1950s Air Travel

[Tero]

My dad came to study in the US in 1950 or so for a year. He was out of money on the way back so he took a boat from NY.

But on the way out he got to Amsterdam by some means and had a flight booked to New York. He sent his mom this postcard from there, probably free from KLM, whose plane it is. Would he have flown a DC3 all the way, or changed to a bigger plane at some point?



Even in 1966 my first air travel went Helsinki to Copenhagen to Prestwick to Iceland to NY. In Iceland we changed to a slightly bigger plane. It might have been a jet.

We had cameras but for some reason did not document the trip, unless I find some slide of the NY arrival.

My dad picked us up in NY and drove us to Minnesota, air travel over land was avoided for the cost!

Any idea what planes were common for Atlantic crossings in 1950?

[Sean Hayden]

That's really cool.

[Tero]

The plane had assorted engines but never more than 21 passengers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Do ... y_variants

SPECIFICATIONS
Span: 95 ft. 0 in.
Length: 64 ft. 5 in.
Height: 16 ft. 11 in.
Weight: 33,000 lbs. loaded
Armament: None
Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney R-1830s of 1,200 hp. ea.
Crew: Six
Cost: $138,000
Serial Number: 43-49507
C/N: 15313/26768
Displayed As: 43-15174
PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 232 mph.
Cruising speed: 175 mph.
Range: 1,513 miles
Service Ceiling: 24,450 ft.

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/modern_flight/mf3.htm

New York to London is 3500 miles, the civilian DC3 only went 1000-1200 miles.

[klr]

My dad came to study in the US in 1950 or so for a year. He was out of money on the way back so he took a boat from NY.

But on the way out he got to Amsterdam by some means and had a flight booked to New York. He sent his mom this postcard from there, probably free from KLM, whose plane it is. Would he have flown a DC3 all the way, or changed to a bigger plane at some point?



Even in 1966 my first air travel went Helsinki to Copenhagen to Prestwick to Iceland to NY. In Iceland we changed to a slightly bigger plane. It might have been a jet.

We had cameras but for some reason did not document the trip, unless I find some slide of the NY arrival.

My dad picked us up in NY and drove us to Minnesota, air travel over land was avoided for the cost!

Any idea what planes were common for Atlantic crossings in 1950?

I'm not sure what plane that is.

The nose looks familiar ... back in a tick.

[Tero]

Yes, it's not a DC3 then. Looks like about 40 passengers. DC 6?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-6

Wiki has this to offer about routes around 1947

After World War II long runways were available, and American, Canadian and European carriers such as Pan Am, TWA, Trans Canada Airlines (TCA), BOAC, and Air France acquired larger piston aircraft, which allowed flights over the North Atlantic with intermediate stops (usually in Gander, Newfoundland and/or Shannon, Ireland). To aid aircraft crossing the Atlantic, six nations grouped to divide the Atlantic into ten zones. Each zone had a letter and a vessels station in that zone, providing radio rely, radio navigation beacons, weather reports and coordinated rescues in case an aircraft went down. The six nations of the group split the cost of maintaining these vessels.

[klr]

There's a KLM fleet history here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KLM#Fleet_history

It's piston-engined - not a turboprop. I'd say it was a DC-6, but the nose looks too fat. Anyway, the list has retirement dates.

[Tero]

Interior comfort! Only 50 passengers, all look like first class seats compared to today.

[klr]

Interior comfort! Only 50 passengers, all look like first class seats compared to today.

...

Back when air travel was expensive, the standard of seating and service had to be very good, especially when there was still competition with liners.

Take the inter-war Dornier Do X flying boat:

...
The luxurious passenger accommodation approached the standards of transatlantic liners. On the main deck was a smoking room with its own wet bar, a dining salon, and seating for the 66 passengers which could also be converted to sleeping berths for night flights.
...

[Thinking Aloud]

It's definitely a Douglas... Found a pic of an RC DC-6 in "Flying Dutchman" colours like the postcard...

[Thinking Aloud]

And it's too small for a DC-7, too big for a DC-5.

[klr]

And it's too small for a DC-7, too big for a DC-5.

Yeah, my immediate reaction was DC-6, but the nose is too fat. The nose looks vaguely British, but I can't find any match there either.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

http://postcard-heaven.co.uk/index.php? ... ts_id=2819

[FBM]

Well, that's that, then.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

That was a better copy of the postcard, for investigative work.

[Tero]

Cool, I could send it to Lozzer and he could eBay it in exchange for food.