and DC-4s were modified into military C-47s built in Long Beach and Oklahoma City, and C-54 transports built in Santa Monica, Calif., and Chicago, respectively. Douglas also manufactured SBD Dauntless dive bombers in El Segundo, Calif. B-17 Flying Fortresses were built to Boeing specifications in Long Beach. Consolidated B-24s and, later, A-26 Invaders were produced in Tulsa, Okla. In all, Douglas built 30,000 airplanes in five years. More than just an airplane builder, Douglas Aircraft became a world leader in research and innovation, highlighted by the formation of Project RAND in October 1945, which later was spun off as a not-for-profit that continues today as the Rand Corp. That same spirit of discovery and innovation continued across the company in programs such as the XB-43, America’s first jet bomber, and high-speed research aircraft including the D-558-1 and -2, the latter the first aircraft to fly at twice the speed of sound, or Mach 2. Following the war, Douglas built two of the finest carrier-based attack airplanes of modern times, the A-1 Skyraider and A-4 Skyhawk. Both were the designs of famed engineer Ed Heinemann, who was honored with the 1953 Collier Trophy for his 54 BOEING FRONTIERS Photo: First flown on May 16, 1946, the almost unknown XB-43 was an important milestone—the first U.S. jet-powered bomber. BOEING ARCHIVES pioneering supersonic carrier-based fighter, the F4D Skyray. Douglas, which had commanded the military transport market during the war by building 10,000 C-47s, continued that legacy with the Globemaster series, which included the C-74, C-124 and, 70 years later, the C-17 Globemaster III. War-surplus C-47s and DC-3s served as the backbone of many of the world’s postwar airlines. These soon were joined by the DC-4, DC-6 and DC-7, which, along with the Lockheed Constellation, dominated commercial air travel. When Boeing re-entered the commercial market with the 707 four-engine jetliner in 1958, Douglas remained a top contender with the DC-8 and later was the first to market with a small jetliner, the DC-9. When Boeing introduced the 747, Douglas quickly responded with the widebody DC-10 tri-jet. In 1967, Douglas merged with McDonnell Aircraft, beginning the decline of the Douglas commercial business. The DC-10 proved to be the last all-new member of the DC family; all commercial airplanes going forward were derivatives, including the MD-80/90/95 series and MD-11. While Douglas Aircraft is best-known for the DC airplane family, another important and enduring legacy is the company’s development of rockets and its role in the exploration of space. Douglas was an early leader in rocket and missile technology with the pioneering Thor missile and Delta booster, as well as the Nike missile, which served as the U.S. primary air defense system during the Cold War. Douglas also built the third stage of the Saturn V rocket that hurled Apollo spacecraft and U.S. astronauts on voyages to the moon. Today, a Boeing-Lockheed alliance builds the Delta IV, which continues the Douglas family of rockets and will propel the Douglas legacy into the next generation of space travel. A modified Delta IV will be used as an interim upper stage of the Space Launch System, now in development by NASA, Boeing and others. Even though the last airplane with Douglas roots has left the factory, it is a fitting tribute to Donald Douglas and his company that the Douglas legacy will, at least at the start, be part of a powerful new rocket that could one day send humans to Mars. n MICHAEL.J.LOMBARDI@BOEING.COM
Frontiers December 2015 - January 2016 Issue
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