Osprey Production Line to Flightline 2 : DC-3 Dakota

Built in huge numbers (10,655 in the USA and 2000 under licence in the USSR as Li-2s), the DC-3 Dakota revolutionised air transport firstly in the USA, and then the world. The mainstay of the US domestic airline network in the years prior to World War 2, some 400 DC-3s had been built by Douglas up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. With America's immediate entry into the war, huge orders were placed with the manufacturer for more DC-3s, which were designated C-47 Skytrains by the Army Air Forces and Dakotas by the RAF. No less than 10,000 were built between 1942-45, and postwar these aircraft became the staple carrier for numerous airlines that sprang across the globe. Today, some 400 DC-3s remain in revenue-earning service. Included in this highly illustrative tome are photographs of all the major prototype, pre-production and civil and military service variants under construction at the Douglas plant in California, as well as in service with various operators, and air arms, across the globe. Period colour is also included within this book, featuring aircraft and company/airline advertisements to give a contemporary feel to the book. Text by Michael O'Leary.