FLYING HOTEL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 July 1939, Page 9

FLYING HOTEL

WORLD’S LARGEST COMMERCIAL PLANE. ENORMOUS COST OF TESTS. After almost a year of testing, at a cost of more than £ 50,000, the world’s largest commercial landplane, Donald W. Douglas’ 42-passenger DC-4, _ received its certificate of airworthiness from the U.S. Government. This notification meant that the Douglas Aircraft Company’s 65,000 pound £625,000 prize project at last was ready for commercial airline use—whenever transport concerns of the United States or Europe wanted it. Twenty-four hours after the mighty transport received its certificates il took off from Union Air Terminal. Burbank, South California, with the largest passenger load ever carried by a land-plane in the United States. Forty-four passengers and a six-man crew made the first flight. Tyrone Power and Annabella, newly married film stars, occupied the DC-4's bridal suite during the flight. Benny Howard, United Air Lines test pilot, who has been running the monster ship through its paces for the U.S. Government, took the controls, with Douglas’s flight engineer. Al Reed, as co-pilot. Stewardesses staffed the transport for the first time. According to an official report, “the craft flew like 33 tons of feathers,” and to illustrate the ease of its operation. Maxine Howard, blonde aviatorwife of the captain, sat behind the master controls from San Pedro to Burbank.

Significant figures of the machine’s development disclosed that its cloven months’ of testing had cost the Douglas Company £125.000. This equalled the amount originally pooled by the five major airlines just for its building. but to date total cost, of the fourengined transport lias been £600.000. Designed for long-range commercial land operations, the giant Douglas spans 138 ft Sin across its broad low wing, measures 97ft 7in overall. Its top speed, tests have shown, will reach 240 miles per hour, and at 10,000 feet at 65 per cent power the DC4 will cruise gracefully at 200 miles per hour. Eventually, if purchasing airlines desire, the Douglas cabin can be pressure-proofed for flight in the so-called substratosphere at 20.000 feet. Although its makers term it a “flying hotel.’ 'the DC-4 has demonstrated in months of test flights that it can land in less space than the conventional two-wheeled, two-engined transports in use on America's airlines today.