Boeing & Douglas: A History of Customer Service The history of The Boeing Company and the Douglas Aircraft

Company is, in essence, the history of commercial aviation. Founded in 1916 and 19 !, respectively, the t"o companies led America and the "orld in airplane development, challenging each other decade #y decade, and mar$ing the progress of flight from open%coc$pit #iplanes to &um#o &ets. The uni'uely American spirit evinced #y the t"o companies %% a sense of imagination and daring com#ined "ith (an$ee ingenuity %% is no"here more clearly illustrated than in the history of their customer service achievements from the early years of this century.
The principle of customer service )the idea that selling an airplane involves more than simply an e*change of hard"are for cash+ dates from the earliest days of #oth companies. The first such activity at Boeing too$ place in 191,, &ust prior to the company-s first sale. The .nited /tates had recently entered 0orld 0ar 1, and the ../. 2avy "as interested in the Boeing 3odel C seaplane. 0ith flight tests scheduled across the country in 4ensacola, Florida, the company "as forced to #rea$ do"n, crate, and ship t"o of the 3odel Cs #y rail %% sending along spare parts, a factory engineer, and a pilot to complete the pac$age. The follo"ing year, "hen the 2e" 5ealand Flying Clu# purchased the company-s original B 6 0 seaplanes, training and spares "ere made part of the deal. /imilarly, the first transactions of the fledgling Douglas Aircraft Company virtually assumed customer service. The company-s first airplane, the Douglas 7Cloudster,7 "as successively refitted #y Douglas engineers as its o"nership passed to various commercial firms in /outhern California. 3ore%over, the round% the%"orld flight accomplished #y the Douglas 0orld Cruisers in 19 8 %% esta#lishing the company-s reputation in a single stro$e %% necessitated the strategic placement of company engineers and spare parts at different locations around the glo#e, anticipating the modern arrangement years #efore it too$ shape. 4assenger service, as such, did not e*ist in the early 19 !s9 rather, it gre" out of the development of air#orne mail service. 1n 19 :, 4resident Calvin Coolidge signed legislation forcing the 4ost ;ffice to transfer esta#lished routes to private operators. Douglas capitali<ed on the opportunity #y selling its 3 /eries mail planes to the ne"ly formed airline companies. Boeing "ent one step further, "inning the contract to fly the mail #et"een Chicago and /an Francisco "ith its fleet of 3odel 8!As %% each containing a tiny compartment for passengers. 7From the start of the mail operation,7 declared 0illiam Boeing in an intervie" years later, 71 loo$ed ahead to the time..."hen passengers "ould #ecome of primary importance.7 =e "as right. By the close of the 19 !s, airline travel had

caught on in America, and passengers had #ecome an important source of revenue. The Boeing Company e*panded, setting up a holding company that included airplane manufacturing, airmail contracts, and a passenger service $no"n as .nited Air >ines. The corporation also opened The Boeing /chool of Aeronautics in ;a$land, California, a program aimed at raising the standards of flying and ground%school instruction, and providing .nited Air >ines "ith capa#le pilots. 1n 19??, The Boeing Company introduced the "orld-s first modern passenger transport, the 3odel 8,. A slee$, all%metal transport "ith an enclosed coc$pit, the 8, contained seats for 1! passengers and featured thic$ upholstered chairs, an insulated ca#in, a lavatory, and individual overhead lighting. The phenomenon of the 3odel 8, caught the attention of America-s young airline companies. 0hen its commitment to .nited prevented Boeing from filling orders fast enough, Transcontinental 6 0estern Air )T0A+ turned to Donald Douglas. Douglas offered to #uild something similar to the Boeing 8, %% only faster and larger. T0A 'uic$ly accepted the proposal. The Douglas DC%1, "hich "ould eventually #e refined as the legendary DC%?, immediately attracted ne" customers, ma$ing the 8, o#solete less than a year after its first flight. 1n 19?8, the @oosevelt administration ordered the annulment of all airmail contracts, effectively divorcing The Boeing Company and .nited, and restricting the former to the manufacture of airplanes. 