Arthur Emmons Raymond

Who was Arthur Emmons Raymond?

Arthur Emmons Raymond was an aeronautical engineer who led the team that designed the DC-3.

Raymond grew up in Pasadena, California, the son of the owner of a luxury hotel. He completed a B.A. at Harvard University, and a M.S. in aeronautical engineering at MIT in 1921.

Raymond spent his entire career at the Douglas Aircraft Company. Beginning as a metal fitter, he rose to the rank of Chief Engineer, contributing to the design of all Douglas airliners from the DC-2 to the DC-8. During World War II, he helped managed the huge effort that produced tens of thousands of aircraft for that war.

Raymond is best known as the lead designer of the DC-3, "The Plane That Changed the World," the first airliner that could break even hauling passengers without a government subsidy and without carrying mail. The military equivalent of the DC-3 was the C-47. In Europe, the DC-3 was known as the "Dakota." Raymond's grandson Stephen has said: "In the DC-3, he did almost everything. He knew every bolt and screw in that plane." About 10,600 DC-3s and C-47s were eventually built between 1934 and 1945, making it the most produced airliner of all time. At the time of Raymond's death, about 2,000 DC-3s were still flying and about 400 were still in commercial service.