The same Douglas. The same "Douglas Brand Description of the aircraft Douglas ds 3 read
The DC-3 aircraft, which disappeared in 1939 on the way from Rio de Janeiro to Havana, landed 55 years later at the airport in the Colombian capital Bogota. This story scattered the other day on blogs along with eerie details accompanying it.
It is said that Douglas suddenly appeared on the radar screen. Landing, miraculously did not collide with a take-off airliner.
And when the employees of the aviation services boarded an unknown source plane, they saw skeletons sitting in armchairs. All - 36 passengers. Next to some are newspapers dated April 16, 1939, and cups of steaming coffee. Newspapers - not at all yellowed, but as if yesterday leaving the printing house.
Experts, who gathered as many as 100 people, allegedly broke their heads, trying to understand how the plane landed. After all, his crew was also in the form of skeletons. But they did not understand. And they concluded that the plane fell into a hole in time, then fell out of it. And the aliens planted it through remote control.
It is expected that the Boeing 777, which disappeared on March 8, 2014 on the way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, will also appear somewhere decades later.
The longer the futile searches of the remains of the Malaysian liner go, the more mysticism arises around. And the more willingly people believe in the most, it would seem, incredible. Although the story of the returning DC-3 is perhaps the most fantastic of those that surfaced today.
The bike is invented. Invented for a long time. Back in October 1995, it was published by the yellow American newspaper Weekly World News, which was published at that time. The truth in it - in this newspaper - almost never happened. In the same issue, for example, it is told not only about skeletons on the plane, but also about a live 10-month-old child from the sunken Titanic, who was found floating in the North Atlantic on a life buoy 82 years after the crash.
The story about the plane that returned from 1939 was invented from beginning to end and published in the Weekly World News newspaper,
Real stories are much more mysterious. There are cases that really make you think about some failures in time and space.
In 1937, Amelia Earhart's plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. American journalist, pilot, feminist made a round-the-world flight. She was approaching the island on which she had prepared a strip for an intermediate landing. But she suddenly lost sight of him. The island seemed to have disappeared. On earth, they lost radio contact with Amelia. Her Lockheed is still not found.
In 1947, the S-46 crashed in the Rocky Mountains in the United States, carrying 32 people on board. Rescuers, quickly reaching the scene of the accident, saw only a mangled fuselage. No traces of passengers and crew were found.
In 1979, barely flying out of Tokyo, the Brazilian Boeing 707 disappeared, which brought artworks to Rio de Janeiro. After takeoff, the pilot reported that everything was in order and did not contact him again. Large-scale search operation did not produce results.
Some mysterious incidents ended safely. In 1955, an American pilot, being above Korea, moved an hour on his B-26 over a distance of a thousand kilometers. Despite the fact that the maximum speed of this aircraft barely exceeded 500 kilometers per hour. Another pilot on a Boeing transport, whose maximum speed was 600 kilometers per hour, flew 700 kilometers in half an hour, arriving in Guam much earlier than expected.
Who knows, maybe some crazy - unprecedented in strength - tail winds that pushed the planes suddenly blew out at high altitude? Or, as some hotheads assert, did cars get into abnormal zones with a different course of time? And miraculously got out. Fiction, of course ... But suddenly?
BTW
Monstrous hoax
Mysterious catastrophes, as a rule, awaken the activity of mystifiers. They did not pass by and the Air France Airbus A330-200 crashed in 2009 in the Atlantic.
Immediately after the wreckage of the liner was found, a private Bolivian television channel PAT showed a terrible story. The announcer's words accompanied the shockingly photographs allegedly taken by one of the passengers. The first shows that the tail fell off the plane. On the second - someone flies into the resulting opening.
The television channel said that the pictures were recovered from the memory card of a digital camera. And the device itself was found among the wreckage of the liner and raised from the bottom of the ocean.
That tail fell off ...
But people began to fall out
The sensation was quickly realized by the connoisseurs of the cult series Lost (Lost). As reported by the French news agency AFP. And it indicated that the footage shown on Bolivian television was taken from this series.
Anyone can make sure by reviewing (who has recorded) the very first episode of the first season. The quality of the images used by PAT is very poor. But passengers sitting in oxygen masks in the foreground are easily identified - a man in a tie and a woman with a bracelet on his right hand. They are in the film. Do not confuse.
But people initially believed that they were actually shooting in a falling airbus, they believed in a camera found on the seabed and a restored memory card. Moreover, experts recognized that this is possible. After all, the memory card is tight. And the water is not afraid of her.
