It was designed to replace the Douglas DC-3, an iconic propeller-driven airliner that revolutionised the commercial aviation industry with its performance post-WWII. But the Martin 2-0-2 was different to the DC-3 in many ways; some good, some bad. With just 47 produced between 1947-48, it gained its full civilian certificate in 1947 and henceforth was ordered initially by three American-based aircraft companies. But was it in fact a step back from the widely-loved and much famed DC-3?
Unlike its predecessor, the Martin 2-0-2 had an unpressurised cabin. While it was still fairly commonplace to not have a pressurised cabin at the time, the DC-3 did. Cabin pressurisation was considered a huge leap forward in early civilian air transport, as it allowed aeroplanes to fly higher and therefore further distances using a smaller amount of fuel. It meant aeroplanes with pressurised cabins became far more appealing to airlines who were trying to make money whilst still providing a service that wouldn’t break the bank (difficult to imagine when you consider that one airfare in the 1960s would cost the equivalent of three months wages to some). Whilst the Martin 2-0-2’s cabin was not pressurised, it was still a long-range aeroplane that…
