The Douglas DC-3: 90 Glorious Years

A comprehensive history of the Douglas DC-3, exploring its military, commercial, and enduring global legacy.

The Douglas DC-3 is as iconic an aircraft design as the Mustang or Spitfire. It has endured more than any other, with a few hundred examples still in use across the world. Many fledgling US airlines blossomed due to their DC-3s, and almost every major post-war airline started running their schedules with the type, taking advantage of the surplus in military DC-3s (C-47s) after the Second World War.

In Douglas DC-3: 90 Glorious Years, Geoff Jones explores the rich history of the aircraft from its beginnings in Southern California in the 1930s, to its participation in military operations such as the D-Day Normandy Landings, through to its use as a commercial aircraft into the twenty-first century. The Airbus and Boeing operators of today have their DC-3 operations to thank for their current success, and numerous enthusiast organisations continue to keep DC-3s airworthy and fly them for their members. Ninety years on, the legacy of this extraordinary aircraft is as strong as ever.