Topic: C-47 Skytrain

[70CB750]

An historic WWII airplane that led the fight against Nazi Germany on D-Day has been saved from the welder’s torch and will soon become a living history lesson. Here’s a look at the iconic Douglas C-47 Skytrain and one famous plane named That’s All Brother.

http://www.nationalreview.com/slideshows/c-47-skytrain#0

[demon78]

A Dakota (Dak)
Bill the demon.

[70CB750]

Ha, Bill, I expected you here 

[jaguar]

Here is the one from the museum where I used to work.

[Bob Wessner]

Looks like a DC-3 to me. 

[demon78]

Only flight I ever had in one was from RCAF Station Comox to McCord USAF airbase in Washington state and back again standard noisy bumpy military flight.
Bill the demon.

[scottly]

DC-3 was the civilian version of the C-47. They were also used in Vietnam, fitted with Vulcan mini-guns, known as "Puff's" after Puff the magic dragon. An friend of mine flew one of the first three to be sent there. He said firing the side guns would push the plane, and he had to compensate. He also claimed the guns were capable of putting a round in every square foot of a football field on a single pass.

[RAFster122s]

In Spectre Gunship mode they became AC-47 and were replaced by AC-119  and AC-130 Spectre Gunship models.

Yes the civilian built Douglas model was the DC3. There are a few places still carrying passengers in them. Drug runners used them for a time and may still do.

Amazing life they led.

Buffalo Air Cargo used to fly a bunch of them (C46/DC3) and C-46 Commando aircraft for cargo flights in Canada.

[Desert-SOHC]

My father flew one over the "Hump" in the AAF, went down in the jungles of China and was lost for 6 months.

[Bob Wessner]

DC-3 was the civilian version of the C-47. They were also used in Vietnam, fitted with Vulcan mini-guns, known as "Puff's" after Puff the magic dragon. An friend of mine flew one of the first three to be sent there. He said firing the side guns would push the plane, and he had to compensate. He also claimed the guns were capable of putting a round in every square foot of a football field on a single pass.

At some distance at night they were impressive, like snaking ropes of light. Glad I was not on the receiving end.

[Killer Canary]

They were what kept the Chindits supplied. If hitler had had even three squadrons of them in the cauldron, Stalingrad might've turned out very differently.

[kghost]

I flew them for 2500 hrs

[vfourfreak]

I saw one of these in Kiev a few years back : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisunov_Li-2

They had special covers on the motors to shut off the cooling air.

Kev