The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
|
| Previous: C Class, Japanese Midget Submarines | Table of Contents | Next: C-46 Commando, U.S. Transport Aircraft |
Douglas C-39
|
Crew |
3 |
|
Dimensions |
85' by 61'6" by 18'8" 25.90m by 18.75m by 5.69m |
|
Weight |
21,000 lbs (9530 kg) maximum |
|
Maximum speed |
210 mph 340 km/h |
| Cruise speed | 156 mph 251 km/h |
|
Ceiling |
20,600 feet 6300 meters |
| 2 975 hp (727 kW) Wright R-1820-55 Cyclone 9-cylinder radial engines driving three bladed propellers | |
|
Range |
1600 miles 2570 km |
| Capacity |
12 troops or 3600 lbs (5800 kg) cargo |
| By 1939 at Douglas Aircraft Company, Santa Monica, CA: 35 C-39 |
The C-39 was based on the civilian DC-2 and DC-3, with components of
each joined to produce the final aircraft (leading to its nickname,
"DC-2 1/2"). It had the unusual feature that the radio operator's
station was in the rear cabin across from the cargo door, so that the
radio operator could also act as a load master.
A small number were still in service on the West Coast when war broke out in the Pacific. A handful had been stationed in the Philippines but were used to evacuate key personnel to Australia just prior to the Japanese attack.
References
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (accessed 2013-10-30)The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2013 by Kent G. Budge. Index
