<p>Designed at Douglas Aircraft Company's El Segundo facility, the DC-5 was developed as a 16/22-passenger commercial transport for local service operations out of the smaller airports. Interestingly, at a time when the low-wing configuration was in the ascendancy, it was a high-wing monoplane, although it also featured the then relatively novel tricycle-type landing gear. With a design gross weight of 18,500 lb (8,391 kg), the DC-5 was offered with either Pratt & Whitney R-1690 or Wright Cyclone radial engines which, on 550 US gal (2,082 liters) of fuel, in two wing tanks, gave the aircraft a range of 1,600 miles (2,575 km) at a cruising speed of 202 mph (325 km/h). The engine nacelles forward of the firewalls, collector rings, control runs, rudder pedals and the pilot's seats were among the components used in the DC-3.
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<p>The prototype, powered by two 850-hp (634-kW) Wright GR-1820-F62 Cyclones, flew for the first time on 20 February 1939, piloted by Carl Cover. Orders were placed by KLM (four aircraft), Pennsylvania Central Airways (six) and SCADTA of Colombia (two), but the program was overtaken by the war and only the KLM aircraft were delivered. Although intended for service in Europe, two went first to the Netherlands West Indies to link Curacao and Surinam and the other two to Batavia in the Netherlands East Indies. All four were used to evacuate civilians from Java to Australia in 1942 and one, damaged at Kemajoran Airport, Batavia, on 9 February 1942, was captured by the Japanese and extensively test flown at Tachikawa air force base. The three surviving DC-5s were operated in Australia by the Allied Directorate of Air Transport and were given the USAAF designation C-110.
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<hi style=hdr1>Specification</hi>
<list style=aflst>
<item><hi format=bold>Type:</hi> cargo and passenger/paratroop transport
<item><hi format=bold>Performance:</hi> maximum speed 221 mph (356 km/h) at 7,700 ft (2,345 m); cruising speed 202 mph (325 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m); service ceiling 23,700 ft (7,225 m); range 1,600 miles (2,575 km)
<item><hi format=bold>Weights:</hi> empty 13,674 lb (6,202 kg); maximum take off 20,000 lb (9,072 kg)
<item><hi format=bold>Dimensions:</hi> span 78 ft 0 in (23.77 m); length 62 ft 6 in (19.05 m); height 19 ft 10 in (6.05 m); wing area 824 sq ft (76.55 m<su>2</su>)
