Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Medium-range commercial transport

Power Plant:

Two 567 kw (760 hp) Wright SGR-1820-G2 Cyclone nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines

Specifications:

History:

The Douglas DC-2, which was a direct development of the sole DC-1 (X223Y), flew for the first time on 11 May 1934 powered by two Wright SGR-1820 engines of 537 kw (720 hp). Production of this model continued until 1936 when it was replaced on the production line by the well-known Douglas DC-3/C-47 series. United States airlines were quick to accept the new technology and contracts were placed by TWA (31), Pan American (9), Eastern (10) and American (9) for examples. It was even mooted the type would be built under licence by Fokker in the Netherlands but, in the event, Fokker assembled 39 from components supplied by Douglas. Japanese manufacturer Nakajima built five and a total of 198 was built.

The DC-2 series was first introduced to Australia during the 1934 England – Australia MacRobertson Air Race, when Dutch pilots, K D Parmentier and J J Moll, flew the KLM DC-2-115A (c/n 1317) PH-AJU ‘Uiver’ to second place in a time of 90 hrs 13 mins 36 secs. This aircraft was destroyed in an accident at Rutbah Wells in Iraq shortly after on 20 December 1934. Following the success of the ‘Uiver’, Holymans Airways Pty Ltd ordered two, the first arriving on 14 April 1936 by sea. It was assembled and became VH-USY (c/n 1580 – ‘Bungana’), entering service on 5 May, leaving Mascot, NSW for Essendon, VIC, flying via Canberra, ACT.

In July 1936 Holymans Airways merged with Australian National Airways and Adelaide Airways Ltd. Later in 1936 a second DC-2 arrived VH-UXJ (c/n 1561 – ‘Loongana’). ANA took delivery of two others, VH-UYB (c/n 1563 – ‘Pengana’) and VH-UYC (c/n 1566 – ‘Kyeema’). However, in bad weather on 25 October 1938 on a flight from Adelaide, SA to Melbourne, VIC VH-UYC crashed into Mt Dandenong and was destroyed, with the loss of all on board. On 29 September 1939 VH-UYB suffered an engine failure just after take-off at Mascot and force landed in the Cooks River. It was dismantled and conveyed to Melbourne where it was rebuilt.

Eighteen Douglas DC-2s have served in Australia. A number were used by the RAAF during World War II, and these received the serials A30-5 (c/n 1287 – ex NC13737); A30-6 (c/n 1259 – ex NC13733 – call sign VHCRJ); A30-7 (c/n 1290 – ex NC13740); A30-8 (c/n 1291 – ex NC13781); A30-9 (c/n 1292 – ex NC13782 – call sign VHCRK); A30-10 (c/n 1372 – ex NC14969 – call sign VHCRD) which crashed near Parkes, NSW on 15 June 1942; A30-11 (c/n 1286 – ex NC13736 – call sign VHCRE), A30-12 (c/n 1257 – ex NC13731 – call sign VHCRF); A30-13 (c/n 1373 – ex NC14970), and A30-14 (c/n 1288 – ex NC13738 – call sign VHCRH), all being ex-Eastern Airlines aircraft.

One RAAF aircraft A30-8, flown by Captain Noel Webster with co-pilot Lionel Van Praag (Australian pre-war World Speedway Champion), was flying equipment to the islands on 26 January 1942 when, near the island of Flores in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, it was attacked by Mitsubishi A6M ‘Zero’ fighters and crash landed in the sea.

Other registrations allotted included: VH-CRJ (c/n 1259) with the Department of Civil Aviation, as VH-ADQ ‘Mungana’ with ANA, which crashed at Bendigo, VIC on 4 December 1943, and, after rebuild it operated again with ANA until 1948 when it was sold to New Holland Airways as VH-AEN, crashing at Darwin, NT on 9 May 1948.

VH-ADZ (c/n 1376 – ex PK-AFL – call sign VHCXG) operated with ANA as ‘Menana’, later becoming VH-CDZ with Marshall Airways at Bankstown, NSW.

