Editing Douglas DC-3 (section)

==Operational history==
[[File:Douglas DC-3 Aigle Azur Palas Jet 1953.jpg|thumb|[[Aigle Azur]] (France) Douglas C-47B in 1953, with a ventral [[Turbomeca Palas]] booster jet for hot and high operations]]
[[File:Air India DC 3 at Heathrow.jpg|thumbnail|[[Air India]] DC-3 at [[London Heathrow Airport]] in 1958]]
[[File:Douglas C-47B EP-ACK Iranian Natnl Ringway 24.04.54 edited-2.jpg|thumbnail|[[Iran Air| Iranian National Airways]] DC-3 in 1954]]
[[File:DC-3 on Floats N130Q.JPG|thumb|DC-3 on amphibious EDO floats in 2003.]]
[[File:Two DC-3s - one loading, one taxiing.jpg|thumb|Two C-47s - one boarding skydivers, while another taxis by, 1977]]
[[File:Douglas DC 3 from 1942 at Santa Monica Airport California Photo by Steve Shelokhonov July 2024 IMG 3845 2.jpg|thumb|Douglas DC-3 built in 1942 as a 28-seat paratrooper and glider tug. Retired from military service in 1946, now on display at [[Museum of Flying]], [[Santa Monica Airport]], [[California]], July 2024]]
[[File:CX-DC3-VRHDB2.jpg|thumb|''Betsy'', a DC-3 now in the [[Hong Kong Science Museum]] inaugurated operations with [[Cathay Pacific]] in 1946]]
[[File:C-47s at Tempelhof Airport Berlin 1948.jpg|thumb|C-47 Skytrains during the [[Berlin Airlift]]]]

American Airlines inaugurated passenger service on June 26, 1936, with simultaneous flights from [[Newark, New Jersey]] and [[Chicago]], Illinois.<ref>Holden, Henry. [http://www.dc3history.org/douglasdc3.html "The DC-3 Genesis of The Legend"]. dc3history.org. Retrieved October 7, 2010.</ref> Early U.S. airlines like [[American Airlines|American]], [[United Airlines|United]], [[Trans World Airlines|TWA]], [[Eastern Air Lines|Eastern]], and [[Delta Air Lines|Delta]] ordered over 400 DC-3s. These fleets paved the way for the modern American air travel industry, which eventually replaced [[train]]s as the most common means of long-distance travel across the United States. A nonprofit group, Flagship Detroit Foundation, continues to operate the only original American Airlines Flagship DC-3 with air show and airport visits throughout the U.S.<ref name="DC-3.">[http://www.flagshipdetroit.org/ "DC-3"]. Flagship Detroit Foundation. Retrieved October 7, 2010.</ref>

In 1936, [[KLM]] Royal Dutch Airlines received its first DC-3, which replaced the DC-2 in service from [[Amsterdam]] via Batavia (now [[Jakarta]]) to [[Sydney]], by far the world's longest scheduled route at the time. In total, KLM bought 23 DC-3s before the war broke out in Europe.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} In 1941, a [[China National Aviation Corporation]] (CNAC) DC-3 pressed into wartime transportation service was bombed on the ground at Suifu Airfield in China, destroying the outer right wing. The only spare available was that of a smaller Douglas DC-2 in CNAC's workshops. The DC-2's right wing was removed, flown to Suifu under the belly of another CNAC DC-3, and bolted up to the damaged aircraft. After a single test flight, in which it was discovered that it pulled to the right due to the difference in wing sizes, the so-called DC-2½ was flown to safety.<ref>[http://www.cnac.org/aircraft02.htm "CNAC'S DC-2 1/2"] Retrieved November 8, 2016.</ref>

During World War II, many civilian DC-3s were requisitioned for the war effort and more than 10,000 U.S. military versions of the DC-3 were built, under the designations [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|C-47, C-53, R4D, and Dakota]]. Peak production was reached in 1944, with 4,853 being delivered.<ref>Gradidge 2006, p. 15.</ref> The armed forces of many countries used the DC-3 and its military variants for the transport of troops, cargo, and wounded. Licensed copies of the DC-3 were built in Japan as the Showa L2D (487 aircraft); and in the Soviet Union as the [[Lisunov Li-2]] (4,937 aircraft).<ref name="Gradidge p. 20"/>

After the war, thousands of cheap ex-military DC-3s became available for civilian use.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Norton |first1=Bill |title=Air War on the Edge: A History of the Israeli Air Force and Its Aircraft Since 1947 |date=2004 |publisher=Midland |isbn=9781857800883 |page=99 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q84hAQAAIAAJ|language=en}}</ref> [[Cubana de Aviación]] became the first Latin American airline to offer a scheduled service to [[Miami]] when it started its first scheduled international service from [[Havana]] in 1945 with a DC-3. Cubana used DC-3s on some domestic routes well into the 1960s.<ref>[https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1958/1958%20-%200519.html FlightGlobal archive (April 18, 1953)]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160306203832/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%200598.html FlightGlobal archive (November 14, 1946)]</ref>

