Douglas DC-3 – G-AHCZ, BEA, London Heathrow Airport, England DISPLAYED

Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72 scale AA38202: Douglas DC-3 G-AHCZ of BEA, London Heathrow Airport, England, 1959. Limited Edition of 1,000 models.

Length 10.75 inches  Wingspan 15.75 inches

PLEASE NOTE: Model has been previously displayed in direct light and some of the clear perspex parts are misted. One propeller blade re attached,

British European Airways (BEA) was officially formed on 1st April 1946 with aircraft leased from BOAC. On 1st February 1947, various other airliners were taken over resulting in the first of BEA’s DC-3s being operated from Northolt, before the airline moved to Heathrow. The venerable DC-3 (perhaps better known as the Dakota) was the mainstay of BEA from when the first was purchased after WWII in 1946 until the mid-1950s, remaining in service until the last was withdrawn on 19th May 1962. In all, some 70 DC-3s were leased or owned by BEA including G-AHCZ, which was a MkIII built in Oklahoma City and delivered to BOAC in 1946. It was transferred to BEA in 1947 and named ‘Charles Samson’, becoming a ‘Pionair’ Class DC-3 with modifications including an air-stair door. It flew the last BEA service between Northolt and Jersey in 1954 and was transferred to Cambrian Airways in 1959.

Designed to meet an American Airlines requirement for an enlarged version of the DC-2, the DC-3 was first flown on December 17th, 1935. Capable of carrying 24 passengers at a cruising speed of 180 mph, the DC-3’s speed and long range revolutionized commercial air travel in the 1930s and 40s, when it carried 90 percent of the world’s air travellers. Early DC-3s used Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines, but Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp Radials were fitted to later versions; these engines had better single engine performance and allowed the DC-3 to fly at higher altitudes.