3, 10,048 military C-47 variants were built, as well as 4,937 produced under license in the USSR as the Lisunov Li-2 and 487 built by Showa and Nakajima in Japan as the L2D. After the war, thousands of surplus C-47s were converted for civilian use. These aircraft became the standard equipment of almost all the world’s airlines, remaining in frontline service for many years. The ready availability of cheap, easily maintained ex-military C-47s, large and fast by the standards of the day, jump-started the worldwide postwar air transport industry. The full remarkable story of the DC-3, and its ancestor the DC-2, is told in these pages, providing a wealth of information for the modeler and the enthusiast alike.

P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang

Author: Robert Jackson

Publisher: Air World

Published: 2020-09-30

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 1526759918

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An illustrated history of the renowned fighter aircraft, ideal for modelers and aviation enthusiasts: “Highly recommended.” —AMPS Indianapolis The North American P-51 Mustang was one of the most successful and effective fighter aircraft of all time. It was initially produced in response to a 1940 RAF requirement for a fast, heavily armed fighter able to operate effectively at altitudes in excess of 20,000 feet. North American built the prototype in 117 days, and the aircraft, designated NA-73X, flew on October 26, 1940. The first of 320 production Mustang Is for the RAF flew on May 1, 1941, powered by an 1,100hp Allison V-1710-39 engine. RAF test pilots soon found that with this powerplant the aircraft did not perform well at high altitude, but that its low-level performance was excellent. It was when the Mustang airframe was married to a Packard-built Rolls-Royce Merlin engine that the aircraft’s true excellence became apparent. Possessing a greater combat radius than any other Allied single-engine fighter, it became synonymous with the Allied victory in the air. During the last eighteen months of the war in Europe, escorting bomber formations, it hounded the Luftwaffe to destruction in the very heart of Germany. In the Pacific, operating from advance bases, it ranged over the Japanese Home Islands, joining carrier-borne fighters such as the Grumman Hellcat to bring the Allies massive air superiority. Yet the Mustang came about almost by accident, a product of the Royal Air Force’s urgent need for new combat aircraft in the dark days of 1940, when Britain, fighting for survival, turned to the United States for help in the island nation’s darkest hour. This is its story, including plentiful photos and information for modelers.

Illustrated History of McDonnell Douglas Aircraft
Illustrated History of McDonnell Douglas Aircraft

Author: Bill Gunston

Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Published: 1999-12-15

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781855329249

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What a history. What a company. With close technical analysis from Bill Gunston and artist Mike Badrocke's meticulous cutaway drawings, presented to the best effect on fold-out pages, this volume tells the complete story of one of the few truly great aircraft builders.