The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 1113: Chapter 833: DC-3 and Boeing 367-2

Although it was far behind the latest fighter aircraft, it was already on par with the data of the previous generation, which is the fifth generation of fighter aircraft.

Considering the strong transport capacity of the DC-3 transport plane, the slight disadvantage in speed could be completely ignored.

Of course, maximum speed was actually just a reference value, anyway. It was not possible for an airplane to fly at maximum speed all the time in real flight.

During actual tests, the DC-3 transport plane could only maintain a constant speed of about 275 kilometers per hour, which was the conventional cruising speed.

Arthur also hastily glanced at some other data:

Maximum range: 1,600 nautical miles (2,963 kilometers)

Service ceiling: 26,400 feet (8,050 meters)

Rate of climb: 1,130 feet/min (5.75 meters per second)

The above were all the data for the civilian version of the DC-3 transport plane.

Based on this data, Arthur was very satisfied.

To know, this was just the most ordinary civilian version. Compared to the previous generation of transport planes, the civilian version had already made significant improvements, not to mention the improved Super Transport, or the military version adopted by the Military.

Yes, there was a military version of the DC-3 transport plane.

The civilian version of the DC-3 transport plane retained its original name, while the military version of the DC-3 transport plane had another brand new name, Sop-34 transport plane.

“Sop” was derived from “Special operations,” indicating the greatest utility of the military transport plane, which wasn’t just transporting military supplies but also carrying paratroopers for raid operations behind enemy lines.

The military version of the transport plane adopted the most advanced jet engines, still featuring a twin-engine configuration.

In terms of the plane’s appearance, there was almost no significant difference from the civilian version of the DC-3 transport plane.

But due to the different power systems, in terms of payload and speed, the military version was undoubtedly more powerful.

The empty weight of the military transport plane reached 8.7 tons, with a maximum takeoff weight of 16 tons.

This meant that the Sop-34 transport plane could carry a maximum of 7.3 tons of people and cargo.

In terms of speed, the maximum speed of the Sop-34 transport plane reached 455 kilometers per hour and the cruising speed could reach 325 kilometers per hour, which was a significant increase over the civilian version.

Lastly was the range. If some of the payload was sacrificed for two additional fuel tanks, the Sop-34 transport plane could achieve a maximum range of 4,250 kilometers.

Even without these auxiliary fuel tanks, the Sop-34 transport plane could still maintain a range of 3,125 kilometers, which undeniably greatly enhanced its strategic capability.

Although Arthur wasn’t very familiar with the specific performance of the historical DC-3 transport plane, he was certain that the current Sop-34 transport plane definitely surpassed the DC-3 in terms of data.

After all, in history, jet planes hadn’t been developed up to this point. And now, in Australasia, the brand-new generation of aircraft almost all used improved second-generation jet engine technology.

Perhaps because the headquarters of Douglas Aircraft Company and Boeing were not far apart, upon learning that Arthur had arrived for an inspection visit at Douglas Aircraft Company, Boeing also sent an invitation to Arthur, indicating that Boeing’s new generation of aircraft had also been completed.

Arthur wanted to see the competition between the two aircraft companies, and he was curious whether Boeing, which had fallen behind Douglas Aircraft Company in the design of the previous generation of transport planes, could make a comeback with the new generation of transport planes.

In response to Boeing’s invitation, after completing his inspection at Douglas Aircraft Company, Arthur went on to visit Boeing, not far away.

Boeing Company and Douglas Aircraft Company were already considered the two giants in the aviation industry in the last generation of transport planes.

Especially after the Royal Aircraft Manufacturing Factory in Australasia gave up on civilian airplane businesses, the most reputable companies in both Australasia and the entire world were Boeing and Douglas.

Of course, the DC-2 transport plane was obviously more trusted by other countries in terms of performance and carrying capacity.

Up to this point in time, over 65% of the world’s planes were the DC-2 transport planes, while Boeing’s previous product, the Boeing 267 transport plane, held about 20% of flights.

This data also showed how advanced Australasia’s aircraft manufacturing industry was on a global scale.

Even the remaining 15% of flights that didn’t use Australasia’s planes, over 10% used products that were copies of the DC-2 and Boeing 267 transport planes.

In other words, products developed by other countries themselves only accounted for less than 5% of the world’s flight market share.

There were multiple reasons for this situation.

First and foremost was flight safety. Boeing and Douglas were two of the three aircraft manufacturers that conducted global flights.

In these eight years, there hadn’t been any significant accidents involving the DC-2 and Boeing 267, which was one of the reasons for the rapid development of these two manufacturers over the eight-year span.

Aircraft manufacturers from other countries either had products that were too outdated or could not guarantee the safety of the planes, which hindered their entry into large-scale commercial flights.

It was precisely because of the superior market share that Douglas Aircraft Company and Boeing Company were able to generate a considerable amount of revenue for Arthur each year, and their research and development funds continued to grow.

When Arthur arrived at Boeing, a large number of employees came out to welcome him, creating quite a buzz.

By the time Arthur proceeded to Boeing’s conference hall, the company was already prepared with the blueprints and specific data for their new generation airplane, the Boeing 367.

It’s worth mentioning that, similar to the previous model, the Boeing 267 transport plane, the naming of the Boeing 367 was straightforward—it combined the Boeing Company name with the peak speed of 367 kilometers per hour to form the complete name, Boeing 367.

This also revealed the top speed of Boeing’s new generation plane, which was below the DC-3’s 385 kilometers per hour, only reaching 367 kilometers per hour.

Arthur was somewhat puzzled because both Boeing and Douglas Aircraft Company used Diesel Engine Factory as their engine supplier, so theoretically, there shouldn’t be such a vast difference in power.

But as soon as Arthur focused on the other data for the Boeing 367, he instantly understood the reason why it was slower in speed.

In terms of size, the Boeing 367 transport plane was bigger than the DC-3 transport plane. As a transport plane powered by twin propellers, the Boeing 367 placed more emphasis on payload and range rather than speed, unlike the DC-3.

The Boeing 367 had a total length of 20.12 meters, a wingspan of about 29.37 meters, and a height of 5.35 meters.

The empty weight of the entire aircraft reached 8.75 tons, which had already surpassed that of the jet-powered Sop-34 transport plane.

The maximum takeoff weight of the Boeing 367 could reach 15.65 tons, with a maximum payload of 6.9 tons.

The increase in payload came at the cost of speed. The top speed of the Boeing 367 was only 367 kilometers per hour, and it could only maintain a cruising speed of 252 kilometers per hour.

What surprised Arthur even more was that the Boeing 367 fully inherited the ingenious design inside the Boeing 267, and even further refined it.

If one were to summarize the difference between the Boeing 367 transport plane and the DC-3 transport plane in a single sentence, it’s clear that the Boeing 367 placed more emphasis on the passenger experience, while the DC-3 focused more on the efficiency and function of transport.

The Boeing 367 transport plane not only had a restroom, but also boasted more spacious seating. In addition, the plane was designed with adjustable-pitch propellers, a cabin heating system, anti-icing equipment for the wings and tail, and an autopilot system.

Of course, this so-called autopilot system could not achieve true autonomous flying but could maintain stable, straight flight with the help of an electric gyro stabilizer and a three-axis stabilization system.