The very first Douglas "DC-9"... from 1947!

[Stargazer]

Too early to be included in the "McDonnell Douglas little-known airliners" topic, here is the very first aircraft to carry the tentative commercial designation "DC-9". That was in 1947! It resembled a shortened, twin-engine DC-6, meant to succeed the DC-3, and fitting 28 passengers on 7 rows. Had it met with airline interest, the article claims the DC-9 could have entered service as soon as 1949.

The following diagrams were scanned and restored from the September 1947 issue of Interavia (French edition). I'm also including a very detailed specs sheet for the project, but translating it into English would be tedious... I guess the corresponding English language version of Interavia has it in English already.

 

[nugo]

Hi All!

This is a Douglas Model TS-1119 AKA Model 1119.

Source: McDonnell Douglas DC-9 by Terry Waddington (Great Airliners series, Volume: Four)

 

[frank]

Thanks for the drawing. Any guesses as to which engine installation is depicted? Mine is it's the P & W, due to the long cowling. Anybody else?

 

[hesham]

Hi All!

This is a Douglas Model TS-1119 AKA Model 1119.

Source: McDonnell Douglas DC-9 by Terry Waddington (Great Airliners series, Volume: Four)

Hi,


the Douglas Model 1119 or TS-1119.

 

[Mark Nankivil]

Greetings All -

Found in a recent donation in the April 1, 1948 issue of American Aviation.

Enjoy the Day! Mark

 

[hesham]

Nice find my dear Mark.

 

[ZacYates]

That's a nice-looking machine! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Sherman Tank]

Does this mean there's a 1940s DC-8 too?

 

[hesham]

Does this mean there's a 1940s DC-8 too?

Yes Sherman,

here it's;

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,4716.0.html

 

[Mark Nankivil]

And even an early DC-7!

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,28561.0.html

Enjoy the Day! Mark

 

[famvburg]

Actually, the original DC-7 proposal was an airliner version of the C-74.

 

[Mark Nankivil]

This one predates even the commercial version of the C-74. It's likely, as ACResearcher pointed out, that DC meant Douglas Cargo like DB meant Douglas Bomber when it came to proposals and paper projects.

Enjoy the Day! Mark

 

[MaxLegroom]

I'd understood that DC stood for Douglas Commercial, remember that the DC-2 and DC-3 weren't initially cargo aircraft.

 

[Mark Nankivil]

It does but the DC reference on the A-20 variant looks to be simply a in house name for the purposes of labeling it, not necessarily addressing a production product. It does fit in order though when you look at the DC-3, DC4(E) and DC-5 - just need to figure out what a DC-6 was in that sequence!

Enjoy the Day! Mark