DC-3 (airliner)

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First introduced in 1935, the Douglas Commercial 3 DC-3 is one of the most successful aircraft designs in history, with a few still operational in the 21st century. Well over 10,000 were built, in a variety of designations:

It has many informal names, but perhaps "Gooney Bird" is best known. These Pacific birds fly gracefully but are comical when they land; the DC-3 has an old-style "tail dragging" landing gear system with two wing wheels that make the first contact, and a third wheel under the tail.

Other military variants served in electronic warfare, ski-equipped transport, search and rescue, air ambulance, signals intelligence, imagery intelligence, VIP transport, and trainers. Civilian applications have included airline passenger and cargo transport. A few fuselages were converted into restaurants near airports.

The original aircraft had two reciprocating propeller engines, with an operational range of 1,600 miles at 160 mph and a ceiling of 24,000 feet. Its maximum range was 3,800 miles.