Douglas DC-5

Douglas DC-5
Description
Role	Passenger Transport
Crew	6
Passengers	16-22
First Flight	February 20, 1939
Entered Service
Manufacturer	Douglas
Dimensions
Length	62ft 6in	19.05 m
Wingspan	78ft 0in	23.77 m
Height	19ft 10in	6.05 m
Wing Area	824 ft²	76.55 m²
Weights
Empty	13,680 lbs	6,202 kg
Loaded	20,000 lbs	9,072 kg
Maximum takeoff	lbs	kg
Powerplant
Engine	2 × Wright GR-1820-F62 Cyclone
Power (each)	850 hp	635 kW
Performance
Maximum speed	227mph @ 7,690ft	365km/h @ 2,345m
Range	1,600 miles	2,575 km
Ferry range	km	miles
Service ceiling	23,700 ft	7,225 m
Rate of climb	ft/min	m/min
Wing loading	24.3 lb/ft²	118.5 kg/m²
Power/Mass	0.085 hp/lb	0.14 kW/kg

The Douglas DC-5, the least well-known of the famous DC airliner series, was a 16-seat, twin-propeller airplane intended for shorter routes than the DC-3 or DC-4. By the time it entered commercial service in 1940, many airlines were canceling orders due to World War II, and the Douglas corporation was already converting to war production.

Consequently, only five civilian DC-5's were ever built: one prototype and four production aircraft. Ironically, the prototype (configured with just 8 seats) became the personal airplane of William E. Boeing; his own company was already in full military production mode. It was later converted for military use. The other four planes were sold to KLM and used by their colonial subsidiaries; two of them later operated in Australia, and in 1948 the last surviving DC-5 was apparently smuggled to Israel for possible military use.

There was also a military version of the plane, called the R3D. Only seven were made.

See also:List of civil aircraft

Reference

• Douglas Propliners: DC-1 -- DC-7 by Arthur Pearcy (1995, Airlife, ISBN 1-85310-261-X).