DC 7B

Donald Douglas of Santa Monica has been making aircraft for American Airlines since 1934. The Douglas Aircraft company delivered the DC-2 to 35 year old C.R. Smith, the CEO of the airline at the time. C.R. Smith needed a new plane capable of non-stop transcontinental flights. His airline competed with Howard Hughes' TWA who had the Lockheed Super Constellation. He was losing. The DC-7 could even the score.
Historical operators of the DC-7 include:
American Operators:
American Airlines received 34 DC-7s and 24 DC-7Bs.
Braniff Airways received 7 DC-7Cs.
Continental Air Lines received 6 DC-7Bs.
Delta Air Lines received 10 DC-7s and 11 DC-7Bs.
Eastern Air Lines received 50 DC-7Bs.
National Airlines received 4 DC-7s and 4 DC-7Bs.
Northwest Orient Airlines received 14 DC-7Cs.
Pan American-Grace Airways received 6 DC-7Bs.
Pan American World Airways received 7 DC-7Bs and 26 DC-7Cs.
United Airlines received 57 DC-7s.
Foriegn Operators:
Aeromexico
Alitalia
BOAC
Caledonian Airways
Emirates Airline
Japan Airlines
KLM
Panair do Brasil
Sabena
SAS
South African Airways
Swissair
THY
This Douglas DC-7B wears the markings of T&G Aviation Inc. Chandler, Arizona circa 1985. Serial Number 44701 wears the registration of N51701.
The crew includes 3 pilots and 2 flight attendants. 64 to 95 passengers fill up this liner. It’s capacity measures less than a regional jet.
The engines are not Pratt and Whitney's but four Wright R-3350-18DA-4 radial engines. The R-3350s provide 3,250 horsepower each. The plane has a maximum speed of 360 MPH, a service ceiling of 27,900 feet, and a range of 4,920 miles.
The DC-7 was the last of Douglas’s piston engine airliner designs. From 1953 to 1958, Douglas produced 338 - half the orders of the Douglas DC-6. Due to its engine problems, the DC-7 has not had the same longevity as the DC-6. No DC-7s fly today. A small number survive on display.
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