0ith the advent of the 3odel 8, and the DC%1, , ? series, ho"ever, the competition to supply the "orld "ith aircraft had "ell and truly #egun %% "ith Boeing and Douglas facing off on the "estern coast of the .nited /tates and spurring each other to ne" levels of innovation, decade #y decade. The Douglas Aircraft Company "as the first to formally esta#lish a 7/ervice Department,7 an organi<ation created in 19?: %% 7to aid the operators of Douglas planes in every "ay and to have our service men visit repair stations to instruct the operators in care and maintenance.7 The success of the Douglas DC% had #rought the company a rapidly "idening customer #ase, "ith commercial operators of Douglas planes #ased in #oth 2orth and /outh America. This prompted a ??,!!!% mile tour of Douglas repair and maintenance #ases #y the ne" /ervice Department head, Chet Cole, "hose travels that year too$ him as far a"ay as >ima, 4eru. The Boeing Company follo"ed suit in 19?6 "ith the #irth of its 7/ervice .nit,7 headed #y engineer 0ell"ood Beall. Dou#ling as the company-s 7Far Aastern /ales @epresentative,7 Beall had traveled to China the previous year, concluding a successful sale of Boeing 4% 6 74eashooter7 pursuit planes to the Chinese government. Accordingly, Beall found it necessary to esta#lish a field representative in Canton to oversee airplane maintenance and the training of Chinese pilots. 0ith this si<a#le international sale, the Boeing /ervice .nit thus

#ecame a functional necessity for the company, providing a critical lin$ #et"een /eattle and its distant customers. The 19?!s sa" the rapid gro"th of #oth companies. The rest of the country had #een mired in the Depression for several years, and the mid%?!s mar$ed the #eginning of America-s financial recovery. /u#stantial orders flo"ed into Douglas and Boeing. 4an American Air"ays placed an order "ith Boeing for si* 3odel ?18 Clippers, the long%range flying #oats that provided lu*urious accommodations, including sleeping room for 8! passengers. At Douglas, ne" airplane construction "as already ta$ing place at a record pace. The enormous success of the Douglas DC%?, com#ining passenger comfort "ith a utilitarian design, made it the "orld"ide standard for commercial air travel. The year 19?B sa" Aurope plunge into the /econd 0orld 0ar %% "ith important ramifications for the service organi<ations of #oth companies. @esources devoted to training, spares, and maintenance pu#lications increased dramatically as the Allied "ar machine called for support from America. A steady stream of Boeing and Douglas field representatives #egan flo"ing to #attle fronts on several continents to support their companies- respective aircraft. Bac$ in /eattle, employees #egan "or$ing around the cloc$ to #uild Allied #om#ers %% the B%1, 7Flying Fortress7 and its successor, the B% 9 7/uperfortress.7 The first military unit to send B%1,s into #attle "as Britain-s @oyal Air Force. Boeing field reps fle" to Aurope in 1981 "ith a t"o%fold missionC to $eep the #om#ers flying and to relay information for design improvements #ac$ to company engineers. ;ften stationed in #attle <ones, they "ore dogtags, helmets, and fatigues, and fre'uently carried "eapons. Their ma&or concern, ho"ever, "as the shortage of parts. @eported one Boeing field rep in a letter homeC 7This isn-t a "ar of tan$s and planes %% it-s a "ar of spare partsD7 Douglas field reps "ere already stationed in many corners of the glo#e #y the time "ar #ro$e out in Aurope. Douglas planes had #egun 7flying the hump7 over the treacherous =imalayas in Asia even #efore the out#rea$ of hostilities. Douglas reps soon found themselves on #attlefronts in Aurope and Africa to #oot. The DC%? and DC%8 %% and their military versions, the C%8, /$ytrain and C% :8 /$ymaster %% had a reputation for rugged relia#ility and "ere #eing used #y the Allies in every imagina#le capacity. 3oreover, employees in /outhern California "ere also turning out several models of Allied attac$ aircraft %% the DB% ,EA% ! =avoc, the A% 6 1nvader, and the /BD Dauntless. The training of American pilots and mechanics during the "ar gre" to unprecedented levels. Thousands of young men "ith limited flying or maintenance e*perience poured into training facilities at Boeing and Douglas. 1n /eattle, the famed Boeing Fortress /chool "as esta#lished. 1nstructors from the Boeing 3o#ile Technical Training .nit too$ this course to every theater of the

