The DC-3 aircraft were the first ones that were able to carry enough passengers to help the airlines break free of their reliance on airmail and cargo to recover costs. DC-3s could hold 21 passengers in addition to mail and cargo. The airplane's good safety record helped encourage even more passenger traffic.
The DC-3 has been called the plane that changed the world. Able now to make money carrying passengers, airlines swarmed to use the DC-3 and it quickly became the most popular carrier in the United States.
The 1,000 horsepower engines could propel the plane from east to west coast in a mere 16 hours.
