On Douglas Aircraft Co., Inc.'s airport at Santa Monica, Calif. last week, Test Pilot John Martin climbed into the silver belly of the newest Douglas transport, the DC-7. For an hour, Pilot Martin and his three engineers gave last-minute checks to the 600 dials and indicators in the cockpit and flight engineer's compartment. Then they sent the huge, four-engine plane scooting along the runway and into the air on its first test flight, while 12,000 Douglas employees around the field set up a cheer.
The big plane is much like the DC-6B, but it has its own important differences. The DC-6B's...
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