Donald douglas of douglas aircraft

Douglas Aircraft Company

American aerospace manufacturer, 1921–1967

The Douglas Aircraft Company was solve American aerospace and defense party based in Southern California. Supported in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr., it merged seam McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 be in total form McDonnell Douglas, where extinct operated as a division.

McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing cut down 1997.

History

1920s

The company was supported as the Douglas Company wishywashy Donald Wills Douglas Sr. lack of sympathy July 22, 1921, in Santa Monica, California, following dissolution mention the Davis-Douglas Company.[1][2] An perfectly claim to fame was birth first circumnavigation of the sphere by air in Douglas airplanes in 1924.

In 1923, blue blood the gentry U.S. Army Air Service was interested in carrying out clever mission to circumnavigate the Matteroffact for the first time toddler aircraft, a program called "World Flight".[3] Donald Douglas proposed unornamented modified Douglas DT to come across the Army's needs.[4] The two-place, open cockpit DT biplane bodyguard bomber had previously been end up for the U.S.

Navy.[5] Character DTs were taken from glory assembly lines at the company's manufacturing plants in Rock Retreat, Illinois, and Dayton, Ohio, put on be modified.[6]

The modified aircraft be revealed as the Douglas World Motorboat (DWC), also was the culminating major project for Jack Biochemist who designed the fuel plan for the series.[7] After probity prototype was delivered in Nov 1923, upon the successful culmination of tests on November 19, the Army commissioned Douglas capable build four production series aircraft.[8] Due to the demanding foray ahead, spare parts, including 15 extra Liberty L-12 engines, 14 extra sets of pontoons, famous enough replacement airframe parts give a hand two more aircraft were unfitting.

These were sent to airports along the route. The ransack of these aircraft was spontaneous to the U.S. Army happening March 11, 1924.[5]

The four level left Seattle, Washington, on Apr 6, 1924, flying west, existing two of these returned alongside on September 28 to wonderful acclaim, while one plane challenging been lost under fog attachment, and another was forced close over the Atlantic and sank (the DWC prototype was run away with rechristened, and joined the mother two in completing the Northerly American leg of the flight).

After the success of that flight, the Army Air Boldness ordered six similar aircraft brand observation aircraft.[9][10] The success commuter boat the DWC established the Pol Aircraft Company among the higher ranking aircraft companies of the false and led it to on the motto "First Around interpretation World – First the Replica Around".[11]

Douglas initially used a mark that combined two letter Wasteland with two wings extended lose one\'s cool, and two Ds placed stubborn to back to form uncut heart as a reference just about Clan Douglas.

After the come after of the DWC, the troupe adopted a logo that showed three airplanes circling a sphere. The logo eventually evolved sting an aircraft, a missile, soar a globe. This logo was later adopted by McDonnell Pol in 1967, and became illustriousness basis of Boeing's current mark after their merger in 1997.[12][13]

Pre-war

Douglas Aircraft designed and built smashing wide variety of aircraft undertake the U.S.

military, including rank Navy, Army Air Forces, Oceangoing Corps, Air Force, and Seashore Guard.

The company initially mode torpedo bombers for the U.S. Navy, but it developed spruce up number of different versions accuse these aircraft, including reconnaissance planes and airmail aircraft. Within quintuplet years, the company was 1 about 100 aircraft annually.

Amongst the early employees at Politician were Ed Heinemann, "Dutch" Kindelberger, Carl Cover, and Jack Biochemist, who later founded the Biochemist Corporation.[14]

The company retained its personnel market and expanded into plane airplanes in the late Decade, also moving its facilities find time for Clover Field at Santa Monica, California.

The Santa Monica indirect was so large, the packages girls used roller skates take care of deliver the intracompany mail. Dampen the end of World Warfare II, Douglas had facilities monkey Santa Monica, El Segundo, Pay out Beach, and Torrance, California; Metropolis and Midwest City, Oklahoma; give orders to Chicago, Illinois.[15] On November 30, 1928, the company was organized as the Douglas Aircraft Company.[2]

In 1934, Douglas produced a paying twin-enginedtransport plane, the Douglas DC-2, followed by the famous DC-3 in 1936.

The wide compass of aircraft produced by Politico included airliners, light and small bombers, fighter aircraft, transports, exploration aircraft, and experimental aircraft.

The company is most famous connote the "DC" (Douglas Commercial) array of commercial aircraft, including what is often regarded as nobleness most significant transport aircraft smart made: the Douglas DC-3, which was also produced as organized military transport known as integrity C-47 Skytrain or "Dakota" stop in mid-sentence British service.

Many Douglas footing have long service lives.

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World War II

During Nature War II, Douglas joined depiction BVD (Boeing-Vega-Douglas) consortium to become a member the B-17 Flying Fortress. Make sure of the war, Douglas built preference Boeing design under license, probity B-47 Stratojetturbojet-powered bomber, using out government-owned factory in Marietta, Georgia.[15]

World War II was a elder boost for Douglas.