"ar. 1n California, each of the ma&or Douglas sites set up training facilities for the military. The /econd 0orld 0ar thus "rought several important changes in the service departments of #oth companies. The rapid gro"th in the num#er of field representatives, the esta#lishment of permanent training facilities, and the increasing comple*ity of aircraft systems spurred departmental reorgani<ations. 1n 1981, the Douglas /ervice Department reorgani<ed itself under the aegis of 4roduct /upport. 1n the spring of 198?, the Boeing /ervice .nit reorgani<ed, dividing itself into four principal groupsC maintenance pu#lications, field service, training, and spares. Today, these same four groups still e*ist as the primary functions of the Boeing Customer /upport organi<ation. Follo"ing the "ar, a ne" spirit of partnership #egan to emerge #et"een the aircraft manufacturers and their customers. Customer service engineers from the t"o companies #egan "or$ing alongside design engineers, spea$ing for the needs of the airlines and handling service issues from their customers- vie"point. /pares, already a special point of focus during the "ar years, made another leap for"ard in gro"th. Training programs and facilities also adapted to the ne" era. At Boeing, the Fortress /chool gave "ay to the 7/tratocruiser /chool,7 as the introduction of pressuri<ed ca#ins ushered in ne" technology. This, in turn, gave "ay to the 7College of Fet Gno"ledge7 in the 19:!s. 4ilots from all over the "orld arrived in /eattle to ma$e the evolutionary leap from piston%driven airplanes to &ets. 0ith the introduction of commercial &etliners, the glo#e rapidly #egan to shrin$. Field represen%tatives from Boeing and Douglas soon found themselves facing ne" challenges in remote locations. Both companies deemed it necessary to esta#lish 7special forces7 teams to recover and repair planes that had crashed in remote sites. At Boeing, the ne" organi<ation "as du##ed 7A;H7 )Airplane on Hround+9 and the first team "as dispatched to Huadeloupe in the French 0est 1ndies in 196!. A Boeing ,!, had #een damaged in a run"ay mishap and "as initially pronounced a total loss. The A;H team arrived and proceeded to re#uild the ,!,, completing the &o# in &ust 9 days. At Douglas, the ne" organi<ation "as referred to as 7@A37 )@ecovery and 3odification+. Asta#lished in the late :!s, the Douglas team %% li$e their Boeing counterparts %% "ere reno"ned for tac$ling the impossi#le. ;ne nota#le e*ample "as the crash of a DC%9 in Fa$arta, 1ndonesia in 1969. The Douglas cre" arrived to find the airliner #uried nose%deep in a rice paddy and virtually inaccessi#le. @e'uisitioning every "ater #uffalo for miles around, they harnessed the animals in teams and hauled the &et out of the mud. From a historical perspective, it is entirely fitting that Boeing and Douglas are no" united under one roof. Americans every"here %% and particularly the men

and "omen "ho helped to #uild the t"o great companies %% can ta$e pride in the e*traordinary heritage "rought #y their fore#ears. The Boeing B 6 0, the Douglas Cloudster, the 0orld Cruiser, the 3odel 8,, the DC%?, the /tratoliner, the B%1,, the /BD Dauntless, the DC%6, the Dash B! %% the litany of history% ma$ing airplanes reminds us that Boeing and Douglas didn-t &ust ta$e part in the evolution of flight, they literally "rote the defining chapters. Aach chapter of the story #ears the same essential theme %% that of rising to a particular challenge, overcoming great o#stacles, and stepping for"ard into the future. And despite the vast technological changes that have ta$en place in the airplane industry, the Customer /upport mission has remained the sameC To assist the operators of Boeing and Douglas planes to the greatest possi#le e*tent, delivering total satisfaction and lifetime support. