Basil Smith: Douglas Dakota Airplane

Artist: Basil Smith
1925 -
Nationality: British
Artwork Year: 1984
Image Size: 7 by 6 inches
Overall Size: 10 by 7.5 inches
Medium: Mixed Media on Hot Press Illustration Board

The famous Douglas Dakota (DC) planes make up what is perhaps the most important family in the history of transport aviation. For more than forty years, some eleven thousand DC planes have filled the skies, serving both military and civilian purposes. The Douglas DC planes were originally designed to compete in commercial travel with the Boeing 247. The DC-1 was a first attempt. Shortly after, the improved DC-2 was offered. And finally came the ever-versatile DC-3. The DC-3 was larger and more powerful than its predecessors, carrying two Wright Cyclone engines and offering comfortable passage for from fourteen to thirty-two people. Its amazing success and popularity soon came to the attention of the military, who acquired a number of the DC-3s for use in prewar years. The military fitted their planes with Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines and strengthened the cabin floor to accommodate heavy cargo. They also dubbed them the "Dakota's" -- a rough acronym for Douglas Aircraft Company Transport Aircraft. These planes served the military well throughout World War II and when supplied to the Royal Air Force, became popular in Great Britain, too. When peace was finally at hand, the Douglas Dakotas were quickly converted to civilian planes. In fact, they became the nucleus of the British European Airways. This artwork depicts the airborne Dakota as it takes off from Guernsey airport in the Channel Islands. The G-AHCW shown here flew until 1949, when it was retired from service.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood® Trains & Boats & Planes & More Collection Description Card for the Douglas Dakota.

Artwork Copyright © 1984 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB08641

US$ Price: $950.00

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