Delta Ship 41 is a

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

that flew for

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the List of airlines by foundation date, world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atla ...

from January 19, 1941 until 1958.

Operational history

Delta's Ship 41 was the second of Delta's first five iconic DC-3 airplanes to be delivered from Douglas Aircraft Co. between November 1940-January 1941. * The first DC-3, Delta Ship 40, was christened "City of Atlanta" with a bottle of Coca-Cola. It went into scheduled service on December 24, 1940. * Ship 41 went into service on January 19, 1941, flying from Atlanta to Ft. Worth, Texas. Delta Air Lines used the airplane for 17 years until 1958. Ship 41 was acquired by another airline in Delta’s family tree—North Central. North Central became part of Delta's history through its merger with Northwest Airlines in 2008. The aircraft then flew for a number of different airlines before finally being operated by

Air Puerto Rico Borinquen Air, also doing business as Amber Service, Air Puerto Rico or Diaz Aviation, is a charter airline from Puerto Rico, which operates regional passenger and cargo flights. The company was founded in 1961 and is based at Luis Muñoz Marín ...

, a Puerto Rican cargo airline company.

Restoration

In 1990, a group of Delta retirees and enthusiasts located one of Delta's first five DC-3s in order to restore it to flying condition. Their investigation led them to "Ship 41", then flying as a cargo aircraft, registered N29PR for a local Puerto Rican airline, Air Puerto Rico. In 1993, Delta bought the aircraft from

and it was flown to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, where it underwent a five-year restoration and is now on display at the

Delta Flight Museum The Delta Flight Museum is an aviation and corporate museum located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, near the airline's main hub, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The museum is housed in two 1940s-era Delta Air Lines aircraft ...

. In 2000, Ship 41 won the EAA's AirVenture's Judges' Choice “Lindy” Award for outstanding restoration. In 2001, Ship 41 became the first aircraft to earn a

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...

award.

References

External links

Delta Douglas DC-3 Ship 41 page on Delta Flight Museum site

"Delta Queen: The world’s most extensive restoration of a DC-3", Air&Space Smithsonian magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delta Ship 41 Americana Delta Air Lines Douglas DC-3 Individual aircraft