Douglas B-18 Bolo: The Ultimate Look From Drawing Board to U-Boat Hunter

110 Pages·2007·113.323 MB·English

by  William Wolf

rawing Board to U-Boat Hunter
Douglas
B-1 Bolo
The Ultimate Look:
From Drawing Board to V-boat Hunter
William Wolf
Schiffer Military History
Atglen, PA
Contents
Acknowledgment, . ..... 7 Mooring
Foreword: SCOll Marchand . 8 Empennage
Preface . ..... 9 Wing
Wing PhotoGallery
Chapter I: Donald Douglas. the DC irliner,. and the B-18 10 Engines
Introduction Propeller,
Donald Douglas: The EarlyYears Fuel System
Douglas Formsan AircraftCompany Oil System
TheCivilian Aircrart Markel: 1926-1931 HydraulicSystem
Boeingand theCivilianTran,pon Market: PitotSystem
1930sand the Model 247 FIightControl,
Dougla, EnterstheCivilianTran,pon arket: Automatic Pilot
The DC-I and DC-2 Imtrumenb
The DC-2 Evolve, intothe Remarkable D -3 Communications y,tem
Chapter2: PrewarAmerican Bomber Development and nti-icer/De-icerEquipment
Procurement Policie, ...... 23 Heatingand VentilatingSystem
Introduction Oxygen Equipment
irCorp, ctof1926 Fire Extinguishing Equipment
DelaneyCommillee Pyrotechnics
Roger,Commillee Photographic Equipment
SecretaryofWarWoodringCircumvent,the 1926 TO\ Target Equipment
irCorpsAct Makingthe Fu,elageand Wing Watenight
TheAir ateriel Command and the Long-Range xterior ini,hand Marking,
BomberRequirement, Interior 0101'Schemes
Book Design by Ian Robertson. Baker Boardand theGHQAirForce Chapter5: The B-18 in the ontinental .S.: 1937to War', End .... 76
KilnerBoard Introduction
Copyright© 2007 by William Wolf. AWPD-I Renders Procurement Mute Deliveries forTesting
Chapter3: Developmentofthe B-18 D Bomber ....28 TheAAC Putsthe B-17 intothe Headlines
Library ofCongress Control umber: 2006932417
Introduction The B-17and Ihe Liner Rex
TheManin B-10, "Air PowerWonderofits Day" "'Bomber RushesSon to ave His Mother"
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any forms or by Douglas Entersthe BomberMarket with TestingandTraining
any means - graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or information the DB-I/XB-18 B-18Tries to Find a iche
storage and retrieval systems- without written permission from thecopyright holder. TheCompetition: Manin B-12 and the Boeing Air aneuversand Reviews
I\/Iodel299 B-18 in Show Bu,ine,...
Why the B-1 and not the YB-17') Canadian RescueOperation
Printed in hina.
Chapter4: The B-18: Description .. 33 B-18 in RadarJammingTesting
ISB :978-0-7643-2581-6
The B-18 i,Orderedand Put into Production B-18s in Photo Reconnai""ance
Early B-18 Variant, B-18Considered forthe Doolillie Raid
Wearc interested in hearing from authors with book ideas on related topic~. B-18 De,cription and Dimen,ion, B-18 with theAirborne
FunherDevelopment, Chapter6: The B-18 in Ha\\aii ...... ... 91
B-18 ".the B-10/B-12 Chapter7: The B-18 in the Philippine, ... 96
Publi"bedb) SchifferPubli,hing LId. InEurope.Schifferbook"arcdi"tribuledby: B-18General Dimen,ion, hapter8: The B-18 inAlaska.. 101
-I 80LOllerValle) Road Bu"hwood Book" Fu,elage halter9: Anti-submarineWarfare(ASW):The B-18 Find,
Atglen. PA 19310 6 1ark"bur) venue
Phon~ [phone] KewGarden" Window, it, 'iche.... 108
FAX: [phone] SUITe) TW94J .England Door, TheGerman -Boat
E-mail: [email protected]. Phone:[phone] Fu,elage Equipment ASW Weapons
i"ilourweb"ileat: www.•ehifferbook...com FA :44(0)208392-9876
Bombing Equipment LORAN and Absolutef\ltimeter
Plea,eIIrile forafreecatalog. E-mail: Infoabu"hlloodbook'.co.uk.
Thi"book ma) bepureha,ed fromthepubli,her. Vi,ilourweb,ileat: www.bu"hwoodboob.co.uk Gunnery Equipment MagneticAnomaly Detector(M D).
Plea"einclude 3.95postage. Freepo,tageinIhe K. Europe:airmailatcml. Gunnery PhotoGallery Retrobombs,and Sonobuoy
Tryyourbook'lorefir'l. TryyourbooblOielir,,1.
LandingGear AirborneSurface Vessel (ASV) Detection Radar
Douglas B-18 Bolo - The Ultimate Look: From Drawing Board to V-boat Hunter
Long WaveASV RadarMkll July 1943: U-BoatCaribbean Swan ong
Short Wave MicrowaveASV Radar TheArmy/ avyContest forAdministrative
Depth Charges(DC) CoI1lroIFinally Ends
Tactical Response to the U-Boat B-18 aribbean Swan Song
Typical Anti-submarine Patrol B-18/B-18A/B-18Bs in theCaribbean
TheAmericanASWCrisisofDecember 1941: ummaryoftheCaribbean U-BoatCampaign
B-18 Finds its Niche Balance hceton the -BoatCampaign in
WestCoastASWOperations December the mcricas
Acknowledgments
1941-February 1943 Chapter 10: anadian and Foreign B-18s 163
Introduction to the U-BoatCampaign B-18s in anadian Service:The Digbys
EastCoastASWOperations December B-1 sin Brazilian Service
1941-June 1942 B-18s in uSlralian Service
American Response to theDrul/1beal U-Boats hapter II: B-23 Dragon, B-18 pgrade ...................... 178
Army/NavyAdministration Problems Remain Introluclion
to beSolved B-23Attack Bomber Proposal
AmericanASWTacticsandAdministration Description
Improve B-23Takeson the B-25 and B-26
MarshallTakesStepsto Resolvethe B-23Acceptanceand Unit ssignmel1l
dministrative Dispute The B-23Tries to Find aNiche wwn
Mylifelonghobbyhasbeen aerial combat,andoverthe tos are miscredited. Also, some of the photos are not of the best
TheS DUand theSea-SearchAttackSquadrons PostWarB-23s
past 35 years] have collected over 15,000 books and magazines, quality because of their age and sources, especially those copied
ASWOperations in theGulfSea Frontier Chapter 12: Disposition and Obscurity .......................... 196
January-September 1942 Postwar B-18 Disposition along with hundreds of reels of microfilm on the subject. [ prob from microfilm, but were used because oftheir importance to the
ASW PreparationsandOperations in the Existing B-18s ablyhavenearlyeverybook writtenon WWlI aviation, andacom book.
