Douglas DC-1
Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.The Douglas DC-1 was the first model of the famous American DC (Douglas Commercial) commercial transport aircraft series. Although only one example of the DC-1 was produced, the design was the basis for the DC-2 and DC-3, the latter being one of the most successful aircraft in the history of aviation.
Specifications
Figures for the DC-1 variant, the most representative of the family
The type first flew in 1933 (93 years ago) · About 1 units built · Production ended in 1933
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 story of the type
Design and development
Development of the DC-1 can be traced back to the 1931 crash of a TWA airliner, a Fokker F-10 trimotor in which a wing failed, likely because water had seeped between the layers of the wood laminate and dissolved the glue holding the layers together. Following the accident, the Aeronautics Branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce placed stringent restrictions on the use of wooden wings on passenger airliners. Boeing developed an answer, the 247, a twin-engined all-metal monoplane with a retractable undercarriage, but their production capacity was reserved to meet the needs of United Airlines, part of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation which also owned Boeing. TWA needed a similar aircraft to respond to competition from the Boeing 247 and they asked five manufacturers to bid for construction of a three-engined, 12-seat aircraft of all-metal construction, capable of flying 1,080 mi (1,740 km) at 150 mph (242 km/h). The most demanding part of the specification was that the airliner would have to be capable of safely taking off from any airport on TWA's main routes (and in particular Albuquerque, at high altitude and with severe summer temperatures) with one engine non-functioning.
Donald Douglas was initially reluctant to participate in the invitation from TWA. He doubted that there would be a market for 100 aircraft, the number of sales necessary to cover development costs. Nevertheless, he submitted a design consisting of an all-metal, low-wing, twin-engined aircraft seating 12 passengers, a crew of two and a flight attendant. The aircraft exceeded the specifications of TWA even with only two engines, principally through the use of controllable pitch propellers. It was insulated against noise, heated, and fully capable of both flying and performing a controlled takeoff or landing on one engine.
Donald Douglas stated in 1935 that the first DC-1 cost $325,000 to design and build.
Operational history
Only one aircraft was produced. The prototype first flew on July 1, 1933, flown by Carl Cover. It was given the model name DC-1, or Douglas Commercial Model 1. During a half-year of testing, it performed more than 200 test flights and demonstrated its superiority over the most-used airliners at that time, the Ford Trimotor and Fokker Trimotor. It was flown across the United States on February 19, 1934, making the journey in the record time of 13 hours 5 minutes.
TWA accepted the aircraft on 15 September 1933 with a few modifications (mainly increasing seating to 14 passengers and adding more powerful engines) and subsequently ordered 20 examples of the developed production model which was named the Douglas DC-2.
The DC-1 was sold to Lord Forbes in the United Kingdom in May 1938, who operated it for a few months before selling it in France in October 1938. It was then sold to Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas (L.A.P.E.) in Spain in November 1938 and was also used by the Spanish Republican Air Force as a transport aircraft. It was later operated by Iberia Airlines from July 1939 with the name Negrón; it force-landed at Málaga Airport, Spain, on October 4, 1940 and was damaged beyond repair.
Variants
A one-off: the prototype Douglas built for TWA at Santa Monica, California, an all-metal low-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear, two 690 hp Wright Cyclone engines driving variable-pitch propellers and a 12-passenger cabin, named City of Los Angeles. It first flew on 1 July 1933, but no production followed: TWA preferred a version 61 cm (2 ft) longer, with 14 seats and more powerful engines, which became the DC-2 and, through it, the DC-3. After passing through the hands of TWA, Howard Hughes and Lord Forbes, it ended its days in Spain, where a forced landing at Málaga left it beyond repair in 1940.
Overview and history adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · technical figures from the manufacturer’s published specifications and standard aviation references
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This page was last updated on October 11, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 11). Douglas DC-1. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/dc1
MLA
“Douglas DC-1.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 11 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/model/dc1. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Douglas DC-1.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 11, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/dc1.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Douglas DC-1. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/dc1 (Accessed: 16 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_model_dc1,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Douglas DC-1}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-11},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/dc1},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/dc1}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/dc1 |title=Douglas DC-1 |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-11 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}