Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

Douglas DC-3A

DC3-11729Written off

RegistrationEM-3

AIOperatorAir America

6operators

0incidents

0accidents

0logbook years

0photos

Douglas DC-3A. Operated for China Airlines, United States Army Air Forces and Air America.

Vuelopedia is a work in progress: it currently holds about 30% of the information we expect to have by the third quarter of 2027. Although we use only official, highly reliable sources, some aircraft data and history may still contain errors or inaccuracies. We work hard to clear every anomaly from the records using specialized verification tools.

Technical data

MSN11729

VerificationPending check against the official civil register

The model · Douglas DC-3

Figures for the DC-3 variant, the most representative of the family

Length19.7 m65 ft

Wingspan29.0 m95 ft

Height5.2 m17 ft

Range2,540 km1,371 NMWith a typical passenger load

Cruise speed339 km/h183 ktMach 0.32

Service ceiling7,100 m23,294 ft

Maximum take-off weight11,431 kg25,201 lb

Maximum payload3,781 kg8,336 lbIts 21 passengers with baggage would weigh about 2.1 t; the rest is fuel and cargo

Typical capacity21 passengersUp to 32 in a high-density layout

Endurance7 h 30 minAt cruise speed, non-stop

The type first flew in 1935 (91 years ago) · About 607 units built · Production ended in 1942

Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.

The full story of the Douglas DC-3 Compare this aircraft

Flight logbook

Under research

Aircraft chronology

Jun 5, 1943

Delivered to United States Army Air Forces

Delivered to United States Army Air Forces as 42-68802.

Aug 1, 1956

Transferred to Western Airlines

Transferred to Western Airlines.

Sep 24, 1958

Transferred to Nippon Helicopter Transport Company

Transferred to Nippon Helicopter Transport Company.

Nov 1, 1963

Transferred to Nakanihon Air

Transferred to Nakanihon Air.

Operators

—

China Airlines

Registration B-1531

1943-06-05

United States Army Air Forces

Registration 42-68802

1956-08-01

Western Airlines

Registration NC49554

1958-09-24

Nippon Helicopter Transport Company

Registration JA5050

1963-11-01

Nakanihon Air

Registration JA5050

—

Air America

Registration EM-3 · Lessor: China Airlines

In memoriam

This aircraft suffered a serious accident or hull loss. Out of respect for what happened and for the people who may have been affected, this record does not enable the register of memories.

Cite

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This page was last updated on October 15, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). Douglas DC-3A · EM-3 · Air America. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-11729

MLA

“Douglas DC-3A · EM-3 · Air America.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-11729. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Douglas DC-3A · EM-3 · Air America.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-11729.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Douglas DC-3A · EM-3 · Air America. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-11729 (Accessed: 19 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_dc3_11729,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Douglas DC-3A · EM-3 · Air America}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-15},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-11729},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-11729}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-19},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-19}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-11729 |title=Douglas DC-3A · EM-3 · Air America |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-19 |language=en}}