Douglas developed an improved version, the Super DC-3, with more power, greater cargo capacity, and an improved wing, but with surplus aircraft available for cheap, they failed to sell well in the civilian aviation market.<ref>{{cite web |title=Douglas DC-3 Dakota |url=https://www.ukhat.org/aircraft-detail?aircraft=douglas-dc-3-dakota&id=12 |website=UK Heritage Aviation Trust |access-date=November 9, 2019 |archive-date=December 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224214927/https://www.ukhat.org/aircraft-detail?aircraft=douglas-dc-3-dakota&id=12 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Only five were delivered, three of them to [[Capital Airlines (United States)|Capital Airlines]]. The U.S. Navy had 100 of its early R4Ds converted to Super DC-3 standard during the early 1950s as the [[Douglas R4D-8|Douglas R4D-8/C-117D]]. The last U.S. Navy C-117 was retired on July 12, 1976.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010621174759/http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-1910/PART10.PDF "The Seventies 1970–1980: C-117, p. 316"].  ''history.navy.mil''. Retrieved August 10, 2010.</ref> The last U.S. Marine Corps C-117, serial 50835, was retired from active service during June 1982. Several remained in service with small airlines in North and South America in 2006.<ref>Gradidge 2006, pp. 634–637.</ref>

The [[United States Forest Service]] used the DC-3 for [[smoke jumping]] and general transportation until the last example was retired in December 2015.<ref>{{cite news|last= Gabbert|first=Bill|title=The last Forest Service DC-3 retires|newspaper=Fire Aviation |date=December 21, 2015|url= https://fireaviation.com/2015/12/12/the-last-forest-service-dc-3-retires/|access-date= March 7, 2020}}</ref>

A number of aircraft companies attempted to design a "DC-3 replacement" over the next three decades (including the very successful [[Fokker F27|Fokker F27 Friendship]]), but no single type could match the versatility, rugged reliability, and economy of the DC-3. While newer airliners soon replaced it on longer high-capacity routes, it remained a significant part of air transport systems well into the 1970s as a regional airliner before being replaced by early [[Regional jet|regional jets]].

=== DC-3 in the 21st century===
[[File:DC-3 in SoAfrica.jpg|thumb|[[Rovos Air]] C-47A operating in South Africa, 2006]]
[[File:RNZAF C-47 Dakota, 2010.jpg|thumb|DC-3 flown as a [[warbird]], previously flew for the [[Royal New Zealand Air Force]] and New Zealand's [[National Airways Corporation (New Zealand)|National Airways Corporation]].]]
Perhaps unique among prewar aircraft, the DC-3 continues to fly in active commercial and military service as of 2021, eighty-six years after the type's first flight in 1935, although the number is dwindling due to expensive maintenance and a lack of spare parts.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021|reason=The original version of this unsourced claim was made in the 5 May 2017 edit; although the AS OF date has since been updated a couple of times, there is no cited source for any date.}} There are small operators with DC-3s in revenue service and as [[cargo airline|cargo aircraft]]. Applications of the DC-3 have included passenger service, aerial spraying, freight transport, military transport, missionary flying, [[skydiving|skydiver]] shuttling and sightseeing. There have been a very large number of civil and military operators of the DC-3/C-47 and related types, which would have made it impracticable to provide a comprehensive listing of all operators.

A common saying among aviation enthusiasts and pilots is "the only replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3".<ref>Holden 1991, p. 145</ref><ref>{{cite news|last= Glancey|first=Jonathan|title=The Douglas DC-3: Still Revolutionary in its 70s|date=October 10, 2013|publisher=BBC|url= http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131009-dc3-still-flying-at-70|access-date= January 21, 2017}}</ref>
Its ability to use grass or dirt runways makes it popular in developing countries or remote areas, where runways may be unpaved.<ref>{{cite news|title=Colombia's Workhorse, the DC-3 airplane |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/colombias-workhorse-the-dc-3-airplane/2012/03/09/gIQA8yN36R_gallery.html#photo=1 |access-date=March 15, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.buffaloairways.com/index.php?page=douglas-dc-3 |title=Douglas DC-3 |website=[[Buffalo Airways]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118181052/http://www.buffaloairways.com/index.php?page=douglas-dc-3 |archive-date=January 18, 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 1, 2021}}{{cbignore|bot=InternetArchiveBot}}</ref>

The oldest surviving DST is N133D, the sixth Douglas Sleeper Transport built, manufactured in 1936. This aircraft was delivered to [[American Airlines]] on 12 July 1936 as NC16005. In 2011 it was at Shell Creek Airport, [[Punta Gorda, Florida]].<ref>
{{cite web|last=Moss|first=Frank|title=World's Oldest DC-3|publisher=douglasdc3.com|url=http://www.douglasdc3.com/olddc3/olddc3.htm|access-date= August 9, 2011}}</ref> It has been repaired and has been flying again, with a recent flight on 25 April 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sunshine Skies|url=https://www.facebook.com/sunshineskiesdc3/posts/507107916018608 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/419623481433719/507107916018608 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|access-date=2020-06-23|website=www.facebook.com|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=N133D Flight Tracking and History|url=http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N133D|access-date=2020-06-23|website=FlightAware|language=en}}</ref> The oldest DC-3 still flying is the original American Airlines ''Flagship Detroit'' (c/n 1920, the 43rd aircraft off the Santa Monica production line, delivered on 2 March 1937),<ref>Pearcy 1987 p. 22</ref> which appears at airshows around the United States and is owned and operated by the Flagship Detroit Foundation.<ref name="DC-3."/>

The base price of a new DC-3 in 1936 was around $60,000–$80,000, and by 1960 used aircraft were available for $75,000.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110430163718/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1960/1960%20-%202684.html "The de Havilland Aircraft Co. Ltd"]. ''[[Flight International|Flight]]'', November 18, 1960, p. 798. Retrieved January 1, 2021.</ref> In 2023, flying DC-3s can be bought from $400,000-$700,000.

As of 2024, the Basler BT-67 with additions to handle cold weather and snow runways are used in Antarctica including regularly landing at the South Pole during the austral summer.

===Original operators===
{{main|List of original DC-3 operators}}