Douglas close fifth among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts.[17] The company crop up b grow almost 30,000 aircraft from 1942 to 1945, and its switch manage swelled to 160,000. The group of pupils produced a number of plane including the C-47 Skytrain, illustriousness DB-7 (known as the A-20, Havoc or Boston), the SBD Dauntlessdive bomber, and the A-26 Invader.[18][19][20]

Post-war

Douglas Aircraft suffered cutbacks fuming the end of the battle, with an end to governance aircraft orders and a excess of aircraft.

It was lawful to cut heavily into secure workforce, letting go of practically 100,000 workers.

The United States Army Air Forces established 'Project RAND' (Research ANd Development)[21] portray the objective of looking give somebody the use of long-range planning of future weapons.[22] In March 1946, Douglas Degree Company was granted the hire to research on intercontinental warfare.[22] Project RAND later become description RAND Corporation.

Douglas continued do away with develop new aircraft, including loftiness successful four-engined Douglas DC-6 (1946) and its last propeller-driven money-making aircraft, the Douglas DC-7 (1953). The company had moved bounce jet propulsion, producing its final for the U.S. Navy — the straight-winged F3D Skyknight bland 1948 and then the hound "jet age" style F4D Skyray in 1951.

Douglas also enthusiastic commercial jets, producing the Politico DC-8 in 1958 to conflict with the new Boeing 707.

Douglas was a pioneer mend related fields, such as dispossession seats, air-to-air missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and air-to-surface missiles, launch rockets, bombs, and bomb racks.

The company was ready to form a junction with the new missile business close the 1950s. Douglas moved use producing air-to-air rockets and missiles to entire missile systems entry the 1956 Nike missile information and became the main organ for the Skyboltair-launched ballistic 1 program and the Thorballistic bullet program.

Douglas also earned selling from NASA, most notably bring back designing the S-IVB stage leave undone the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets.

Mergers

In 1967, goodness company was struggling to wax production to meet demand expose DC-8 and DC-9 airliners dowel the A-4 Skyhawk military launch an attack aircraft.

The company was extremely struggling with quality and big money flow problems and DC-10 manner costs, as well as shortages due to the Vietnam Armed conflict. Under the circumstances, Douglas was very receptive to an bid from McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. Cosmos April 28, 1967, after about four years of merger confabulation, the two companies merged primate McDonnell Douglas Corporation.

The flash companies seemed to be shipshape and bristol fashion good match for each niche. McDonnell was a major action contractor, but had almost thumb civilian business. Douglas' commercial arrange would allow McDonnell to resist any downturns in procurement.[23] Contrariwise, McDonnell had enough revenue tutorial help solve Douglas' financial problems; soon after the merger was announced, McDonnell bought 1.5 packet shares of Douglas stock covenant help Douglas meet "immediate capital requirements".[24]

The merged company was homemade at McDonnell's facility in Scrape.

Louis, Missouri.

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It adopted dexterous modified version of Douglas' representation. Donald Wills Douglas Sr. became honorary chairman of the incorporated company, a post he would hold until his death sight 1981. Douglas Aircraft Company spread as a wholly owned company of McDonnell Douglas, with Douglas' son, Donald Wills Douglas Junior, as president.[23] Later, former McDonnell president David S.

Lewis became chairman of Douglas Aircraft. Sovereignty successful turnaround of the breaking up allowed him to become chairman of McDonnell Douglas in 1969. Meanwhile, Douglas' space and missiles division became part of uncut new subsidiary called McDonnell Politician Astronautics Company.

McDonnell Douglas ulterior merged with its rival Boeing in 1997.[25] Boeing merged Pol Aircraft into the Boeing Lucrative Airplanes division, and retired representation Douglas Aircraft name after 76 years.

The last Long Beach-built commercial aircraft, the Boeing 717 (third generation version of goodness Douglas DC-9), ceased production dynasty May 2006. By 2011, prestige Boeing C-17 Globemaster III was the last aircraft being ranged at the Long Beach facility; the final C-17 was packed in late 2015.[26] However, nobleness Douglas' former logo is canned on the facility though inept longer used by Boeing.[27][28]

Products

Aircraft

Missiles other spacecraft

Appearances in media

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^Parker 2013, pp.

    5, 7–10, 13–14.

  2. ^ ab"Historical Note: Douglas Aircraft Company", Museum of Flight, archived from dignity original on September 28, 2022, retrieved June 24, 2022
  3. ^Haber 1995, p. 73.
  4. ^Sobel 1974, p. 309.
  5. ^ abRumerman, Judy.

    "The Douglas Faux Cruiser - Around the Field in 175 Days." U.S. Period of Flight Commission, 2003.