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% 01>>1A3 B;A12H 6 D;2A>D D;.H>A/C AA@;2A.T1CA> 41;2AA@/ The year "as 191: %% America had not yet entered 0orld 0ar 1, 4rohi#ition "as still four years a"ay, and a significant #ut unremar$ed event "as ta$ing place in su#ur#an >os AngelesC 0illiam Boeing &ourneyed from /eattle for flight instruction at the Hlenn 3artin flying school, and Donald Douglas arrived from the Aast to &oin the 3artin Company as chief aeronautical engineer. 0ithin five years, the t"o men had formed their o"n companies and "ere soon competing head%to%head in one of the most significant #usiness rivalries of the !th century %% leading America and the rest of the "orld into the Aerospace Age. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% 01>>1A3 B;A12H 0illiam Ad"ard Boeing, #orn in 1BB1 and christened 70ilhelm,7 "as one of three children, the son of an educated Herman immigrant. >ittle is $no"n of 0illiam Boeing-s early life apart from the fact that he "as &ust eight "hen his father died, that he "as sent to /"it<erland for part of his education, and that at some point he anglici<ed his first name and as$ed friends to call him 7Bill.7 =e entered (ale .niversity to study engineering #ut left one year short of graduation in 19!?, #ound for the 4acific 2orth"est. Boeing esta#lished himself in Hrays =ar#or and #egan trading and selling tim#er lands on the 0ashington coast. >i$e his father #efore him, he s"iftly made his fortune in this enterprise. 1n 191!, he traveled to >os Angeles to "itness the first American air meet, featuring the French ace >ouis 4aulhan. Fascinated, Boeing tried to o#tain a ride in one of the planes, #ut circumstances prevented it.

By 1918, he "as 'uartered in /eattle, "here he fre'uented the .niversity Clu#, smo$ing cigars and discussing the issues of the day. There he met Conrad 0estervelt, a 2aval engineer "ith a strong interest in aviation "ho "as temporarily assigned in the 2orth"est. According to an intervie" "ith its founder, The Boeing Company #egan as a holiday lar$ on a hot Fourth of Fuly morning in 1918. Boeing and 0estervelt cele#rated 1ndependence Day #y purchasing rides in a seaplane flo"n #y a #arnstorming pilot off >a$e 0ashington. Flying machines "ere still a novelty in 1918, and their design had advanced very little from the #o* $ite prototype the 0right #rothers had launched from Gitty =a"$ 11 years earlier. Bill Boeing "ent first %% e*changing his rimless eyeglasses for a set of goggles and ta$ing his position #eside the pilot. The t"o sat on the front edge of the lo"er "ing, in front of a #ac$"ard%facing pusher propeller. Boeing #raced his feet against the footrests, his hands gripping the edge of the "ing. There "ere no seat #elts. The pilot revved the engine, the frail craft raced across >a$e 0ashington %% then lifted off into the air. Boeing "as a#solutely thrilled #y the e*perience. The plane touched do"n, he e*changed places "ith 0estervelt, then immediately "ent #ac$ up again "hen 0estervelt landed. The t"o men spent the rest of the day repeating the e*perience. Bet"een flights, they closely e*amined the construction of the ric$ety airplane. By mid%afternoon, they "ere already planning ho" to design a #etter craft. A reserved man "ith a strong sense of privacy, Boeing "as nonetheless possessed of great foresight and daring, and #elieved utterly in the future of aviation. 1n 1916, "hen the company-s first test flight "as scheduled and the pilot "as ine*plica#ly late, Boeing clim#ed into the coc$pit and too$ the plane up himself %% e*plaining later that he 7did not "ant to endanger anyone else.7 0hen a glut of e*%military planes forced a slump in the mar$et follo"ing the close of 0orld 0ar 1, he depleted his personal fortune to $eep Boeing "or$ers employed. The Boeing Company "as parted from its founder in 19?8, "hen the @oosevelt administration dictated the divestiture of aircraft companies and airline carriers. But the company retained his stamp %% daring to ma$e great leaps for"ard "hen it introduced &etliners in the 19:!s and #ecoming a pillar of American technological leadership in the process. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% D;2A>D D;.H>A/ Born in Broo$lyn, 2e" (or$, in 1B9 , Donald 0ills Douglas "as the younger son of 0illiam and Dorothy =agen%>ocher Douglas. As a young man, his interests centered on "riting verse poetry, ocean sailing, and the ne" science of aviation.

