Prebennorholm From Denmark, joined Mar 2000, 6019 posts, RR: 55 Reply 1, posted (12 years 4 months 2 weeks 2 days 12 hours ago) and read 540 times:
Dear Hawk,
The DC-5 was a twin engined plane, almost a head on competitor to the Convair CV-240, I think.
It must be considered a failure since only about a dozen were sold to one customer, KLM.
It's main disadvantage was probably that the world was full of cheap ex. military DC-3s which did not do the same job, but almost, and at a considerably lower price.
It also hit the market at a time (the Korean War) when all US aircraft manufacturers were very busy building "a new Air Force", so Douglas had little encentive to promote it.
When the market was ready for such planes, then more capable planes like the Fokker F-27 were available.
Best regards, Preben Norholm
Always keep your number of landings equal to your number of take-offs, Preben Norholm
Bingelis From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (12 years 4 months 2 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 501 times:
Actually, the DC-5 was a pre-WW2 attempt at building what we would now call a "commuter airliner," to supplement or replace the DC-3. It was smaller and slower than the Convair 240. It had a shoulder mounted wing and tricycle landing gear (as far as I know, the first for a modern American airliner). First flight in 1939. Depending on the source, either 12 or 13 were built; KLM got 4 and the US Navy (/Marine Corps) got the rest as transports. William Boeing, founder of Boeing Airplane company, bought the prototype and used it as a personal transport (registration NC21701, nicknamed "Rover"). Rumor has it that Hap Arnold, head of the American air force, personally told Douglas to cancel the DC-5 in favor of standardizing on the DC-3 (C-47) for military use during the war. And as the previous post said, by the time WW2 was over the design was outdated. The airliner Tech book "Douglas DC-6 and DC-7" has a photo of the prototype (when owned by Boeing) on P. 8.
Prebennorholm From Denmark, joined Mar 2000, 6019 posts, RR: 55 Reply 4, posted (12 years 4 months 2 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 494 times:
Sorry HAWK21M, I haven't got any pictures or such.
Bingelis' post is much more comprehensive, and also more precise than mine, I think.
My information was what I remember from a few lines in some forgotten book which I read probably twenty years ago. But since nobody else seemed to answer, then I chose to tell from my rustry memory.
Best regards, preben Norholm
Always keep your number of landings equal to your number of take-offs, Preben Norholm
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