PanamaSector Restoration ofthe PASM B-18B plete collection ofevery aviation magazine published since 1939. A particularthank you goes to Scott Marchand, curatorofthe
ASW Preparations in the PanamaSectoruntil by RobertC. Strand Iso included in mycollection are many hundredsofaviation unit Pima ir&Space Museum, and Kate DeMeester, archivistofthat
Pearl Harbor B-18 Legacy and pilot's histories, crew manuals, and aircraft technical, struc museum, who were ofinvaluable help in aiding in photographing
ThePanamaCanal Zone Post-7 December 1941 tural, and maintenance manuals.My microfilm collection includes themuseum'sB-18and B-23 restorations, andgatheringandcopy
Trinidad and Puerto RicoSectors: Situation Appendices: B-18 Service inAirForces 200 vintage intelligence reports, USAF, USN, and USMC group and ing the B-18 and B-23 aircraft and crew manuals and photograph
afterPearl Harbor B-18 Service in Commands
squadron histories,completeJapaneseMonograph series,andU.S. collection. Through them I was able to make this book into the
ASWOperations in the Puerto RicoSector B-18 Service in Wings
Strategic Bombing Surveys, as well as USAF Historical Studies. detailed, ultimate book on the B-18. A belated thank you goes to
Vichy France, Martiniqueand aFrenchAircraftCarrier B-18 Service in Groupsand Squadrons
Over the years] have been fortunate to meet many fighter aces, 1udyEndicottoftheAlbertF.Simpson Historical Research Center,
ASWCaribbean Operations: January 1942-August 1942 B-18Anti-submarine Wings,Groups,Squadrons
other pilots, and fellow aviation buffs who have shared stories, MaxwellAFB,Alabama. Ms. Endicottwasofgreathelpduringmy
ASWCaribbean Operations: August 1942-January 1943 B-18 Crashesand rash Sites in the .S.
SWCaribbean Operations: January 1943-May 1943 material, and photographs with me (l have over 5,000 photos of ten-dayexpedition to thatfacility in themid-1980stocollectmate
Black May 1943:The Endofthe U-BoatThreat Bibliography .............................206 fighter aces alone). ] have made many multi-day expeditions to rial on fighteracesandpilots(seemybooksVictoryRollandUSAAF
ASWCaribbean Operations: May 1943-July 1943 Index .. ............................... 209 various military libraries, museums, and photo depositories with Jabos in the MTO & ETO, also bySchiffer) andtheB-29 andB-32
my copy machine and camera, accumulating literally reams ofin (seemyother"UltimateLook"booksontheBoeingB-29and on
formation and I,000sofphotographs. [also had aphotodarkroom solidated B-32 bySchiffer).Thanksalsogo to the personnel atthe
where] developed I,000sofrarephotos from microfi1m negatives. Air Force Museum Archives at Wright-Pattcrson, Dayton, Ohio,
] have always intended to write a book on the B-18, and for and those at the Ferndale Photographic facility, Washington, DC,
many years I have collected material and photographs for this who aided meduring my visits there.
project. Theauthor wishes thatevery person who contributed over Again, thanks go to my persevering wife, ancy, who allows
the pastquartercentury could be specifically mentioned. Over the me to spend many hours researching and writing, and patiently
years theorigin ofmanyofthe I,000sofphotos [havebeen lentto (mostly) waits while Ibrowsebookstoresand visitairmuseums, in
copy, or havecopied and collected myselfhave becomeobscured. search of new material and photos. Also, [ thank her because her
Mostarefrom militaryandgovernmentsources,butmanyarefrom carsitsout in thehotArizonasun asmyWWIJ library luxuriatesin
private individuals, and [apologize in advance ifsomeofthepho- the remodeled, air-conditioned three-car garage.
6 7
Foreword Preface
The Douglas B-18 Bolo in our Pima ir & Space Museum aircraft, and did yeoman's duty in this undertaking. as Dr. Wolf Ofall theAmerican bombersofWorld War II. the Douglas B againstmorecontemporary fighteraircraft.Thus,thebomberwould
collection often evokes puzzled looksand comments from visitors describes. 18Boloprobably istheleastknown.Overtheyearsthestoryofthe not measure up to the matchless four engine B-17 and B-24 or
as they quickly walk by to move towards the more well known Since I was ayoung boy I have been interested in the B-18 airlinerturned bomberhas languished in obscurity. and the fewar thetwinengine B-25orB-26s.and itsmassproductiondelayed the
orth merican B-25 lIitchell. Consolidated B-24 Liberator. and after listening to stories from my uncle about the B-18s that were ticles on the subject in popular aviation magazines have empha developmentandproductionoftheseSUI erior,moremodern bomb
the Boeing B-17 FIying Fortress. It is ashame that they don't Iin surreptitiously moved across the S-Canadian border before sizcd its faults and maligned it as a budget bomber that had few ers whichcould havemadeadifferencein thegrimdaysafterPearl
ger, asour Bolo has been meticulously restored bydevoted volun AmericaenteredthewartoentertheRC Fasanti-submarinebomb virtues. In the Dcpression years of the mid-1930s an economy Harbor.
teers who spcnt thousands ofhours to makc it one offive remain ers opcrating out of ova Scotia. Bill Wolf has written a fitting mindedCongressdecidedto fund theproductionofthetwincngine But atthc timeofPearl Harborthe B-18 was the most numer
ingexamples in the world. tribute to the bomber that has been unsung, unjustly denigrated, B-18 overthe morepromising but moreexpensive B-17 prototypc ousAmerican bomberto be based overseas, and then proved itself
Ofall the American bombers ofWorld War II, the B-18 Bolo and misunderstood. booksuch asthishasbeen longawaited.The that had the misfortune to crash during testing. In 1937, whcn Air to be useful as astopgap bomber and jack of all trades until the
probably is the leastknown and themost malign d. In itsday-the authorhastaken onavcrydauntingtask,astherehasbe nvirtually Corpscrewsreccivcdtheirspeedyandcomfortable B-18s,theDou more modern bombers who edevelopmentitinterruptedcould be
Depressionyearsofthemid-I930s-thebomberwaswelcomedby nothing written on the subject, but using his large personal collec glas bombers sccmcd to be cutting edge whcn compared to the come operational. Howcver, as a stopgap th Bolo did leave an
its crews as amodern innovative bomber. However, the B-18 de tion of literature and microfilm in his library; he has produced a Martin B-IO, which itself had been the innovative bomber of the important legacy. tatime when the B-17 and B-24 could not be
sign wa nothingmorethanaDC-3airlinerconfigureda abomber. well-wrillenand well-organized textthathas. forthefir ttime,pre carly 1930 . pared it was available in numbers. and playedasignificantrolein
The design left it lillie room for development when the superior sented anyone with an interest in the B-18 aconci eand definitive The B-18 was built using contemporary but dead end design merica's early anti-submarine operation. first offthe American
four engine B-17s and B-24s appeared, while as a twin engine reference. As with his other,. Itimate Look" books on the Boeing specifications. and itsoon showed itselfto be what it was, an "air coast,and laterinthe aribbean, wh rethe U-Boatswereravaging
bombercontcnder the B-25. and B-26s would also prove superior. B-29andtheConsolidated B-32, thisbook presentsameticulously liner-bomber" that allowed littlelatitudefor futuredevelopmentto merchantmen carrying vital oil and bauxite cargoes. For the first
The B-18 was ordered and manufactured in relatively large num researched text and an outstanding photo collection-many pub cnable it to allack distant targets with 5,000 pound bomb loads or timethis isthccompletcstoryofthe Douglas B-18 Bolo: thegood,
bers. and was the most numerousAmerican bomberat the time of lished hcre for the first time-that pay filling tribute to all associ more at speeds and altitudes that would enable it to defend itself the bad, and the ugly.
