Douglas DF

DF-151
Role	commercial passenger flying-boat
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Douglas Aircraft Company
Introduction	1930s[1]
Number built	4 (1 prototype, 3 production)

The Douglas DF was a commercial flying boat built by Douglas Aircraft Company and which first flew on 24 September 1936. It could accommodate 32 passengers, or 16 in sleeper cabins, and was the last flying boat built by the company. Despite acceptable handling and performance within design specifications, no commercial orders were forthcoming and faced with no domestic market for aircraft already built, the company obtained export permits for them. The first two production aircraft were sold to Japan, ostensibly for commercial airline use, however one of them was dismantled, reverse-engineered and formed the basis for the development of the Kawanishi H8K. The second one was lost on a survey flight in 1938. The second production pair were sold (as DF-195's) to the Soviet Union and after winterizing, were disassembled and transported to Russia via ship, where they were operated as transports by Aeroflot.

Specifications

Data from ^[1] and ^[2]

General characteristics

• Crew: 4
• Capacity: 32
• Length: 69 ft 10 in (21.3 m)
• Wingspan: 95 ft in (28.86 m)
• Height: 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m)
• Wing area: 1,295 ft² (120.31 m²)
• Empty weight: 17,315 lb (7,854 kg)
• Gross weight: 28,500 lb (12,927 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × Wright SGR-1820G-2 radial piston, 1,000 hp (746 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 178 mph (286 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 160 mph (257 km/h)
• Range: 3,300 miles (5,311 km)
• Service ceiling: 13,900 ft (4,235 m)
• Rate of climb: 800 ft/min (4.05 m/s)

References

1. Sharpe, Michael (2000). Biplanes, Triplanes, and Seaplanes. London: Friedman/Fairfax Books. p. 162. ISBN 1-58663-300-7.
2. "NICO BRAAS COLLECTION, No. 9317. Douglas DF-151". 1000AircraftPhotos.com. 31 October 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2015.

External links