The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world. It has more than 175 aircraft and spacecraft. In the museum’s outdoor pavilion are some of the classic propeller passenger airplanes.
Boeing Model 247D
Introduced in 1933, this was a revolutionary passenger aircraft with an all-metal stressed-skin construction and a fully cantilevered wing. It could fly coast-to-coast in 20 hours, seven hours faster than previous airliners. According to the display:
“The 247 also provided greater passenger comforts. The cabin included temperature controls, wider seating, and individual reading lamps making it preferable for longer flights. These accommodations, and the ability to cross the United States in less than a day, immediately set the standard for air travel.”
The 247 has a cruising speed of 189 mph and a range of 745 miles. It carried 10 passengers. A total of 75 Model 247s were built.
Douglas DC-2
The DC-2 was introduced in 1934. The year before, in 1933, Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA) and the Douglas Aircraft Company had decided to increase the fuselage length of the DC-1 passenger plan by two feet. This increased the seating capacity to fourteen.
More airplane photo tours
Museum of Flight: Some early Boeing airplanes (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: The Boeing 747 Prototype (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: Air Force One (photo diary)
WAAAM: Aeronca Airplanes (Photo Diary)
Evergreen Aviation: The Spruce Goose (Hughes H-4) (photo diary)
Historic Flight: The Hamilton H-47 Metalplane (photo diary)
Historic Flight: Beaver airplanes (photo diary)
Stonehenge Air Museum: Monoplanes (Photo Diary)