Pearl Harbor. Bydefaultit becamcajackofall tradesand amaster ated with the Bolo.Theauthorhas performed avery necessaryand
ofnone,but finally found anicheasAmerica's firstanti-submarine worthwhiIetaskin havingpresentedthehistoryofthe B-18sothor
oughly and effectively before living memory is lost.
SCOll Marchand. M.Phil.
DirectorofCollections &Aircraft Rcstoration
PimaAir& Space Museum
8 9
Chapter 1: Donald Douglas, the DCAirliners, and the B-18
ket. However, Douglas wanted to start his own company, and on a
1
visittohis family inCaliforniahemadethemomentousdecision to
resign from Martin in March 1920.Douglas madetheroundsofthe
banking community to borrow tart up money. but with so many
failures of aeronautical companies he was turned down. He was
introduced to David Davis, a millionaire sportsman and aviation
enthusiast, who wanted to build an airplane to fly non-stop, coast
Donald Douglas, the DC Airliners, to-coast. With $40,000 from Davisand $2,000ofhiswife's money
Douglas incorporated the Davis-Douglas irplane ompany in
and the B-18
South Dakota. and lured five friends from the Martin Company to
Los ngeles. Douglas rented the econd tory ofa former mill in
downtown Los ngelesandborrowedtool ,andbegan workonthe
Cloudsler that was to be the first aircraft that was able to lift a
payload equal to its own weight. The largebiplane had alength of
35 feet, a height of 13 feet, and a wingspan of 56 feet. A 400hp
Libertyenginegave it arangeof2,800 milesatacruisingspeedof
Donald Douglas'firstjobwaswithGlennL.MartinontheWestCoast.After 85mph. As each section was built, it was lowered into atruck and
Introduction fter teaching and working with Hunsaker, Douglas decided resigning,herejoined MartininCleveland,wherehisfirstassignmentwasto transported tothe formerGoodyearhangarin EastLo Angeles for
designtheMB-I biplane,whichwastobethelargestAmericanbomberever
Donald Douglas, along with contemporarie Glenn Martin. Bill thathepreferredacareerin aeronautical design and production. In assembly and flight te ting. The aircraft ground looped during its
built.Here he (left) and Martin (center) examinethe fuselage ofthe MB-I.
Boeing.and Reuben Fleet,werecreativeandbusinessgeniuseswho early 1915.HunsakerrecommendedDouglasforaconsultingposi fir t attempt at flight, as the runway wasn't long enough, and the
(Douglas)
led the merican aircraft industry in the 1920s and 1930s. By the tion with the Connecticut Aircraft Company of ew Haven thal initial flight was postponed to February24, 1921,when it was suc
onset ofWorld War II Douglas and Martin would have tried and had been contracted to build the D-I, the avy's first non-rigid was approved, both Loeningand Douglas understood that the only cessful. After breaking the Pacific Coast altitude record of 19,160
failed toenterthe bomber field, while the BoeingCompany (with dirigible. fterashort time the dirigible was completed, and Dou way thataircraftcould beproduced in huge numbers(20,000com feet on 29 March, the first American cross-country flight was at
outtheretired Bill Boeing)and Fleet'sConsolidatedAircraftCom glaswas ready tomoveontodevelopingheaver-than-airmachin s. bat aircraft and 9,000 trainers) was to build them on an assembly tempted by Davisand formerMartinchiefte tpilot. ric pringer.
pany would both have great succe swith their B-17 (and later the tthetimeHunsakerreceivedaletterfrom GlennL. Martin.whose line much like the fledgling automobile industry was doing at the The flight began on27 June 1921,butwas cut short when the Lib
B-29)and B-24.respectively. tthetimeofhi entryintothebomber company wasbuildingArmytrainingaircraft in LosAngele .Mar time. Douglas' primaryresponsibilityduringthistimewas torede erty engine quit over EI Paso. Before a second attempt could be
competition Douglashadestablished hiscompanyandtheDC-I/2/ tin asked forarecommendation foran aeronautical engineertobe sign British aircraft. butall ofhisdesigns were rejected orran into made two Army pilots, Lieutenants Oakley K lly and John
3 series of aircraft as the tandard in the airline and air transport come the company's chiefengineer, and Hunsaker tendered Dou redtape. Douglasbecamedisgruntledandresignedhispositionwhen
field. The reason Douglas would succeed with his DC series and glas' name. Duringtheir first meetingin aL.A. hotel lobby.Martin automobile industry executives, knowing nothing about aircraft,
fail with the B-18, and then the B-23 bomber spin offwill be de at first completely ignored the very youthful looking 23-year old were imported to administerthe new aircraft production program.
scribed in tracing the story of Donald Douglas and the Douglas when hewasapproached, butaftertryingagain Douglas reasserted Douglas' next stop was tojoin Glenn Martin again after the
Company. thathetruly was DonaldW. Douglas. Martin'snewchiefengineer. company relocated in Cleveland. His first assignment was to de
Inthosepioneeringdaysdetaileddrawingsandstressanalysiswere signtheMB-1 biplane,whichwastobethelargest mericanbomber
Donald Douglas: TheEarlyYears unknown. but soon Douglas convinced Martin that he could save everbuilt. It wascrewedbythreemen. measured46 feet, 10inches
Donald Wills Douglas was born the second son ofWiIIiam, an as the company time and money, and proved his point by exceeding long, had a71 foot,S inch wingspan, was 14 feet, 7 inches high,
sistant bank teller, and Dorothy Douglas in Brooklyn, ew York, performancespecs in hisfirstdesign, the Model Sseaplane manu and weighed 10,225 pounds. It was powered by two, 12-cylinder,
on 6 pril 1892. As ayoungster Douglas developed an interest in factured forHolland. DuringhisMartin sojourn Douglasmet visit 400hp Liberty engines that drove the bomber 10 a top speed of
aviation. and avidly followed the careers of the Wright Brothers. ingIndiananCharlotteOggduringablinddatethatwassosuccess 118mph with afull 1,500pound bomb load.Thegiantbomberfirst
On 30 July 1909 he witnessed Orville Wright flying the Wrighl ful that thecouplesoon married. Working for Martin. Douglaswas flewon 17August 1918.and wa delivered tothe rmyjust before
Flyerduringitsacceptancetrialsbythe .S.Signal orpsatnearby confinedtotheWestCoast.andhefelt isolated from theEastCoast, the Armistice in ovember. On 20 July 1921 these bombers were
Fort Myer. and thisexperience madealastingimpression on Dou which heconsidered was moreofahubofaeronautical knowledge employed by Gen. Billy Mitchell in his famous demonstration of
glas that shaped his future. Douglas graduated from Trinity Prep and activity, particularly with theGreatWar in Europeescalating. airpower,when theheavilyarmoredGermanbattleshipOstJiieisland
School that year, and followed his brother Harold by attending the In November 1916Douglas resigned from Martin, and left for was bombed and sunk offthe Virginia Capes. After the war th re
U.S. avalAcademy.AfterthreeyearsDouglasconfidentlyresigned aposition as chiefcivilian engineer with the Army Signal Corps, was aglutofaircraft, astheArmy was selling itssurplusaircraftat
from the cademy and enrolled at the prestigious Massachusetts Aviation ection. His first assignment was to tour all eastern air deepdiscounts.and Martindecided nottopursuethe furtherdevel
InstituteofTechnology. feeling that it was abetteropportunity for craft factorie. to determine the status ofAmerican aviation. tthe opmentoftheMB-I,despitethe factthattheversatileaircraftcould
a future in aviation. He majored in mechanical engineering, and timethere weremany Britishand French aircrafttypesavailablein beconverted toacommercial transport versioncarrying 12pas en
graduated from the fouryearcour einjusttwo years. Aftergradu America, and Douglas gathered the latest technology in aircraft gel's and twocrewmen overadistanceof600 miles.
