Here
are the Delta Airlines routes from the era when the DC-3 was the pride of
their fleet. Jay Schneider, DCA-523, included the actual Delta timetables in
the download, too, so DCA pilots also have the information to depart at the
same time of day as did the original flights.
Not only did Jay convert the October 15, 1943 Delta timetable into flight
plans but he also added the 1946 routes and a bonus three-leg flight from
San Juan, Puerto Rico to Atlanta, Georgia. The significance of that last
flight will become clear in a moment.
Jay's research went well past obtaining vintage Delta timetables and DCA
members will reap the rewards. Here, for example, is the
1939 CAA Publication
(4.8 MB) “The Use of the Airway Radio Range and Other Radio Aids.” Another
is the Practical Radio Range Data
notebook (2.8 MB) carried by each Delta pilot.
There are two ways to save these PDF documents. If you wish to save them
before opening, simply right click on the links and select "Save Target as."
If you wish to read them first, open a PDF document and then click the disk
icon that is on the toolbar at the top of the PDF page. Clicking "File" at
the very top of the screen will not save PDF Files.
Delta Airlines' roots date back to 1924, when Huff Daland Dusters was
founded as the world’s first aerial crop dusting organization. In 1928 Huff
Daland became “Delta Air Service,” named after the Mississippi delta region
where they were based. It was June 17, 1929 when Delta carried their first
passengers ... from Dallas, Texas to Monroe, Louisiana, in a six-place
Stinson Travel Air.
Despite expanding both their routes and fleet over the years, Delta still
faced increasing passenger demand in the summer of 1940. New aircraft were
needed. Their dilemma: should they purchase seven of the 14 passenger, 200
MPH Lockheed Lodestars or six 21 passenger, 185 MPH Douglas DC-3s?
Delta opted for the larger capacity and took delivery of its first DC-3,
“Ship 40,” on Dec. 11, 1940, at a cost of $115,000. Ship 40 was used for
pilot training, and Ship 41 was the first DC-3 put into commercial service.
The sturdy DC-3 fleet carried the company's insignia across the southern
skies for nearly two decades. In 1941 Delta moved their home base to
Atlanta, Georgia.
Delta disposed of their DC-3 fleet after the introduction of larger,
longer-range, pressurized aircraft. Their last DC-3 flight was in October,
1960. But in 1991 they learned that Ship 41 was in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on
cargo duty. They initiated a rescue mission, re-engined the aircraft, and
flew it back to the US in 1993 to fully restore it.
Retired Delta Captain Norm Topshe was a primary
resource for Jay during his research. Not only was Captain Topshe one of
Delta's forty original DC-3 pilots, he was also one of the pilots that flew
Ship 41 back to the US in 1993 for restoration. Here is Captain Topshe's
recount of that harrowing flight.
Delta Airlines is now the 3rd largest airline in the world. These
1943/1946 Route Maps illustrate one phase
of their expansion from a fledgling regional airline. See also a
Photo Gallery of their early days.
For those purists who would like to fly these routes in Delta colors, here
are some pertinent files. Others are available, too.
Special thanks to:
Enjoy the flights! They should be OK for FS98 and later.
Visit http://www.deltamuseum.org for info about DAL history, Ship 41 and the DAL Museum in Atlanta.