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Douglas C-49D-DO · N38943 · North Central Airlines

Douglas C-49D-DO illustration in North Central Airlines livery Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

Douglas C-49D-DO

DC3-3280Unknown
RegistrationUSN38943
Verified aircraft dataagainst the official civil aviation registerWhat does this badge mean?We checked that this aircraft’s registration, serial number and model match the official civil aviation register: FAA (United States), data as of Oct 8, 2026.That makes its identity more reliable. The verification expires after 12 months: if the register stops confirming it, the badge disappears.How we verify
OperatorNorth Central Airlines
7operators
0incidents
0accidents
0logbook years
0photos

Douglas C-49D-DO. Has operated for Delta Air Lines, United States Army Air Forces and North Central Airlines.

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.

Recent flights

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Technical data

Country of registrationEstados Unidos
MSN3280
Hex / ICAO 24-bitA47FB9
VerificationIdentity verified against the official register of FAA (United States) · Oct 8, 2026

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

With its 2,540 km range, from Chicago it could fly non-stop as far as:

CUNCancún2,330 kmHAVHavana2,172 kmMIAMiami1,930 kmDFWDallas-Fort Worth1,291 kmJFKNew York1,188 km
Beyond its rangeMEXMexico City2,719 km

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

Airports

Airports of the airlines that have operated it

1952–2026North Central Airlines airline base
Base
ORDChicago

Flight logbook

Under research

Aircraft chronology

Jan 4, 1941
Delivered to Delta Air Lines
Delivered to Delta Air Lines as NC28343.
Jul 2, 1942
Transferred to United States Army Air Forces
Transferred to United States Army Air Forces.
May 3, 1943
Transferred to Braniff Airways
Transferred to Braniff Airways.
Jun 18, 1943
Transferred to United Air Lines
Transferred to United Air Lines.
Jan 31, 1944
Transferred to TWA Transcontinental and Western Air
Transferred to TWA Transcontinental and Western Air.
Jan 9, 1951
Transferred to Wisconsin Central Airlines
Transferred to Wisconsin Central Airlines.
Dec 15, 1952
Transferred to North Central Airlines
Transferred to North Central Airlines.

Operators

1941-01-04
Delta Air Lines
Registration NC28343
1942-07-02
United States Army Air Forces
Registration 42-65584
1943-05-03
Braniff Airways
Registration N28343
1943-06-18
United Air Lines
Registration N28343
1944-01-31
1951-01-09
Wisconsin Central Airlines
Registration N38943
1952-12-15
North Central Airlines
Registration N38943

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Cite

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This page was last updated on October 10, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 10). Douglas C-49D-DO · N38943 · North Central Airlines. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-3280

MLA

“Douglas C-49D-DO · N38943 · North Central Airlines.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 10 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-3280. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Douglas C-49D-DO · N38943 · North Central Airlines.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 10, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-3280.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Douglas C-49D-DO · N38943 · North Central Airlines. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-3280 (Accessed: 24 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_dc3_3280,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Douglas C-49D-DO · N38943 · North Central Airlines}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-10},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-3280},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-3280}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-24},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-24}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC3-3280 |title=Douglas C-49D-DO · N38943 · North Central Airlines |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-10 |access-date=2026-10-24 |language=en}}