ation he was appointed to the prestigious position as theAssistant de ignandfabrication fromtheseexamples. DouglasandtheAnny's
Aeronautical ngineer to Cmdr. Jerome Hunsaker in the M.I.T. first aeronautical engineer, the virtuoso Grover Loening, worked Douglas Formsan Aircraft Company
Department of Naval Architecture. In this post he was to assist in hard toadvancethestatusoftheAviation Section, and stressed the The Ohio winter of 1919-20 was so harsh that Douglas sent his
the design of the first advanced Am rican wind tunnel. and also importance ofairpower to the infantry-minded rmy generals. At wife and twobabies to unnyCalifornia. Dougla stayed behind as
helpedtosetuptheschool'sfir tcoursesinaerodynamicsandaero the time both the avy, and more so the rmy, lacked personnel Martin paid him the, then, princelysalaryof 10,000peryear, and
Douglas (left) returned totheWest Coast,andWith millionaire sportsman
nautical engineering; all for the salary of 500 peryear. and aircraft. Once the 649 million Congressional appropriation assured him ofjob security in the weak post waraviationjob mar- and aviation enthusiast David Davis, Incorporated the Davis-DouglasAir
plane Company In the rented second storyofaformer mill in downtown
LosAngeles.(Douglas)
10 /I
Douglas B-18 Bolo - The Ultimate Look: From Drawing Board to U-boat Hunter Chapter 1: Donald Douglas, the DCAirliners, and the B-18
The DWC"DouglasWorld Cruiser"was Dou
glas'nextdesign challenge.TheArmyAirService
purchased five DT-2sfromthe Navyproduction
run as part ofasecret scheme to revamp the
aircrafttobecapableofflyingaroundtheworld.
The Douglas design was able to set down on
The Cloudsterwas the first aircraft able to lift a landorwater,andhadfoldingwingsforeasystor
payload equal to its own weight.The large bi age (USAF)
planehadalength of35feet,aheightof I3feet,
and awingspan of56 feet.A 400hp Liberty en
the world, with the purpose of validating aerial communications Douglas, and 100,000sold to the public for $10 pershare to raise
ginegavetheaircraftarange of2,800 milesata
and the feasibility ofair transport. The Douglas design, known as $1,000,000 in capital Douglas invested $500,000 to build a new
cruisingspeedof85mph.(Douglas)
the DWC "Douglas World Cruiser," was able to set down on land 7.75 acre factory in Santa MonicaadjacenttoClover Field, and he
MacreadyflewaFokkerT-2monoplanefrom RooseveltField,Long movementofthe radiator from the sideofthecowling to the front. or water, and had folding wings for easy storage. After testing at banked the remaining 500,000.
Island, to Rockwell Field, San Diego: 2,500 miles in 28 hours, 50 The Navy made only an initial partial payment on the $120,000 Langley Field, VA, beginning in December 1923 four DWCs (the After building the DT-2s for the Navy and the 0-2s and vari
minutes. With the record gone, Davis sold the C/oud.~ler that was contract, and Douglas needed $15,000 to remain viable, and after fifth wasaspare)-theSeaale,Bas/on,Chicago,andNewOr/eans ants for the Army, Douglas' next project was to develop asmall
ultimately sold toT. Claude Ryan, who hadestablished his aircraft making the rounds oflocal banks was able to secure aloan. Dou began theirquest, takingofffrom CloverField adjoining the Dou commercial flying boat in 1929 to sell for $45,000. The design,
company and airline in San Diego. Ryan converted the aircraft to glas began to build the torpedo bombers in theGoodyeardirigible glas factoryon 17March 1924.AfterstoppingatSeattleand flying initially named the Sin.bad as the prototype, was powered by two
carry 12passengersin its luxuriouscabin,andthisaircraftwascon hangar, butthehangarwasunsuited for largescaleproduction, and into afierce storm overtheAleutian Islands offAlaska the Seal/Ie Pratt & Whitney radial engines thatcarried the aircraftat 153mph
sidered America's firstcommercial airliner. DouglaspurchasedabankruptHermannmoviestudiolotinWiIshire was lost,buttheremainingthreeaircraftcontinued.Two thirds into (at sea level) over arange of770 miles, carrying six to eight pas
Davis soon lost interest in the company, and sold his 2,500 to set up his first true production line to complete the initial order the flight the Boston. was lost over the North Atlantic offIceland, sengers in aspacious cabin containing a lavatory, and a30 cubic
shares in exchange for apromissory note backed by Douglas' fa for 45 DT-2 aircraft. Douglas design for the DT-2 aircraft was so and wasreplacedby thespare fifth DWCnamed theBasIon II. The foot rear baggage compartment. The onset of the Depression de-
therWilliam. Douglasrenamed thecompanyappropriatelyenough successful that it was licensed to the Naval Aircraft Factory, and three DWCs arrived at Clover Field on 23 September, and were
the "Douglas Company," and reincorporated itin California. Dou the DaytonAircraftCompanytocompletean additional avycon welcomed byahugecrowd of200,000. On the281hthe aircraft left
glas developed a design for a torpedo bomber that was partially tract for 55 aircraft.TheDTseries was importantto Douglas, as it forSeattleviaSanFrancisco,completing the27,550mile, 175day
based on the C/oLld.~ler, and was able to sell three testexamples to gave him footing as aplayer in the aircraft industry, and the injec journey involving 36 stops requiring 371 hours of flying time to
the avyasthe DT-I (DouglasTorpedo#1).Thebiplane waspow tion offresh capital into the fledgling company. Soon the PostOf firmly establish Douglas as the leadingdesignerand manufacturer
ered by the reliable 400hp Liberty engine and operated as asea ficeDepartmentandArmyorderedseveralDTsforuseasmail planes oflong range aircraft.
plane, with folding wingsandtwin pontoonsthatcould bereplaced (M-I) and observation aircraft(0-2). Orders rolled in, as theArmy ordered 27 six to seven passen
with wheels.Testsduring 1922demonstratedthattheDT-I was the Douglas' nextdesign challengecame when theArmyAir Ser gertransport versions oftheDWC designated as theC-I, and four
bestdesign submitted,and theNavy awarded acontractasthe DT vicepurchased five DT-2s from the Navyproduction run as partof observation seaplanes (DOS) that were given the Army designa
2, which was similarto theDT-I,exceptfortheredesigned taiIand asecretschemetomodifytheaircrafttobecapableofflyingaround tion of 0-6. Along with the DWC versions, the 0-2 (DT-2) was
converted into 250-7/8/9 variants, and 59 were converted to the
BT-I; one each were re-engined as the 0-32 and 0-34 variants.
The 0-2 was to remain in production for ten years, as it was to
becomethestandardArmyobservationaircraft.Theseorderscaused
Douglas to increase his payroll to 112employees at the beginning
of 1925.The Douglas Engineering Department, already including
thetalentedJack orthrop,JerryVultee,and Edward Burton,hired
recent M.I.T. graduate Arthur Raymond, and a high school drop
out named Ed Heinemann. To lead the 20-man Engineering De
partmentDouglashiredanewChiefEngineer,theredoubtableJames
"Dutch" Kindleberger who had previously replaced Douglas at
Glenn Martin Company.
