11/29/1953: American Introduces the Douglas DC-7

DALLAS — Today, in 1953, American Airlines (AA) introduced its first Douglas DC-7 (N305AA) into transcontinental service.

The inaugural flight was operated from New York Idlewild (now JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX). By doing so, AA became the first airline to provide non-stop transcontinental service in both directions. Trans World Airlines (TWA) commenced non-stop eastbound services in October.

An Airliner for American

Indeed, the DC-7 was built to meet AA's requirements. The airline had requested that Douglas build an aircraft that could compete with TWA's Super Constellations and fly coast-to-coast in around eight hours. 

The planemaker was initially hesitant to build the DC-7 until AA placed an order for 25, covering Douglas' development costs.

In AA service, the type was initially configured for 65 passengers in an all-first-class layout. As more examples arrived, the airline expanded its transcon offering, and by the end of 1954, AA offered three non-stop flights per day between New York and LAX.

Specifications 

The DC-7 was a development of the DC-6B and included significant advances over its predecessor. It was the fastest aircraft in service at the time, cruising at a top speed of 580 kilometers (360 miles) per hour.

However, the introduction of the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 jetliners put an end to the DC-7. AA retired its final DC-7 in August 1962. The airline operated 34 of the original variant and 24 of the upgraded -7Bs.

However, 15 of the airframes found a second life with AA after being converted to freighters. They remained in service until 1967.

Featured image: Pictured at San Diego (SAN) is AA DC-7 (N362AA).