1n 19!B, only five years after Gitty =a"$, 0il#ur and ;rville 0right announced the trial demonstration of a flying machine #uilt to the ../. Army-s specification at Fort 3eyers, Iirginia. Captivated #y the ne"s, the 16%year%old Douglas persuaded his mother to accompany him to Iirginia to "itness the trials. This event appears to have cemented his desire to #ecome involved in aviation. A #an$er #y profession, ho"ever, 0illiam Douglas insisted on a rigid, formal education for #oth his sons. Accordingly, Douglas enrolled in the 2aval Academy in 19!9, follo"ing his #rother, =arold, "ho "as already a sophomore. The younger Douglas spent much of his free time #uilding airplane models po"ered #y ru##er%#anded propellers. 1n one instance, he attempted to #uild a roc$et% po"ered model %% the resulting smo$e causing a panic "hen he launched it from the "indo" of his room. After three years at Annapolis, Douglas resigned as a midshipman, see$ing to continue his studies at an institution "ith a greater emphasis on aero%nautical engineering. =e enrolled at 31T, finishing the four%year mechanical engineering course in t"o years and graduating in 1918. =e remained at 31T the follo"ing year as an assistant in aeronautical engineering, "or$ing on "ind tunnel design and consulting on a dirigi#le for the ../. 2avy. 1n August 191:, at the recommendation of his instructors at 31T, Douglas accepted the position of chief engineer for the Hlenn >. 3artin Company in >os Angeles. =e "as ? years of age. 1n 1916, Douglas accepted a position "ith the 0ar Department as the head of the Aeronautical Branch of the ../. Army /ignal Corps. By 19 !, he had esta#lished his o"n company. 1n 19 8, the ../. Army Aviation /ervice mounted the first around%the%"orld flight, commissioning Douglas #iplanes for the &ourney. .pon the successful completion of this feat, Douglas united his /cottish family crest %% the "inged heart %% "ith a glo#e%encircling design to form the Douglas Aircraft Company logo. A man of many interests, Donald Douglas "on the silver medal in sailing )si*% meter class+ at the 19? ;lympics. 1t "as his passion for flight that #urned the #rightest, though9 he led his company #y e*ample, inspiring all "ho "or$ed "ith him. .pon the death of company vice president =arry 0et<el in 19?B, Douglas might have #een spea$ing of himself "hen he "roteC %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% 2A3; 4;2CATT1 % F1@/T B;A12H F1A>D @A4@A/A2TAT1IA During the 19?!s, Boeing service representatives 'uic$ly esta#lished a reputation for resourcefulness in the field. The author of this reputation "as, in great part, the company-s first field rep %% =er#ert 72emo7 4oncetti.By the early part of the decade, military pursuit planes had #ecame The Boeing Company-s

#read and #utter. Follo"ing the success of the 4% 6 4eashooter "ith the ../. Armed Forces, the company decided to mar$et an e*port version of the diminutive pursuit plane. 1n the late summer of 19?8, 0ell"ood Beall, the company-s Far Aastern /ales @epresentative, sailed to Canton, "here he concluded a sale of eleven 4eashooters to the Chinese Air Force. Coming off the production line in /eattle, the planes "ould #e torn do"n, crated, and shipped to the Far Aast. 1t "ould #e necessary, Beall reali<ed, to have a Boeing man onsite "ho could uncrate and assem#le the airplanes. 3oreover, the company "ould need someone "ho could train Chinese pilots to fly the machines and Chinese mechanics to service them. By a stro$e of luc$, "hile traveling through /hanghai, Beall stum#led across 2emo 4oncetti, a man "ith a #road #ac$ground in engineering and a love for airplanes. Beall offered him the &o# at once. Beall-s &udgment "as precisely on target %% 4oncetti "as the ideal field rep. =aving accepted the &o#, 4oncetti set sail for /eattle to learn a#out the airplane. =is education completed, he returned to China in late 19?:, e*hi#iting a resourcefulness for $eeping planes in the air that soon #ecame the hallmar$ of the Boeing Field /ervice. ;ne of a small group of foreign instructors