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The Douglas DC-3 (also known as the Dakota, C-47 and Skytrain) was a fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft which revolutionised air transport in the 1930s and 1940s, and is generally regarded as the most significant transport aircraft ever made. (But also see Boeing 707 and Boeing 747.)

The DC-3 was engineered by a team led by chief engineer Arthur E. Raymond and first flew on December 17December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 14 days remaining. Events 283 St Gaius becomes Pope. 384 St Siricius becomes Pope. 1538 Pope Paul III excommunicates King Henry VIII of England 1869 Suez C, 1935Events January January 1 Italian colonies of Tripoli and Kyrenaika are joined together as Libya January 7 World War II: Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French foreign minister Pierre Laval conclude agreement in which each power undertakes not to oppo (the 32nd. anniversary of the Wright Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk). The plane was the result of a marathon phone call from American AirlinesAmerican Airlines AA is the major airline in the United States. It is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and operates scheduled flights throughout the United States, as well as flights to Latin America, Western Europe, and Japan. Since 1982, AA has been CEO C.R. Smith demanding improvements in the design of the DC-2. The amenities of the DC-3 (including sleeping berths on early models and an in-flight kitchen) popularized air travel in the United StatesThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in. With just one refuelling stop, transcontinental flights across America became possible. Before the DC-3, such a trip would entail short hops in commuter aircraft during the day coupled with train travel overnight.

Early American airlines like UnitedBoeing 777 taking off at Schiphol, Amsterdam. Airbus A320-200. In early 2004, the color scheme shown here was superseded. United Airlines (UAL) is an American airline, the second largest in the world, after American Airlines. Based in Elk Grove Village, I, AmericanAmerican Airlines AA is the major airline in the United States. It is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and operates scheduled flights throughout the United States, as well as flights to Latin America, Western Europe, and Japan. Since 1982, AA has been, TWATrans World Airlines commonly known as TWA was an American airline which merged with American Airlines in April 2001. For many years it was headquarterd at the Kansas City Downtown Airport. At the time of its demise, it was headquartered in St. Louis, Mis, and Eastern ordered over 400 DC-3s. These fleets paved the way for the modern American air travel industry, quickly replacing trains as the favored means of long-distance travel across the United States.

During World War II the armed forces of many countries used the DC-3 for the transport of troops, cargo and wounded. Over 10,000 aircraft were produced (some as unlicensed copies in Japan as Showa L2D , and as licensed copies in the USSR as Lisunov Li-2 ) and the DC-3 was vital to the success of many Allied campaigns, in particular those in the jungles of New Guinea and Burma where the DC-3 alone made it possible for Allied troops to counter the mobility of the light-travelling Japanese army. In Europe, the DC-3 was used in vast numbers in the later stages of the war, particularly to tow gliders and drop paratroops. In the Pacific, with careful use of the island landing strips of the Pacific Ocean, DC-3s were even used for ferrying soldiers serving in the Pacific theater back to the US.

After the war, thousands of surplus C-47s were converted to civil service, and became the standard equipment of almost all the world's airlines, remaining in front-line service for many years. The ready availability of ex-military examples of this cheap, easily maintained aircraft (it was both large and fast by the standards of the day) jump-started the worldwide post-war air transport industry.

Numerous attempts were made to design a "DC-3 replacement" over the next three decades (including the very successful Fokker Friendship) but no single type could match the versatility, rugged reliability, and economy of the DC-3, and it remained a significant part of air transport systems well into the 1970s. Even today, almost 70 years after the DC-3 first flew, there are still small operators with DC-3s in revenue service. The common saying among aviation buffs and pilots is that "The only replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3."

A swedish DC-3 was shot down over the Baltic Sea in June 1952, see the Catalina affair.