Douglas developed a design for a torpedo During this period Douglas and his father William were the
bomberthatwaspartiallybasedontheCloudster, sole owners ofthe company, and from 1921 to 1928 had made a
andwasabletosellthreetotheNavyastheDT profit of$1.2 million. The rapid growth of the company necessi
I (DouglasTorpedo #I),followed by45 DT-2s. The rapid growth ofhis company necessitated Douglas to reorganize the
tated reorganization, and on 30 ovember 1928 the new Douglas
The biplane waspowered bythereliable 400hp newDouglasAircraftCompanyinNovember I928.Withtheproceedsfrom
Libertyengine,and operatedasaseaplane,with Aircraft Company was incorporated in Delaware with an autho apublicstockoffering,Douglasinvested $500,000to buildanew775 acre
folding wings, and twin pontoons that could be rized onemiIIion shares,ofwhich 300,000wereissued;200,000to factoryinSantaMonicaadjacenttoCloverField,andhebankedtheremain
replacedwithwheels. (USN) ing$500,000. (Douglas)
/2 13
DougLas B-18 BoLo - The ULtimate Look: From Drawing Board to U-boat Hunter Chapter J: DonaLd DougLas, the DCAirliners, and the B-18
Chicago-Dallas/FortWorth,and laterthe ewYork-Chicagoroute. airtransportoperatorstopurchaselargercapacityaircraftthatwould
In May 1926 Congress passed the AirCommerce Act, which was now have to be filled with people to earn revenues. The Act was
the foundation ofAmerican commercial aviation.TheActalsoau intendedtoincreasecompetitionamongcommercialcarrierssothat
thorized the Bureau ofAeronautics (BA) within the Departmentof the airline industry could become selfsufficient. This expectation
Commerce, which was sanctioned to license all U.S. planes and was nottobemet,astheequipment financing undertheActcaused
pilots,establish andenforceairtrafficrules and regulations, inves many smaller carriers to go out of business in the deepening De
tigate accidents, and test new aircraft and engines for safety. pression, and there were only three largecarriers in 1930. Western
AfterbuildingDT-2sforthe Navyand 0-2sand
The Kelly Act of 1925 had contracted 15 airlines to carry the AirandTranscontinentalAirTransportmergedintoTranscontinental
variants fortheArmy,Douglas'nextprojectwas
todevelopasmallcommercialfiyingboatin 1929 mail as theirmain sourceofrevenue through theend ofthedecade andWesternAir(TWA). United,which flew between thewestcoast
to sell for $45,000.The design, initially named and into the early 1930s. Only Western Air Express and Ryan Air andChicago, boughtouteastcoastbased ational AirTransportto
Sinbad as the prototype,was powered by two lineshadoffereddedicatedpassenger-onlyservicein 1926,andother become atranscontinental carrier. In the southern U.S., American
Pratt &Whitney radial engines that carried the
"airmaiI"airlinescarriedpassengersasbonusincome,andthenonly Airways bought anumber ofsmaller r gional carriers to become
aircraftat 153mph (atsea level) overarange of
when approved by the Post Office. Passengers on these airmaiI dominate in thatarea. saresultTWAand United survived as the
770 miles, carrying six to eight passengers in a
spaciouscabincontainingalavatoryanda30cubic flights often were seated on folding chairs among the postal sacks nation's major airlines, with merican becoming a contender in
foot rearbaggagecompartment.(Douglas) in the mail compartments ofthe Ryan M-I or the Douglas M-I or third place. United had routes that carried freight and passengers
M-2. However,in 1927theLindberghTrans-Atlantic flightfocused from New York across the northern tierofstates, whileTWA flew
flated the American commercial aircraft market, but the military tri-motor designs were the prime examples of this engine adapt the public's attention on the possibilities of air transport, and the thecentral route form ew York to the WestCoast. Brown was so
boughtall but47 ofthe58 production aircraftby then renamed the ability,and ord'sTri-motorAT-4andAT-5andJunker'sF 13would introduction ofAnthony Fokker's and Ford's "Tin Goose" tri-mo disgruntled by the emergence of giants TWA and nited that he
Dolphin.The Navybought 12 RD Dolphins(including two for the follow this example. toraircraft made high speed air travel possible. The airline indus awardedAmerican thesouthern mail and passengerroute, where it
MarineCorpsasthe RD-3), and theCoastGuard boughtten as the By the mid to late 1920s American passenger air transport try, while trying to convince the public that the less efficient tri would becomethemostprofitableairlineoftheperiod. Officialsof
RD-4, while theArmypurchased24(eightDolphin IsasC-21s, 14 lagged behind that in Europe. The reasons included: U.S. govern motordesign wassafer,alsoconvinced itself. From inceptionspeed all threeoftheairlinesrecognized thatthecompany thatpurchased
Dolphin Ills as C-26s, and two nine passenger Dolphin Ills as C ment apathy toward air passenger transport as opposed to its sub had been the main selling point ofairline advertising to their pas the new and better aircraft would have the advantage on their two
29s). Among the II remaining Dolphins, one was sold to the Ar sidy of mail transport; lack of suitable aircraft that were fast and sengers. irlines had to be faster than land transportation, partiCLI rivals.