It is possible that someone will repeat the “Bolivian trick” now. But for this you need to find the wreckage of the Malaysian Boeing ...
www.kp.ru
A certain influence on the development of civil aviation in the country was exerted by the purchase in the mid 30s of the USA in the license for the Douglas DS-3 passenger twin-engine aircraft, mastered in 1938 at plant No. 84 and called PS-84 (from September 17, 1942 g. - Li-2, named after the chief engineer of the plant B.P. Lisunov, who supervised its implementation). In the US, the Soviet Douglas was given the code name "Cab."
However, the design of the DS-3 was changed in relation to domestic technology, all dimensions were converted to the metric system, structural elements were carefully recounted taking into account our strength standards. As a result, the reliability of the aircraft, flight safety on it has increased significantly.
A large team of engineering and technical workers, workers, and test pilots participated in the development and implementation of aircraft. At the first stage, a tremendous work was done, having provided invaluable assistance, aircraft designer V.M. Myasishchev. The design and technology of the PS-84 (Li-2) for its time was a major step in the aircraft industry.
The first domestic version of the DS-3 aircraft with M-62IR engines was ready by November 7, 1938. After short factory tests, the aircraft was handed over to the Research Institute of Civil Air Fleet, where from September 3 to December 17, 1939 it successfully passed state tests and was recommended for serial production. The first car was made entirely from the American backlog of parts, and all subsequent ones were almost completely made from domestic materials. In 1939, at the factory number 84 was built 6 copies of the PS-84. By June 1941, Aeroflot had 72 PS-84 aircraft.
During the serial production of PS-84 (Li-2), 4937 vehicles of various modifications, variants, as well as experimental vehicles and various special flying laboratories were produced.
The first PS-84 concentrated in the capital's management of the Civil Air Fleet. A flight center was also organized in Moscow to train the crews of the new aircraft. In 1940, the operation of the PS-84 began on international Aeroflot lines: Moscow - Stockholm, Moscow - Berlin, Tashkent - Kabul, Ulan-Ude - Ulan Bator. In the same year, the aircraft began to fly on 3 domestic routes: Moscow - Novosibirsk, Moscow - Ashgabat, Moscow - Tbilisi. Both for crews and for passengers would look the height of perfection. Modern flight and navigation equipment, a high level of comfort, and good economic characteristics distinguished the aircraft from the Soviet design bureaus, including the most advanced ANT-35.
In the first version of the PS-84 (Li-2) there were 14 passenger seats. Then the number of passenger seats was increased to 21, and then to 24. The main option in the Civil Air Fleet was the PS-84 (Li-2P) passenger version.
The passenger cabin PS-84 (Li-2P) was warmly and soundproofed, not devoid of certain comfort at that time. The chairs were adjustable, above them - luggage racks for small luggage and hats, plafonds, individual lighting and ventilation. At the rear of the plane were a wardrobe, toilet and luggage compartment.
Two piston engines ASH-62IR with a power of 1000 hp were installed on the PS-84 (Li2) each designs A.D. Shvetsova.
The crew consisted of two pilots, a flight engineer, a navigator, a radio operator, a flight attendant. The first flight attendant on a PS-84 (Li-2P) aircraft was E. Gorodetskaya, who flew as a crew along the route Moscow - Ashgabat - Moscow.
In 1948, the first experiments were carried out on the use of Li-2 in agriculture. The use of Li-2SX in 1948-1955. showed their high efficiency in the fight against pests of forests and fields. However, Li-2 required a sufficiently large runway, and their operation was much more expensive than An-2 aircraft, so Antonov cars quickly replaced the "competitors".
In polar aviation and less often in Aeroflot, retractable ski landing gears were used for flights from snow airfields on Li-2.
For fire-fighting forest patrols, the Li-2LP was developed, and an airplane aero-photographing ik L and - 2F and a fish survey ikLi-2RP were also created.
To increase the flight range, additional Li-2 fuel tanks of 350 liters were installed in the wing consoles. Such aircraft, designated Li-2D, were mainly used on the Far North and Far East airlines, as well as in polar aviation. Additional tanks in the wing were equipped with the Li-2 Polar. These aircraft were widely used in the landing of the North Pole research stations, including on drifting ice floes.
By the end of 1940, the PS-84 (Li-2) became the main Aeroflot aircraft on the main lines. For about twenty years, Li-2 was built in series with us (until 1952) and remained in operation for about forty years. First, he got off the international routes, and in 1957, the mass transfer of the car to local airlines began. The regular operation of the Li-2 was discontinued in 1962, but for at least 10 years this remarkable aircraft worked in the auxiliary units of the Civil Air Fleet and DOSAAF. The last long-liver Li-2 was decommissioned in 1977.
