Welcome to the Douglas Dc-7 feature request.
Credits: https://www.planespotters.net/photo/1146388/n4887c-delta-air-lines-douglas-dc-7b
Photo by Brian Gore
General info
The Douglas DC-7 was a 4 piston powered passenger airplane that was built between 1953 and 1958. It had space for up to 100 passengers and had a crew of 5 (captain, copilot, flight engineer, communicator, navigator). Because of its high range and its capability to go to anywhere in the world, the DC-7 got the nickname “Seven seas”. It could for example fly nonstop from Amsterdam to Tokyo, Paris to the Caribbean islands, Zürich to Denver or Atlanta to Greece, all nonstop. Transpacific flight? Like it’s nothing.
In the early 1950s, American Airlines requested a better and more modern version of the Douglas DC-6 with a higher range and more capacity. In 1952 the DC-7 flew for the first time and in 1953 it was put into regular service. Together with the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, it marked the end of commercial piston engine travel. It was produced until 1958, when the B707 flew for the first time. It was in service with airlines until the late 60s and lived on as a freighter until schedules service ended in 2010. There are a lot of DC-6 preserved and a handful of cargo and charter aswell as VIP configuration DC6 are still flying around.
In the earliest version it had a short nose, but later it has a long nose due to installed weather radars, which were fairly new at that time.
In the 50s and 60s the DC-6 was a crucial and important aircraft for airlines, until they entered the jet age.
Operators (of brand new airplanes)
Europe
6x Alitalia
10x Boac
15x KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
10x Sabena
14x Sas Scandinavian airlines
5x Swissair
3x Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux (TAI)
North America
59x American Airlines, first operator and biggest operator of the DC7
7x Braniff international airlines
5x Continental airlines
20x Delta airlines
49x Eastern airlines
8x National airlines (1934)
14x Northwest airlines
33x Pan American World Airways
57x United airlines
4x Mexicana
Africa, Asia and South America
1x Iran air
4x Japan air lines
6x Panagra
2x Panair do Brasil
2x Persian air services
4x South African airways
Military operators
France
Colombia
Mexico
Rhodesia
Accidents and crashes
Between 1953 and 2010 74 of the 338 produced dc-7 got destroyed or broken beyond repair
Thanks for voting and goodbye!