WIX Archives
Re: DC-5
Posted by Musante on Sat Sep 20, 2003 04:50:48 AM
In reply top DC-5 posted by Rob Rohr on Thu Sep 18, 2003 07:26:35 PM
I fw your request to the Classic Propiner list and Ruud Leeuw came up with the following info on the DC-5:
>>>
Quite a bit of interesting info on the internet; compressed some of
it to the following (hope it's not too long):
The Douglas DC-5 was developed as a 16/22 passenger civilian
airliner, with a high wing and tricycle landing gear. Four examples
were produced for KLM Airlines, and were used to evacuate civilians
from Java to Australia in 1942. One of these aircraft was damaged and
captured by the Japanese, who extensively test flew it. The earliest
U.S. DC-5 military operations were by the U.S. Navy who had ordered
seven examples in 1939. Three were R3D-1 16-seat personnel carriers,
and four were R3D-2s (22 seat paratrooper version) for the U.S.
Marine Corps. The prototype was sold to William Boeing, but was later
impressed into the U.S. Navy as the sole R3D-3.
http://www.daveswarbirds.com/usplanes/aircraft/dc-5.htm
The DC-5 was an all-metal, twin-engined, high-wing monoplane with
retractable tricycle landing gear. All of the DC-5's were built at
the Douglas plant in El Segundo, California.
Orders for 21 civil versions of the DC-5 had been placed by airlines
in the U.S., Europe and South America. The U.S. Navy also placed an
order for seven aircraft, three for the USN and four for the U.S.
Marine Corps (USMC). Ff on 20 February 1939. Aerodynamic problems
were encountered during the test program. This tail buffeting problem
was solved by giving the horizontal tail surface pronounced dihedral.
Unfortunately, the problem was not solved until after the start of
World War II and orders for 17 of the 21 civil aircraft that had been
ordered were canceled.
http://www.microworks.net/pacific/aviation/r3d.htm
R3D-1: 3 16-seat personnel transports ordered for the USN. The first
aircraft crashed at Mines Field, Los Angeles, California on 1 June
1940 before delivery; the other two were delivered in July 1940.
R3D-2: 4 transport aircraft for the USMC delivered in September and
October 1940. The aircraft was designed to carry aircraft engines,
propellers and other heavy freight. Alternately, 22 bucket seats
could be installed for paratroop training.
R3D-3: The DC-5 prototype was purchased by William E. Boeing of the
Boeing Airplane Company and delivered on 19 April 1940. In February
1942, the aircraft was impressed (drafted) by the USN to replace the
R3D-1 that crashed.
Also histories of individual (military aircraft) on:
http://www.microworks.net/pacific/aviation/r3d.htm
(Fate on aircraft not always clear, e.g. "stricken off inventory";
seems unlikely any of the US residing aircraft survived)
Fate of the civilians (from
http://users.chariot.net.au/~theburfs/dc5MAIN.html) :
WW2 diverted the 4 civil production aircraft from their intended use
by KLM on European routes. Two went to the West Indies division of
the airline instead, based at Cura?ao, and two to the Netherlands
East Indies, for operation out of Batavia with KNILM. The West Indian
pair were transferred to KNILM to ease an aircraft shortage there,
and all four were later used (with other aircraft) to evacuate
civilians to Australia in 1942 as the Japanese advanced. One was
captured, evaluated and displayed in Tokyo.
One (callsign VH-CXA) was destroyed during a Japanese attack on
Ward's Strip on 17 Aug. 1942.
(callsign) VH-CXB suffered substantial damage in a forced landing on
6 Nov. 1942, east of Charleville, Qld., and was used for spares.
(Callsign) VH-CXC was operated by Australian National Airways
(A.N.A.). Returned to the USAAF on 30 April 1944. It was leased to
A.N.A. and used on the Melbourne-Tasmania route, wearing callsign VH-
CXC as a civil registration. It was sold to A.N.A. in 1945, and in
1946 was registered as VH-ARD. It was sold to private owners in
January 1948. In April, New Holland Airways owned VH-ARD, and the
aircraft was named Bali Clipper. It was used, at least briefly, in
immigrant charter between Italy and Australia, before sale to Israel.
This sale was illegal insofar as it lacked Australian government
sanction. The aircraft then flew in camouflage with the Israeli Air
Force. After landing gear damage in late 1948, it was eventually
taken to the Aviation Technical School at Haifa. It was noted there
as late as December 1954, and was subsequently scrapped, the last
example of its type.
All the websites warrant a visit, plenty of detailed info there.
Ruud