After withdrawal from service with ANA, a few DC-2s were operated by Macair, Guinea Air Traders, and New Holland Airways.

The fates of the other RAAF DC-2s were: A30-12 was broken up; A30-5 crashed at Seven-Mile strip at Port Moresby on 15 September 1942; A30-7 crashed, landing on 15 June 1942, and was converted to components; A30-10 was transferred to the USAAF as a C-32A in March 1945; and A30-13 was damaged landing at Garbutt, QLD on 8 January 1943 and was reduced to components.

A number of other DC-2s operated in this region during World War II and used VH call signs, these being ex-Dutch machines which escaped from the Netherlands East Indies, these including PK-AFJ (c/n 1374) and PK-AFK (c/n 1375).

A number of DC-2s operated in Australia with the USAAF 5th Air Force during World War II. These used VH call signs during their operations and included: DC-2-243 / C-39 (c/n 2062 – 38-505 – call-sign VHCCA) which, whilst with the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron, crashed at Alice Springs when taking off overloaded on 25 May 1942; DC-2-243 / C-39 (c/n 2066 – 38-509) with the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron, which was transferred to the USAAF in May 1942; DC-2-243 / C-39 (c/n 2074 – 38-517) which was transferred to the US services in February 1942; DC-2-243 / C-39 (c/n 2076 – 38-519 – call sign VHCCG) which operated with the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron, was obtained by Australian National Airways (ANA) in November 1945 and became VH-ARB, later went to Macair, Guinea Air Traders, being broken up in July 1950; and DC-2-243 / C-39 (c/n 2084 – 38-527 – Call sign VHCCD) with Air Transport Command.

DC-2-243 / C-39 (c/n 2087 – 38-530 – call sign VHCCF – ‘Gallahad’) was to become VH-ARA with ANA in March 1946 but the registration was not taken up; DC-2-243 / C-39 (c/n 2089 – 38-532 – call-sign VHCCH) with the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron, became VH-ARC with ANA in May 1946, later going to Macair and Guinea Air Traders, crashing at Kerowagi, PNG on 16 March 1949 and being broken up at Essendon, in August 1951; and DC-2-243 / C-39 (c/n 2092 – 38-535 – call sign VHCCE) with Air Transport Command which was sold for commercial use in October 1944.

A small number of DC-2s survive, mainly in museums. VH-CDZ (c/n 1376), an ex RAAF aircraft, which operated for some years with Marshall Airways on charter work and joy-rides from Bankstown, until 1968, had some work performed on it in Sydney, NSW by International Air Parts with a view to making it airworthy again. This work was not completed and it was placed in storage.

In 2004 DC-2-112 (c/n 1292 – ex A30-9, NC13782) which had some restoration work done at Tyabb, VIC was donated to the Australian National Aviation Museum (formerly the Moorabbin Air Museum) for restoration and display as VH-ADZ. Marshall Airways after World War II purchased ex-RAAF aircraft A30-9, A30-11 and A30-14.

One of these DC-2s A30-11 was painted as PH-AJU ‘Uiver’ and placed on a pole at Albury Airport, NSW to commemorate the aircraft flown by the Dutch crew in the 1934 Air Race. In 2005, due to corrosion, it was removed from the pole and remained on its undercarriage on the aerodrome pending a decision to restore and build a building to place it under cover. In 2013 ownership was transferred from the local Council to the Uiver Memorial Museum Group and work has proceeded to restore the aircraft for display again.

In 1987 A30-14 (c/n 1288 – call sign VHCRH, NC13738) was sold to a group in the Netherlands for restoration as a replica of PH-AJU ‘Uiver’ but in the event an airworthy DC-2 was located in the United States NC39165 (c/n 1404)), which was acquired by the Aviodome Museum of Amsterdam in August 1999. A30-14 (c/n 1288) is believed to have been placed in storage.

At Long Beach, California, DC-2-118B N1934D (c/n 1368) is airworthy with the Museum of Flight at Seattle in Washington.

Two airframes  have survived in Finland.