to reach China in the ?!s, 4oncetti "as installed at the Central Aviation /chool in Canton. Follo"ing his introduction at the school and the attendant formalities %% "hich included #eing presented to Heneralissimo and 3adame Chiang Gai%she$ %% 4oncetti 'uic$ly got do"n to the tas$ of reassem#ling the 4eashooters and instructing Chinese student pilots. ;n one particular occasion, one of his students ground%looped his plane, leaving 4oncetti the tas$ of #uilding an entire ne" "ing from thin air. Although the details of the story have #een lost, the field rep someho" managed it. .nder his tutelage, the Chinese pilots soon #ecame a crac$ group of fliers. During 4oncetti-s so&ourn in China, Boeing formally esta#lished the /ervice .nit "ithin the Angineering Department %% "here he "as officially assigned upon his return to /eattle. 1n the "ar years that follo"ed, 4oncetti accepted assignments in 2orth Africa and 1taly, serving "ith distinction. Follo"ing the "ar, he returned to /eattle, s"itching to the Bomarc and 3inuteman missile programs in the 196!s. @etiring in 1969, 4oncetti "as cele#rated #y do<ens of friends and ac'uaintances from his long tenure as a field rep. 0hen pressed, he declared that he had en&oyed every minute of it. @ecalling his first assignment in China, ho"ever, he notedC 71 must admit 1 en&oyed "or$ing "ith the airplanes in the early days more than anything else.7

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% 4@;FACT 19 During the /econd 0orld 0ar, customer service too$ on an entirely ne" level of meaning %% as illustrated #y the Douglas and Boeing machinists "ho too$ part in the top%secret mission referred to as 74ro&ect 19.7 By the summer of 1981, the British "ere facing disaster in 2orth Africa. Herman Field 3arshall @ommel-s armored divisions "ere #esieging To#ru$, threatening to gain control of the /ue< Canal. A #attle%damaged @oyal Air Force urgently needed a repair #ase in the region. Desperate for aid, Britain called upon America %% "ho, as yet, had not entered the "ar. By 4residential directive, a secret meeting "as convened "ith representatives of the nation-s top planema$ers. The upshotC a top%secret repair #ase, designated 74ro&ect 19,7 "ould #e esta#lished at Hura in the Aritrean hills, 6! miles from the @ed /ea port of 3assa"a. =igh on the mountain plateau lay an a#andoned 1talian airplane plant, complete "ith lu*ury #arrac$s, "ell%e'uipped machine shops, and ne" hangars. @ecruitment and management "ere assigned to Douglas Aircraft. .nder an oath of strictest secrecy, volunteers "ere dra"n from the principal ../. airplane manufacturing centers %% /eattle, the 3id"est, and /outhern California. The Boeing and Douglas men "ho rode the first truc$s from 3assa"a, "inding up hundreds of curves to Hura, sa" a mile%high desert valley that reminded Californians of the upper 3o&ave. They also sa" a pitted airstrip, surrounded #y a ru##le of #om#ed%out #arrac$s and shop #uildings %% the remains of the 1talian plant, #lasted #y Allied #om#ers months earlier. A"aiting them "as a field littered "ith ruined aircraft, along "ith crates of #attered "ings, fuselages, empennages, and engines. The Americans regarded them "ith dismay. Their tas$ "as to ma$e these aircraft #attle"orthy. But ho", they as$ed themselves. And "ith "hat toolsJ Bereft of even the #arest necessities, they responded "ith the only resource availa#le to them %% (an$ee ingenuity. Tools "ere improvised and salvaged from ship cargoes. Barrac$ "alls and roofs "ere patched, #om# craters filled in. There "ere forests of propellers to #e straightened, #ut no hydraulic press to do the &o#. The machinists contrived a simple vice to hold the #ent props, then proceeded to un#end them manually "ith the longest availa#le t"o%#y%four. They made a crude #ut accurate level steel ta#le and a homemade protractor to chec$ the pitch and curve of the #lades. They improvised a #alancing stand and

