In a chapter extracted from a Key Publishing book on the Douglas DC-3, Tim McLelland examines the changes made to the DC-2 to make the legendary DC-3
It has often been claimed that if Smith had not been so enthusiastic, Donald Douglas would never have agreed to proceed with the proposal. It is undoubtedly true that Douglas remained skeptical, as he could not see any logical need for a sleeper aircraft, given that the very notion of sleeping in an airliner was almost absurd. The uncomfortable and noisy Condors and Tri‑Motors were barely tolerable for shorter daytime flights, and the idea of attempting to sleep in an airliner seemed almost ludicrous to Douglas, and he could not believe that American Airlines would be prepared to finance the concept. However, Cyrus Smith took advantage of a loan facility that had been made available by the US government in response to the Great Depression. He obtained money from the Reconstruction Finance Agency and used this to fund the development of the new Douglas aircraft, and on July 8, 1935, he ordered ten aircraft at a cost of US$795,000 (this order later doubled). Surprisingly, Smith did not sign a contract for the aircraft until April 8, 1936, and until that date the design and manufa…
