Douglas DC-6 and DC-7

Airliner Tech Series, Volume 4
By Harry Gann
Specialty Press
ISBN 1-58007-017-5
100 pages
Suggested Retail Price: $16.95

Reviewed by Tom Cleaver

The first airliner I flew in may well have been a DC-3, but the first airliner I actually remember riding in was that DC-6, way back in those halcyon days of piston engines and relaxed security, when flying was supposed to be the kind of adventure you wanted to experience. Thus, I have always had something of a soft spot for the UAL Mainliners, to the point I have a Heller DC-6 in the to-do pile with a set of Liveries Unlimited decals to do that airplane I remember so well. If you too have the kit and any of the Liveries Unlimited decals for the many airlines that flew this type, this book should definitely be on your "buy" list.

Author Harry Gann is likely the most-knowledgeable aviation historian about Douglas aircraft products - given that for about twenty years he was the Douglas Aircraft History Department - and that fact shows well in this book, one of the best of the "Tech" series I have come across.

The DC-6/7 series, along with the Lockheed Constellation, played major roles in the post-war period of commercial aviation. The DC-3 brought reliability to air travel, while the DC-6/7 brought speed. Not only were they in fact fast, with cruising speeds over 300mph, but they had range, which meant they didn't puddle-jump across the continent. With pressurization, they could fly above the weather rather than through it, which was a major advance in passenger comfort. There wasn't a major airline in the United States and Europe that didn't fly one or both of these superb four-engine airliners. Unfortunately for Douglas, the days of these airplanes would be the high point of the company. In an effort to maximize the success of the series, they stayed with the piston engine too long, and were not competitive with Boeing when the new generation of jet airliners came along to replace the piston-engine "sky queens."

Harry Gann brings a lifetime's knowledge to the subject, and even within the fairly shallow historical development sections of the "Tech" series, he manages to convey what a technological as well as commercial achievement these airplanes were. There is everything here the airliner enthusiast could ask for in terms of details and data.

Even if you aren't an airliner fan, this is an interesting, well-written history of one of the most important commercial aircraft to fly.