Douglas DF

The Douglas DF was a commercial flying boat built by the Douglas Aircraft Company and first flown on 24 September 1936. It could accommodate 32 passengers, or 16 in sleeper cabins, and was the last flying boat the company built. Powered by two Wright Cyclone radial engines of 1,000 horsepower each, it had acceptable handling and performance, but no commercial orders came and, with no domestic market for the aircraft already built, Douglas obtained export permits. The first two production aircraft were sold to Japan, ostensibly for airline use, and the second was lost on a survey flight in 1938. The second pair, designated DF-195, went to the Soviet Union, where they were winterized, shipped in pieces to Russia and flown as transports by Aeroflot.