gentineNavy, three to the Wilmington Catalina Airline Company, comfortable; lack ofairfields in acountry with far-reaching geog larlyrailways, which weremorecomfortablethan thenoisy,vibrat iraccidents were common and well reported, as they are to
and one to Pan American irways. Th remaining Dolphins were raphy; competition from the excellent railway system; and poor ingaircraftoftheday. Sobythebeginningofthe 1930stheairlines day. On 31 March 1931 beloved Notre Dame football coach Knute
sold for private use: two to the Vanderbilt family, one to Standard public relations, as the industry focused on the transport of mail had finally made the idea ofair travel attractive to the public, but Rockne was flying from KansasCity to Wichita in aTWA wooden
Oil,onetoCrosley Radio,onetoaFrench millionaireand, interest over courting passenger travel. After World War [ European air had notcut operatingcosts. The aircraftofthe time that were able Fokker F-IOA tri-motor that suffered structural failure. All aboard
ingly, one to BoeingAircraft founder William Boeing, who had it lines had relied on substantial subsidies from their governments, tocarry aworthwhiIepayload overan acceptable range were slow died in the crash, and the Press and public were outraged and de
outfitted as his personal executiveaircraft named Rover. but in the·U.S., commercial aviation had to compete with the glut and obsolete, while the faster aircraft could only carry asmaller manded change. The accident resulted in the first government
ofsurplusaircraftthattheAmerican militarysoldbelowcosttoany load overashorterrange. From 1925 through 1931 alargenumber grounding of a commercial aircraft, and the downfall of Fokker
The Civilian Ail"CraftMarket: 1926-1931 interested buyer who wished to startan airline. In 1924,theBritish ofaircraft designs using different engine configurations were in aircraft in the U.S. until the late I960s (F-27 Fellowship).TheBu
America in theearly I920s saw the beginnings ofthe air transport government merged the country's four major airlines to form Im troduced that were capable orprimarily carrying passengers. The reau of irCommerce dictated that all aircraft with wooden spars
business, and the use of ex-military aircraft that were minimally perial Airways, and created economical global and transcontinen first purpose built airliner was the eight passengerStout 2-ATtri and ribs have periodic thorough inspections; a procedure which
improvised into"airliners,"someofwhich sometimesexposedtheir tal routes to service the far-flung British Empire. motor that went into service in 1925. Between 1926 and 1931 the became so time consuming and expensive that itcaused the phas
passengers to the weather. Even afterpassengercabins were intro Thus, in theAmerica ofthe 1920s,thedevelopmentofpassen Stoutwas followed byanumberoftri-motors, led bytheeightpas ingoutofwooden aircraft. Even the few bravepassengers whohad
duced,traditionmandatedthatthepilot'scockpitremainopen.Also, gerair transport was asecondary consideration to the transport of sengerFokkerF-VIII and 14passengerFord4-ATin 1926,and the patronizedthe fledglingairlineindustryquitflying, and theairlines
afterthe warthe militaryclosed manyairfields, sothere was alack mail. From 1918 to 1927 the U.S. Post Office Air Mail Service 20passengerBoeing80, 12-14passengerFokkerF-19,and 16pas realized that they needed anew airliner design that was safer and
ofsatisfactory fields close to majorcities, while the country's ex monopolized air commerce. Future President, and then Secretary sengerFord5-ATin 1928. In 1930Ruben Fleetdeveloped histwin bigger, and that goal could only be accomplished by utilizing an
cellent railway system was more convenient, more comfortable, ofCommerceHerbertHoover,introduced legislation in 1922toaid engine 6-8 passenger Consolidated Fleetser and 18-22 passenger all-metal design. More than ever, it was crucial for the aircraft in
lessexpensive, and thus more utilized. the U.S. commercial aviation industry, but he was not successful Commodoreamphibian,whileGlennCurtissintroducedhis 18pas dustry to develop a revolutionary airplane that combined the re
Soon the nascentairline industry realized that safety,comfort, until 1925, when the Kelly ct was pass d by Congress, authoriz senger Model 18 Condor. The first four engine airliners were de quirements of comfort, speed, and safety with optimum payload
and speed were necessary to attract prospective passengers. Ini ing the Postmaster General to solicit bids for airmail service on veloped: the32 passengerFokkerF-32 in 1930,and the24-40pas and range potential.
tially, the image ofthe airline industry suffered from an abnormal eightdesignatedContractAirMaiI(CAM)routesfrom privatecon sengerSikorsky S-40/41 amphibian in 1931.
number of accidents, some due to operating conditions, such as tractorscapableofmeetinggovernmentrequirements.Theinduce By theend ofthe decade, the Stock Marketcrash of 1929had Boeingand the CivilianTransJJortMarket: 1930sand
maintainingschedules in poor weather, butmostweredueto unre ment was that 80% ofthe revenues could be retained by the mail decimated thesmalleraircarriers, andonlyahandful ofmajorcar the Model 247
liable, underpowered engines thatcould notcope with normal cir hauler if they could also carry passengers ifits aircraft had that riers survived. President Hoover's Postmaster General, Walter F. Soon Boeingannounced its plans to build theModel 247 commer
cumstances thatcould havebeeneasilyovercomeby morereliable capacity. "Could"and"If'weretheoperativewords, astheairlines Brown, began an investigation in March 1929, believing that the cial transport, utilizingtheexperience ithadgained with thedevel
and powerful engines. Beyond thesafety factor, contemporaryair had no real inducement tocarry passengers when they were being governmentsubsidiesgiven tocommercial aircarriers encouraged opmentofitsModel 80airlinersand B-9bombers. Inmid-1932the
craft were not economical because they were underpowered, and subsidizedon apoundofmail permilebasis.Thebiddingdrewthe them nottoexpand passengerserviceas longasthey found itmore United Aircraft & Transport group decided to consolidate Boeing
could onlycarryalimitedcargo andasmall numberofpassengers. 26yearold future Pan AmericanAirlinesentrepreneurJuanTrippe profitable to carry subsidized airmail. The powerful Brown, who Air Transport, Pacific Air Transport, ational ir Transport, and
Over the post war decade aircraft engine design, especially using ofColonial AirTransport, who was awarded theBoston- ew York hadcontrol ofairmailcontractawards,and hadestablishedan inte VarneyAirLinesintothe 120planeUnitedAirLinesandTransport
air-cooled radial engines, increased reliability and power, and im routeusingtwosix passengerFokkerTri-motors.TheChicago-San grated air route system across America, pressured Congress to Company, with Philip Johnson as hairman and Frederick
provedtheairlines'safetyrecord.AnthonyFokkerdesignedhisair Francisco route was awarded to William Boeing and Edward change the Kelly ctof 1925 toeliminatethepound-per-milepay Rentschler as President. Johnson would retain his position as the
craft with airframes that could accommodate future engine devel Hubbard of Boeing Air Transport, who placed 25 two passenger ment method, and pay on the basis ofcargo space available. The BoeingAirplaneCompany President, but would delegate much of
opments, amajor factor thatpotential buyersconsidered. Fokker's Boeing 40s into service. ational Air Transport ( AT) won the result was the Me ary-Waters Act of 1930 that was to encourage hisdutiesto theyoung40yearold Claire Egtvedtas his vicepresi-
/4 /5
Chapter J: Donald Dougla , the DC Airliners, and the B-J8
Douglas B-18 Bolo - The Ultimate Look: FrOln Drawing Board to U-boat Hunter
andtherecently introducedJunkersJu-52 tri-motor, which wa the and reaching 68,000; supplying95 airline worldwide. However,
dent. Atthi time thebi-plane versus monoplanecontroversycon
flagship of the German national Lufthansa Airlines. In th safety it is estimated that ord still lost over $3 million (Ford never re
tinued inairlinerdesign.John on wanted toequiphisnewly formed
conscious climate of the time the aircraft was to carry the latest leased any figures), and by the beginning of 1932 Ford was ready
nited Airlines Company with the best aircraft available, and he
radio and communications equipment, and be able to fly on one toleavetheaviationbusiness.Talbotalsorevealedthatseveralcom
andEgtvedtfelttheirsuccessfulexperiencewith theMonomailand 52
engineout, 0 threeenginescontinued tobedeemed aferthan two panie were planning on entering the TW design derby. General
B-9 made the monoplane design the wave ofthe future. They as-
for alarge aircraft. However. there was no question about the ad viationAircraftCorporation, which had recentlyacquired Fokker
igned RobertMinshall to lead theprogram,with Frank Canneyas
vantage ofthe monoplanedesign. The specifications called for an Aircraftin theU.S., was,Ianningonenteringatri-motorproposal,
hisprojectmanager.Theresultwas thedevelopmentoftheworld's
all-metal tri-motormonoplanetransportthatcouldcarryatlea t 12 and thattherealso was talk ofSikorskyworkingon a40passenger
first true airlin r, the superlative twin engine, all-metal, low-wing
passengers in aroomycabin at 145mphoverarangeof 1,080mile design (th futur -40). Curtiss-Wright, which was already sup
monoplane, theModel 247, which flew its maiden flighton Feb
at aminimum service ceiling of21,000 feet. The gross weight of plying its 18 passenger Model 18 Condor to American irways,
ruary 1933. The Model 247s were powered by either the 525hp
the aircraft was to be 14,200pounds, with a2.300 pound payload. would also be working on aTWA contender. With Talbot's rein
Pratt & Whitney Wasps orTwin Wasp Juniors. The aircraft could
On 2 August 1932 Frye sent out a two paragraph bid invitation forcement. Douglasdirected hisengineeringdepartmentto initiate
carry ten passengers at 180mph (more than 60mph faster than the
letter to Douglas. Martin, Ford. Curtiss-Wright, and Consolidated studies on theTWA specifications using atwin engine hypothesis
tri-motor ofthe day) over 500 miles, at altiwde ofup to 20,000
todesignand manufactureten aircraftthatwouldmeettheenclosed on alow wing monoplanedesign.