In the post-war period, Li-2, except for the USSR, was widely used in airlines in 10 countries. The largest foreign operator of the Li-2 was Poland. A lot of Li-2 was operated in Romania, Hungary, China, North Korea, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Vietnam and Cuba.
BASIC DATA PS-84 (LI-2)
Engine, type 2 x ASh-62 IR
Take-off power, hp 1000
Take-off weight, kg 10,700
The mass of the payload, kg 1260-2950
Empty weight, kg 7525-7820
Fuel and oil reserve, kg 1220
Passenger capacity, people 14-24 Maximum
speed, km / h 320
Cruising speed, km / h 240
Landing speed, km / h 108
Speed \u200b\u200bof separation, km / h 135
Practical ceiling, m 5600
Range, km 830-2500
Flight duration, hour 5
Aircraft Length, m 19,647
Wing span, m 28.813
Wing Area, m2 91.5
Aircraft Height, m \u200b\u200b5.15
Takeoff run, m 460
Run length, m 390
Crew 5
OKB N.I. Kamova at the end of 1952 presented a preliminary design of a rotorcraft based on the Li-2 aircraft.
Additional propeller installation consisted of a carrier system and a power plant. The rotorcraft supporting system was a 17.5-meter three-blade coaxial propellers driven by swashplate machines. It included blades of screws, bushings, swash and traction machines. The additional power plant consisted of a TV-2 turboprop engine, a special gearbox with drive shafts, motors, fuel and lubrication systems, as well as hoods.
In connection with the cessation of the release of the Li-2 aircraft, work on this version of the rotorcraft was performed by aircraft designers N.I. Kamov stopped.
On the line American airlines DST was released on June 26, 1936. In August, the operation of the daily version began. Using DST did not bring special dividends to the airline. But the DC-3 showed excellent results. The cost of chair-kilometers for DC-3 was 2.05 cents, compared with 2.87 cents for DC-2. Regarding the Boeing 247, the advantage was even higher. Not to mention the Ford Trimotor - in terms of cost of transportation and productivity, the DC-3 exceeded it by half. In terms of flight range, the new airliner also did not have serious rivals.
Successful operation in American airlines aroused the interest of other US airlines. Orders for the DC-3 rained down. Air carriers were satisfied not only with the characteristics of the new car, but also with the price - airplanes sold for $ 79,500. At the request of customers, instead of Wright Cyclone, it was possible to install Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines (this version was called DC-3A). Even United air lines, formerly loyal to Boeing, acquired a large number of Douglas. The DC-3 has become North America's main long-haul airliner. Together with DC-2, this aircraft in 1939 transported more than 90% of passengers on domestic lines. In 1940, the fleet of US main airlines consisted of 80% DC-3 aircraft. This made it possible to increase traffic by 400% compared to 1936. (For more information about operations in US main airlines.) DC-3 was in great demand also outside of the USA in Canada, Europe and other regions (see the corresponding pages).
The most popular version was with 21 seats in the cabin and luggage compartment. With its appearance in 1937, the production of DST ceased (a total of 50 sleeping expresses were made, some of which were then converted into the standard version). A little later they stopped producing DC-2. But the production of DC-3 went on increasing. In 1936, 31 aircraft left the plant, in 1937 - 100. By June 1, 1939, the two-hundredth machine was already manufactured. Mass production became possible due to the fact that Douglas introduced the so-called plasma-template production method. He ensured the release of large series of aircraft with the observance of high accuracy of processing units and parts. The Santa Monica plant did not have enough production capacity - Douglas ordered the production of DC-3 to begin at a new facility in Long Beach. At the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 430 copies were produced. It was a clear success, because initially the company was counting on the sale of only 50 copies. In circulation, the DC-3 overtook all other airliners. And no one in 1941 could even think that the main events were still ahead.
With the involvement of the United States in World War II, the army and navy required a huge number of transport aircraft. Of the existing designs, DC-3 was most suitable. Taking into account the requirements of the military, the necessary improvements were made - a passenger compartment with a reinforced floor took the place of the passenger compartment, a large cargo door was mounted on the left side of the fuselage. The chassis has been strengthened, sound insulation removed, etc. The aircraft was powered by more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 engines, for which they changed the shape of the nacelles. As a result of the improvements, the payload grew by almost one and a half tons.