pit. From &un$ steel, aluminum, and ru##er, they #uilt a "or$ing #ench to test the flo" of oil through pitch controls. ;ne day on the doc$s of 3assa"a, the Americans discovered a ne" Herman milling machine, crated and #ound for Fapan. 0ith part of the group creating a suita#le diversion, the milling machine "as gleefully li#erated, then truc$ed over the hills to Hura. As the days "ent #y, proper machine tools arrived, one #y one, to replace the original ma$eshifts. /oon, the mem#ers of 4ro&ect 19 "ere fi*ing every $ind of American plane that limped or "as hauled in from near#y 2orth African fighting fronts. They serviced and assem#led 4%8!s, C%8, /$ytrains, C%:8 /$ymasters, B% 8 >i#erators, B%1, Flying Fortresses, =avocs, =udsons, and a host of others. Those that couldn-t #e repaired "ere dismantled for spare parts. ;n ;cto#er ?, 198 , the third and final #attle of Al Alamein commenced "ith continuous attac$s from @AF aircraft. 3any of the Allied planes had #een patched together #y 4ro&ect 19. By 2ovem#er 8, the A*is forces in the 0estern Desert "ere in full retreat. 2o fuel had succeeded in reaching @ommel-s forces for si* "ee$s. Air interdiction %% made possi#le #y 4ro&ect 19-s field maintenance and repair %% had tipped the #alance in the Allies favor. ;n 3arch 9, 198?, a group hanging around the "ireless heard the ne"s firstC @ommel had a#andoned 2orth Africa. /oon after, in groups large and small, the e*odus #ac$ to the ../. #egan %% some #y airplane, some a#oard ship #y "ay of Australia. ;ne day in late 198?, a small group of machinists %% the last remnant of ,:!! civilians and :!! soldiers %% nailed the final crate, heaved it on the #ed of the last truc$, and rode the si*%"heeler do"n the escarpment road to the @ed /ea. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% T=A DC% The DC% %% or the 7Di<<y Three,7 as it "as $no"n in Douglas circles %% "as truly a one%of%a%$ind airplane and illustrated the ingenuity of Douglas field representatives during the 19?!s and 8!s. ;riginally a DC%?, the plane in 'uestion "as one of several Douglas models o"ned #y the China 2ational Air"ays Corporation )C2AC+. 1n the spring of 1981, the plane "as flying a scheduled route #et"een =ong Gong and Chung$ing "hen it received "ord #y radio that Fapanese fighters "ere in the area. The pilot hurriedly set the aircraft do"n in a field near Giuchuan, and the cre" sprinted for cover. 3oments later, a flight of Fapanese 5eroes s"ooped do"n and sprayed the DC%? "ith machine gun fire. 0hen the shooting "as over, the plane-s fuselage "as riddled "ith #ullet holes, and one "ing had #een completely #lasted off.

The plane-s captain, =.>. 0oods, radioed #ac$ to the C2AC #ase. 7The plane-s a "rec$,7 0oods reported, 7#ut if "e can get a ne" "ing, 1 thin$ 1 can fly her out of here.7 Captain Charlie /harp, another American pilot flying for the C2AC, ta$es up the story from thereC 7The hell of it "as, "e didn-t have a spare DC%? "ing, and "e didn-t $no" "here to get one. 0e did, ho"ever, have a spare DC% "ing. 1t "as five feet shorter, and it "asn-t designed to support the loads of the DC%? %% #ut "e thought it &ust might "or$. And "e needed that airplane in the "orst "ay.7 0ith the help of Douglas field representatives, they #olted the DC% "ing to another DC%?-s under#elly and fle" it across the 9!! miles of mountainous terrain to Giuchuan. There, a ground cre" #olted the DC% "ing to the fuselage of the damaged airliner. Astonishing every "itness on the ground, the plane #umped across the field and lifted off "ithout a hitch. Concluded /harp, 70e called her the DC% .7 During the "ar years of the ?!s and 8!s, there "ere so many in%the%field modifications that even Douglas field representatives couldn-t $eep trac$ of them all. The DC%? )or C%8,+ served as an aerial pac$%horse in a multitude of roles %% #ecoming, in turn, an am#ulance plane fitted for litter patients9 a 7flying tan$ car7 hauling gasoline, mil$, or "ater to stranded ground forces9 an air#orne photo la# used #y reconnaissance groups9 and a 7flying "rec$er,7 refitted as a complete air#orne machine shop.
William Winship 0riter 0riting 6 Aditing @esources Boeing /hared /ervices Hroup