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1933, Birth Of The Modern Airliner 6/19
The year 1933 was the beginning of the airliner revolution that put an end to the wood and fabric contraptions that previously carried daring passengers on frequently harrowing flights.
Boeing led the way in Feb. 1933 with the 247, a huge technological advancement, but inadvertently created their own competition by reserving the first 60 for United Airlines, leaving TWA and others, out in the cold.
TWA then solicited proposals for a comparable aircraft, which was very successfully met by Donald Douglas. The DC-1, essentially a prototype, was airborne by July 1933, and went into service with TWA on Sept 15, 1933. Production of the DC-2 began with an order for 20 from TWA.
Lockheed's L-10 Electra was flying by February 1934, and shortly thereafter entered service with Northwest. It also introduced the twin tail concept, soon to be adopted by the very successful Beech 18 as well as future Lockheed offerings.
In the end, Boeing's refusal to share production resulted in the sale of 198 DC-2s, and 149 L-10s, leaving only 15 additional 247s for Boeing.
Improvements and derivatives came quickly, but these three airliners essentially launched the industry. Following are some postcard views of these pioneers. |
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