Aircraft Factfile and Recognition Guide – C-47 Dakota
Background
The Douglas DC-3 was born of the intense
competition for modern commercial aircraft that characterized the post-World
War I era. It was the direct descendant of the DC-1, which first flew in 1933
as Douglas' initial response to a short supply of competitor, Boeing Aircraft's,
landmark 10-passenger 247, the first, low-wing, all-metal airliner. With only
one 12-passenger sample flying, and already a record-breaking success, the DC-1
was quickly made obsolete, replaced by an a more powerful version with greater
seating capacity, the 14-passenger DC-2, of which 193 were built.
When, in 1934, American Airlines asked
Douglas for a larger version of the DC-2 that would permit sleeping
accommodations for transcontinental flights, Douglas responded with the 24
passenger (16 as a "sleeper" craft) DST (Douglas Sleeper Transport),
the 24-passenger version of which was designated DC-3.
The DC-3 is given most of the credit for
an almost 600% increase in airline passenger traffic between 1936 and 1941.
Recognizing its great potential as a military transport, the United States Army
specified a number of changes needed to make the aircraft acceptable for
military use, including more powerful engines, the removal of airline seating
in favor of utility seats along the walls, a stronger rear fuselage and floor,
and the addition of large loading doors. A large order was placed in 1940 for
the military DC-3, which was designated C-47 and became
known as "Skytrain," a name it would soon be asked to live up to.
Used as a cargo transport to fly the
notorious "Hump" over the Himalayas after the Japanese closed the
Burma Road, and as a paratroop carrier in various campaigns from Normandy to
New Guinea, the Douglas C-47 was one of the prime people movers of WWII where,
in one form or another, it was manufactured by belligerents on both sides,
after first having been licensed to Mitsui before the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor, and to the Russians, who manufactured it under license as the Lisunov Li-2.
During the war, Mitsui built their own version, via contract with the Showa and
Nakajima companies, which built about 485 "Tabbys" (the code name
given to the aircraft by the Allies) as the Showa L2D.
Known also as "Dakota" (British
designation), R4D (U.S. Navy), "Skytrooper"
and "Gooney Bird," the Douglas C-47 (USAAF) went through many
modifications during its long service life, largely with respect to engine
power ratings, but also with structural modifications for specific tasks like
reconnaissance and navigation training. It was even tested as a floatplane, and
as an engineless glider, a task it performed well, but too late in the war to
matter. It was also used as a fighting machine as the AC-47D
gunship ("Puff, the Magic Dragon") of the Vietnam war, where the
plane was equipped with three modernized Gattling guns (General Electric 7.62mm
"Miniguns," each mounted and firing from the port side) for use as a
"target suppressor," circling a target and laying down massive fire
to eliminate or at least subdue the enemy position.
By war's end, 10,692 of the DC-3/C-47 aircraft had been built, with 2,000 Li-2s
by the Soviets, and 485 Showa L2Ds by the Japanese, for a total of about
13,177. Between its first flight on December 17, 1935, and this writing, the
DC-3 will have had 65 years of continuous service. From its pioneering of
military airlifts over the hump, to its perfecting of the technique during the
Berlin Airlift, the C-47 has been prized for its versatility and dependability,
factors that explain its remarkable longevity as an active carrier worldwide.
Engines: Two 1,200-hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S1C3G Twin
Wasp radial piston engines
Weight:
Empty: 16,865 lbs.
Max Takeoff: 25,200 lbs.
Wing Span: 95ft. 0in.
Length: 64ft. 5.5in.
Height: 16ft. 11.5in.
Performance:
Maximum Speed: 230 mph
Cruising Speed: 207 mph
Ceiling: 23,200 ft.
Range: 2,125 miles
Armament: None
Sources: Warbird Alley - Douglas
C-47 Dakota