The new version is called the C-47 Skytrain. It was made 965 of these machines. Then there were modifications of the C-47A - with an on-board network of 24 volts instead of 12 (5253 copies), and C-47B (3232 copies). There was also a 28-seat landing version of the C-53 Skytrooper with R1830-92 engines, capable of towing gliders, a naval version of the R4D, etc. In total, more than 10,000 aircraft based on the DC-3 were produced during the war years. The factories in Santa Monica and Long Beach could not cope with the execution of orders, so a new facility was built in Oklahoma City. At the peak of production, the monthly output reached 570 copies. Airplanes arrived in the aviation units of the United States and allied countries. IN Royal air force the aircraft received the designation Dakota C. This name stuck - DC-3 / C-47 began to be called "Dakota" around the world.
Aircraft were produced outside the United States. As with DC-2, DC-3 was assembled at Fokker. More precisely, planes were assembled in Santa Monica. From there, they drove to New York, where they were sorted out and transported by ship to the Netherlands, where they were assembled again. Thus, 14 aircraft were produced. The Dutch company also tried to organize independent production, but to no avail. More fortunate to the Japanese. Having assembled two planes from kits made in Santa Monica, the Shova company independently produced 414 copies with Mitsubishi Kinsei engines. Under her sublicense, Nakajima released another 71 copies. In Japan, aircraft were designated L2D Tabby. Most of them were operated by the army and navy. The largest number of licensed DC-3 was made by the Soviet Union - 4937 copies. Here the plane was called PS-84, then Li-2. A separate page will be dedicated to this machine.
At the end of the war, the Allied forces began to sell S-47 at residual value. Aircraft were available even to poor airlines. Civilian operators converted cargo cabins into passenger cabins, changed their camouflage to bright colors and released them on the line. In addition, another 21 were produced from unassembled C-47s and parts at the Oklahoma City plant. These aircraft were called DC-3C. The last of them was transferred to the Belgian airline Sabena in March 1947. In total, in the USA, according to various sources, from 10,629 copies were built (according to Boeing), to 10,655 (Airliners.net and several other sources).
Between 1945 and 1950 there was perhaps no airline where the Dakota did not serve. It was the most common airliner in the world. And although in the early 1950s they began to be squeezed out of the main lines of the United States, as far back as the middle of the decade 355 copies worked here. The plane left the main lines of European countries in the late 1950s - early 1960s. This was due to the massive introduction of first-generation jet airliners. Nevertheless, in 1965, another 3290 copies served on the lines. In the countries of so-called The Third World DC-3 could be seen on highways in the 1970s. As for regional and local lines, here the machine continued to be used in the 1980s and even 1990s. And today, 70 years after the first flight, airlines use at least a hundred copies of DC-3 on cargo and charter routes. In total, about 2,000 copies have been preserved to our time (including museum exhibits).
The durability of the DC-3 is second to none. Not only peers of the Dakota have long been written off, but also many models created to replace her, and she is still flying. No wonder it says that "DC-3 can only replace another DC-3." The secrets of longevity lie in high strength and reliability. The machine withstood even rough shock loads. There is a legend that to test the strength of the wing steam rollers traveled along it without causing significant damage. There was a case where the DC-3 touched the top of a mountain in Arizona with its wing. Part of the wing came off (almost 4 meters), but the plane landed safely. If one of the engines failed, the DC-3 could continue to climb and perform a maneuver for a safe landing. An essential advantage was high stability - the pilots claimed that the plane could fly without their intervention. The machine was easy to drive.
According to the total number of flight accidents, DC-3 is the champion of civil aviation. But only thanks to the huge number of these aircraft. In fact, with the advent of DC-3, flight safety has risen to a new level. So in 1936 - the year the machine was commissioned, US airlines flew 101.5 million kilometers, with eight passenger aircraft crashed. In 1941, when the fleet consisted almost exclusively of DC-3, there were only four disasters per 214 million kilometers.
But the main advantage of the DC-3 was its excellent economic characteristics. Not to a small degree this was achieved due to the fact that the payload per unit of its own weight was one third higher than the data of any other pre-war airliner. For the first time, DC-3 managed to achieve self-sufficiency in passenger traffic. If before civilian operators kept either through direct state subsidies (in Europe) or indirect (in the USA), now they could act independently. As the president said American airlines Cyrus Smith - "this is the first plane that makes money without transporting mail" (referring to government mail contracts).
It should be noted that over the past seventy years, the DC-3 has been repeatedly upgraded. And sometimes radically. In 1949, Douglas made a serious revision, putting much more powerful engines, lengthening the wing and fuselage, changing the shape of the tail. Such an airliner was called Super DC-3. He could carry 38 passengers. Later, Aero Modifications carried out an even more radical modernization, installing two Convoy turboprop engines. This aircraft is called Turbo DC-3. The turboprop Dakotas also featured Armstrong-Siddely Mamba, Rolls Royce Dart and Pratt & Whiney PT-6-65A. It's about these cars ahead.