feet. nited irlines placed a 3 million, 60 aircraft order to be
specifications. Donald Douglas was not interested in the oversold-on-safety,
delivered at the end of 1932. Despite 24-hour shifts to meet
extremely noisy, and inefficienttri-motorconcept, and had noten
Johnson'stargetdeliverydate, theModel 247 did notmake its first
Douglas Enters the CivilianTransport Market: tered thecommercial aviation marketearlierforthatreason,stating
flight until 8February 1933.The247 revolutionized the airline in
TheDC-Land DC-2 thathiscompany's previoustwinenginedesignseasily flew safely
dustry, and Boeing Chairman William Boeing was awarded the
Ithough theTWAbid invitationdid not mentionapriceperplane. on one engine in emergency situations. Engine makers Pratt &
GuggenheimMedal for uccessfulpioneeringandachievementin
<.
the38 year-old Douglas\ asconfident that hiscompany was ready Whitney and Wright Aeronautical were developing new engines.
aircraft manufactureand airtransportation." Bill Boeing was only
forthecommercial transport market. WhiIetherestof mericaand two of which furnished more horsepower than the three engines
51 yearsoldbutwi hedtoretire,andinAugust 1933herelinquished
the aviation industry were suffering the onsetoftheGreat Depres poweringexisting tri-motoraircraft. These engines were mounted
theBoeingAirplaneCompanychairmanshiptoJohnson,andEgtvedt
sion, Douglas was more than solvent after selling 430 aircraft in in the newlydeveloped-by the National Advisory Committee for
became the Boeing president. At this juncture the Boeing Com
the I920s, and stiII had orders to fiII for53 aircraft from theArmy, Aeronautics(NACA)-cowlings thatproducedastreamliningthat
panycommittedacriticalbu inesserrorbyrefusingto elltheModel
18 from the Navy,and ten from hina. Nonetheless. whileearning reduced airresi tance by half.
247 to other airlines, particularly to arch rival TWA. but Boeing
2 million in military sale in 1932, the year still was to be the TheDouglasengineeringteamwa ledbyChiefEngineerDutch
actuallyhadnochoice, as it first neededto furni hin-houseUnited
worst in company hi tory, and Douglas realized that thecompany Kindlebergerand DeputyChiefEngineer rthurRaymond,andhad
Airlines its allocation of the outstanding airliner that would give
needed commercial contracts to turn to, as Congress was cutting asuperlative staffof enior Engineers, including Ed Burton, Fred
the operatorthe definitecompetitiveedge.
backon militarycontracts during the Depression. orth merican Stineman,FredHerman,and LeeAtwood.AlsopresentwasDonald
tthetimeTWA was flying Ford and Fokkertri-motorson its
Aviation President Harold Talbot, whose company owned 89,000 Douglas' right hand man since 1922,Harry Wetzel, who was com
transcontinental routes, and company President Richard Robbins
shares ofDouglas stock, and who also was aTWA director, urged pany Vice PresidentandGeneral Manager, and whohad theability
realized that Boeing's 247 would give United an advantage over
Douglas toentertheTWAairlinerderby, asTWA urgently needed totaketheengineers'de ignsandcorrelatethemintocostandmanu
hiscompany. Inresponseto theBoeing247 rebuff,TWAconvened
an aircraft to compete with the forthcoming Boeing 247. Talbot facturing requisites. The team worked for aweek, not only study
aboard meeting headed by Robbins and attended by TW chief
mentioned TWA's high regard for Douglas and his design team, ing the TWA specification, but also Boeing's 247 design to make
technical advisorCharles Lindbergh and Vice PresidentofOpera
JackFrye,1WAVicePresidentofOperations,instructedhiSenglneenngstaff andcalled attention to Henry Ford'sexpected departure from avia theDouglasproposalasuperiorairplanetotheBoeingaircraft.The
tions Jack Frye. After adiscussion ofbasic requirements Frye was
todrawupperformancespecificationsforanairlinerthatwastobesuperior tion. The Ford Motor ompany was the major factor in American Douglasfocus was on passengercomfort, with more head room, a
instructedtohavehi engineeringstaffdrawupperformancespeci to the Boeing 247,as he realized that Boeing's 247 would give United an
aviation,butduringthelate 1920sth commercial transportmarket clear central aisle, and better soundproofing. The main wing spar
fications for an airliner that was to be superior to the Boeing 247, advantageover1WA'sFord and Fokkertri-motors.(1WA)
became so saturated that no company was making aprofit, much in the Boeingdesign cutthrough thepassengercabin,dividingitin
less breaking e en. Ford produced over 200 of it immortal 4- T half,and its fuselagewastoonarrow incrosssection,and madethe
and 5- T tri-motor air transports at acost beginning at 55,000, cabin feel con tricted. DuringtheirbrainstormingsessionstheDou-
The Douglas DC-I engineeringteam
was led by Chief Engineer Dutch
Kindleberger (shown with Atwood)
and Deputy Chief Engineer Arthur
Raymond, and had asuperlative staff
ofSenior Engineers,Including Ed Bur
ton,Fred Stineman,Fred Herman,and
LeeAtwood.KlndlebergerandAtwood
The Boeing Model 2~7 wastheworld's firsttrue airliner,asuperlative all-metal,low-wingmonoplane,that flew ItS malden flighton 8February 1933.The would later leave Douglas to form
NorthAmericanAviation.(Douglas)
aircraftcouldcarryten passengersat 180mphover500milesataltitudesofupto 20,000feet.(Boeing)
17
16
Douglas B-18 Bolo - The Ultimate Look: From Drawing Board to V-boat Hunter Chapter 1: Donald Dougla , the DCAirliners, and the B-18
glas engineers decided to use a modified version of the tapered and the rear la awry even smaller. As aclimax to the uncomfort gravityproblems.Afterthescalemodel passeditswindtunn Ite t ,
wing developed byJack orthropthat would giveadded lift with able journ y, when the airliner landed on the wet field that was mock ups were made ofeach system, such as the fuel, brake/h
outadding too much area. Douglas had experience with the wing, covered with puddles, the muddy water was sucked through the draulic, and oil, and then tested. A full-sized mock up was c n
and had jig and machine tools availabl for its fabrication. The cabin air vent and sprayed everyone. Then and there Raymond structed to determine the optimal location and installation of in-
tructureofthe wing was ofmulti-cellularaluminum construction knew that th de ign specs were not only about numbers and per truments, systems, and equipment. ext ahand-fabricated flying
with an internally braced rib and spar. The wing was to be built in formance,butalsoaboutcomfort,anddeclared."We'vegottobuild prototype wa constructed, butdue to the pioneering natureofthe
threesections. with thestubcentersection integratedwith the fuse comfort and put wings on it.'· Douglas engineers were urged to new multi-cellularwing, theall-metal fuselageframework, andthe
lagesothatitwas strongenough to supporttheengines,andelimi think about passenger comfort: better seats and leg room, amore aircraft's stressed skin, the construction was essentially done by
nated the main wing sparrunning through thecabin as itdid in the spaciouspas engercabinand lavatory,andbettercabin heatingand trial and error.
