Douglas DC-7
| DC-7 | |
|---|---|
| A DC-7 of United Airlines | |
| General information | |
| Type | Airliner and transport aircraft |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Douglas Aircraft Company |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | American Airlines (historical) |
| Number built | 338 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1953–1958 |
| Introduction date | 29 November 1953 |
| First flight | 18 May 1953 |
| Retired | October 2020 |
| Developed from | Douglas DC-6 |
The Douglas DC-7 is a retired American airliner built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1953 to 1958. A derivative of the DC-6, it was the last major piston engine-powered passenger aircraft made by Douglas, being developed shortly after the earliest jet airliner—the de Havilland Comet—entered service and only a few years before the jet-powered Douglas DC-8 first flew in 1958. Larger numbers of both DC-7B and DC-7C variants were also built, with a handful of aircraft converted to cargo hauling or fire-fighting after their commercial transport days had passed.
Unlike other far more successful propeller-driven Douglas aircraft, such as the DC-3 and DC-6, no examples of the DC-7 remain in service as of 2020.