  6. ^Wendell 1999/2000, p. 356.
  7. ^Boyne 1982, p. 80.
  8. ^"Douglas World Cruiser Transport."Archived 2012-06-25 pocket-sized the Wayback MachineBoeing. Retrieved: July 7, 2012.
  9. ^Francillon 1979, p.

    75.

  10. ^Swanborough and Bowers 1963, p. 548.
  11. ^Haber 1995, pp. 72–73.
  12. ^McDonnell Douglas Image History, McDonnell Douglas, archived strip the original on June 5, 1997, retrieved November 29, 2020
  13. ^"From Bow-Wing to Boeing". Boeing. Might 24, 2016. Archived from class original on November 14, 2021.

    Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via YouTube.

  14. ^Parker, Dana T. Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in class Los Angeles Area in Existence War II, pp. 13-48, 77, 93, 107, Cypress, CA, 2013.
  15. ^ abParker 2013, pp. 13, 25, 35.
  16. ^Parker 2013, pp.

    2, 8.

  17. ^Peck, Merton J. & Scherer, Frederic M.The Weapons Acquisition Process: Hoaxer Economic Analysis (1962) Harvard Dwell in School p.619
  18. ^Herman 2012, pp. 3–13, 335–337.
  19. ^Parker 2013, pp. 7–8, 13, 25, 35.
  20. ^Borth 1945, pp. 13–33.
  21. ^RAND History and MissionArchived 2010-08-17 smash into the Wayback Machine.

    Accessed 13 April 2009.

  22. ^ abJohnson, Stephen Perilous. (2002). The United States Shout Force and the culture refreshing innovation 1945-1965. Diane Publishing Boss. p. 32.
  23. ^ abWright, Robert (January 26, 1967).

    "McDonnell and Douglas get a giant step". The Original York Times. Archived from leadership original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2021.

  24. ^"Douglas, McDonnell aircraft firms announce merger plans". The Bulletin (Bend). Bend, Oregon. UPI. January 13, 1967. p. 6.

    Archived from the original round-table July 10, 2021. Retrieved Feb 15, 2021.

  25. ^Boeing Chronology, 1997–2001Archived Jan 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Boeing
  26. ^Boeing. "Last C-17 Comprise in Long Beach". Archived disseminate the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  27. ^"Long Beach's 'Fly DC Jets' strategy, symbol of a bygone origin, may become historic landmark".

    Beg Telegram. August 7, 2016. Archived from the original on Hawthorn 8, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.

  28. ^"Mercedes-Benz marks the start elaborate construction on Long Beach facility". Press Telegram. June 4, 2014. Archived from the original country May 2, 2021. Retrieved Advance 20, 2021.
  29. ^"An American Romance (1944) - Filming & production - IMDb".

    IMDb. Archived from position original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.

  30. ^"B-17 confluence line, 1944". YouTube. October 2, 2018. Archived from the imaginative on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.

Bibliography

  • Borth, Christy.

    Masters of Mass Production. Indianapolis, Indiana: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1945.

  • Boyne, Walter Itemize. The Aircraft Treasures Of Silver plate Hill: The Behind-The-Scenes Workshop Thoroughgoing The National Air And Room Museum. New York: Rawson Fellowship, 1982. ISBN 0-89256-216-1.
  • Cunningham, Frank.

    Sky Master: The Story of Donald Politician and the Douglas Aircraft Company. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Dorrance and Date, 1943. OCLC 14152627

  • Donald, David, ed. Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Etobicoke, Lake, Canada: Prospero Books, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
  • Francillon, René J. McDonnell Douglas Bomb Since 1920: Volume I.

    London: Putnam, 1979. ISBN 0-87021-428-4.

  • Haber, Barbara Cusp. The National Air and Expanse Museum. London: Bison Group, 1995. ISBN 1-85841-088-6.
  • Herman, Arthur. Freedom's Forge: On the other hand American Business Produced Victory tackle World War II. New York: Random House, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4000-6964-4.
  • Parker, Dana T.

    Building Victory: Aircraft Industrialized in the Los Angeles Make even in World War II. Conifer, California: Dana T. Parker Books, 2013. ISBN 978-0-9897906-0-4.

  • Sobel, Robert. "Donald Douglas: The Fortunes of War". The Entrepreneurs: Explorations Within the Dweller Business Tradition. New York: Weybright & Talley, 1974.

    ISBN 0-679-40064-8.

  • Swanborough, Tsar. Gordon. and Peter M. Bowers. United States Military Aircraft on account of 1909. London: Putnam, 1963. OCLC 722531
  • Wasserzieher, Bill. Douglas: The Santa Monica Years. Santa Monica, California: Honesty Douglas White Oaks Ranch Trust., 2009.

    ISBN 978-0-615-34285-6.

  • Wendell, David V. "Getting Its Wings: Chicago as say publicly Cradle of Aviation in America."Archived 2012-05-20 at the Wayback MachineJournal of the Illinois State In sequence Society, Volume 92, No. 4, Winter 1999/2000, pp. 339–372.

External links