247; dividing the cabin into two. Using this wing design, the en sound proofing. On 8 February 1933, the Boeing247 made its first flight, and
gine mountscouldextend out ofthe wings, giving more lift as the In the fall of 1932,theeightacreSanta Monica Douglas faci1 put the pressure on Douglas engineers and the DC-I project. The
thrustofthepropellers was directed overtheairfoil,givingthe ex itycovered about350,000squarefeetoffloorspace,employed900 firstmajorproblemcamewhenTWA,whichwastosupplythepower
tra lift. Since the Boeing aircraft had retractable landing gear, it personnel, and lay adjacent to lover Field, which had all paved plant, had not made adecision between the air-cooled radial Pratt
wasessential thatthe Douglas projecthave italso,as retractingthe taxiwaysand runways. At this time th Douglas factory was occu & Whitney Hornet andthe WrightCycloneengines. Douglasengi
gearintothenacellereduceddragby20%.TheTWAspecsrequired pied with military orders for Army observation planes, avy tor neershaddesignedtheaircrafttobecapableofusingeitherengine,
a landing speed of 65mph, and a flap had to be developed to in pedo bombers, and an w twin-engine amphibian, so room had to so there was intense competition between the two engine compa
crease wing area for slower landings, and to give more lifton take be found forthenewDC-I project.Theprocess fordevelopingand niesforthecontract,and they senttheir field engineersand techni TheroomyDC-I pilot'scompartmenthadcontrols forapilotandco-pilot,
off.Thehydraulicflapsoperatedbythepilotfrom thecockpitwere building anew aircraft followcd aseries ofsteps. After th design cians to Santa Monica to work with the Douglas airframe and en andacenterconsolewithtwin throttles,prop.and mixturecontrols.(Dou
glas)
split trailing edge flaps built into the lowerside ofthe wing to in was approved and blueprints drafted; these ideas and paper plans ginedepartments. Eachcompany etupworksitesoneithersideof
crease lift for takeoffand drag forslow landings. weretransformed intoareduced 1/11th scalemodel forwind tunnel the hangar, and the competition became so intense that an actual adjusttheangleofthepropellerbladessothattheycouldtakelarger
After ten days the plans for the Douglas Commercial #I (the testingattheCalifornia InstituteofTechnology.CIT,underthelead chalk linedelineatinga"no man's land" had been painted to sepa bite of air at take off, supplying increased thrust and providing
DC-I) were ready, and an appointment was made to meet with ership ofthe brilliant Dr. Robert Millikan, had one ofthe world's rate the two factions, and high screens erected to hide each morelift. Forcruisingspeedsthebladeanglecouldbedecrea edto
TWA's Robbins and Lindbergh in New York City. Wetzel and most modern aerodynamics departments, and an excellent wind company's "secrets." Finally, becau eofWright's newcooling fin conserve gasoline and decrea eengine speed and wear. The final
Raymond leftby train from California, and on the way they final tunnel. Douglas recruited recent CIT aerodynamics graduate Dr. andcylinderde igntheninecylinder,air-cooled,600hpradial SGR propellerconfiguration wasathree-blade, two-position,hydro-con
izedthedesign pecs, andorganized, wrote, and rewrote theirpre W. BaileyOswaldtodeterminetheideal aerodynamicsofthescale 1820CyclonewaschosenbyTWA.WhenTWAapprovedthecom trollable Hamilton-Standard unit.There weretwo 180gallon main
sentation. Oncethey arrived in ew York they were scheduled for model, which was shown to have initial in tability and center of fortable passengercabin mock upon 15 March 1933,it was found fuel tanks and two auxiliary 75 gallon tanks (510gallon total) to
the first meeting the next morning. with Robbins and Lindbergh, that the added passenger cabin amenities ballooned the DC-I de- give the DC-I arange of 1,200 miles. While some weight paring
and TWA nior pilots D.W. 'Tommy" Tomlinson and Paul Rich ign from 14000 to 17,000 pound, making it 1,000 pounds over would still have to be done, the Hamilton-Standard propeller was
ter. Also present was Donald Douglas' good friend HaroldTalbot. themaximum weight. Therewas an anxietyat Douglas thatafully the answerto keeping the DC-I ascomfortableas possible.
The meeting continued for three weeks, and the design was dis loaded DC-I would be unable to get offthe ground with two en On22June 1933,onlyten months fromJackFrye'sbid invita
cussed and analyzed at length, with problems and questions being gines, much less one. However, atthe time the Hamilton-Standard tion, DouglasCommercial Model-I rolled outofthe Douglas han
resolved.The lastmajorhurdlewa Lindbergh's insistencethatthe ompany wasdevelopingtheirrevolutionary adjustablepitch pro gar onto the Clover Field ramp carrying the experimental license
aircraft be able to take offwith afull load from anyTWA field on pellerand new gearing that would allow moreefficient operation, X223Y, and the Douglas serial number 1137. The large 16,000
oneengine, and then climb and fly overany mountain range along not only during take off, but also while cruising at high altitudes. pound,sleekaluminum DC-I wastrulyimpressive,with itstap red
theroute. Douglasasked Kindlebergerfortheanswer,and hisreply The adjustable pitch propellerpermitted the pilot to automatically cylindrical fuselage that, at60 feet longand havingawing span of
was thatthishad neverbeen donebeforewith such alargeaircraft,
and the only way to find out was to build it and find out. On 20
September 1932 acontract was signed for aservice testaircraftto
cost no more than $125,000 (with Douglas to be accountable for
the cost ofany contractover runs), and for some unspecified rea
son Dougla in i ted itwas to bepaid for in gold bullion.Thecon
tractalsostipulatedthatTWAhadtherighttobuyall,orpart,ofthe
60aircraftin batche of 10, 15,or20aircraftat$58,000each, with
theenginestobe uppliedbyTWA. Douglasand Kindlebergerboth
knew that the 125,000would notcomeclose tocovering thecost
of the test aircraft. but the announcement of the contract caused
Dougla stock tojump from $7.12 to 16pershareovernight.
On his way back home Raymond flew coast-to-coast for the
first time, and personally sampled the 1932 air travel experience.
He flew in aTWA Ford Tri-motor, and immediately had to tuff
cotton in his ears to block out the noi e. The cotton blocked the
noise and any attempt at convel' ation, but had no effect on the
Dr.W Bailey Oswald, a recent CalTech aerodynamics graduate, was re
vibration. Once over the Rocky Mountains the cabin became so
cruitedbyDouglasto determinethe ideal aerodynamicsofthe scale DC-I
cold thathis feet became numb, as did his behind from the narrow model,whichwasshowntohaveinitialinstabilityandcenterofgravityprob The DC-I (Douglas Commercial Model-I) rolled outofthe Douglas hangaron 22June 1933,onlyten months fromJackFrye's bid invitation.The large
leather-covered wicker seats. He found the passengercabin small, lems.Oswald would become an important memberofthe Douglasteam. 16,000pound,sleekaluminum DC-I wastrulyimpressive,withitstaperedcylindrical fuselagethat,at60feetlongandhavingawingspanof85 feet,wasthe
(Douglas) largestAmericantwin-enginemonoplaneland plane verbuilt.(Douglas)
/8
/9