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Between June 25, 1941 and October 29, 1941 a tri-tailed “Twin Motored Transport Plane” was featured on U.S. airmail stamps in 6-, 8-, 10-, 15-, 20- and 50-cent dominations.

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Was the aircraft featured on those stamps an actual aircraft, or was it a Postal Service graphic artist’s conceptualization of one?

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It appears to be only an artist's conception and is an amalgam of several different designs, but apparently largely based on the Douglas DC-3 aircraft, the Lockheed Electra, and the Beech 18.

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The livery bears a striking resemblance to American Airline's DC-3 sleeper service, which operated during that era.

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http://usstampgallery.com/view.php?id=1021c6191539bc1ca404bccf78595b7fdc0f06fd

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  • $\begingroup$ The tail is also reminiscent of the DC-4E $\endgroup$
    – mins
    Dec 13 '16 at 21:13
  • $\begingroup$ Excellent comment. The fuselage section above the engine has definitely been taken from the DC-4E -- in particular note the small rectangular windows just above each of the main cabin's windows. $\endgroup$
    – К. Келлогг Смиф
    Dec 16 '16 at 14:26
  • $\begingroup$ YouTube has several very good taxiing, in-flight, and information videos of/on Douglas' experimental DC-4E and the subsequent sale of that prototype to Japan where it was used as a prototype for a Japanese WWII 4-engine bomber. $\endgroup$
    – К. Келлогг Смиф
    Dec 16 '16 at 15:11

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