Very Low Flying DC-3

[abn deuce]

While this is in civilian use now it could be a veteran , Nice low flying passes in any case,from youtube

Edited December 27, 2009 by abn deuce

[chevpol]

nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Mark

[cpltomo]

:shocked:Nice and that is one low fly past.

[antarmike]

The Aircraft is indeed of wartime vintage but it is not a DC3 it is a C47A the military version of the DC3.

http://www.douglasdc3.com/dc3icel/dc3icel.htm

It flew with Us Army Air Force carrying Serial 43-30710

Edited December 27, 2009 by antarmike

[antarmike]

The history of c/n 13861 in finer detail:

Delivered as 43-30710 on 01oct43 to the USAAF, at Presque Isle (07Oct43), Northeast [Airways?] 14Dec43, Air Transport Command Atlantic, as TF-ISH to Flugfélag Íslands (named "Gljafaxi") bought on 10Aug46, reregistered TF-NPK for Landgraedsla Rikisins (renamed "Páll Sveinson") May73 to 2001, operated by Icelandic DC3 Friends Association (registered 17Jun05), flying in Icelandair colourscheme since July 2005.

[abn deuce]

Thank you antarmike for the details , Your correct I should have said C47A but was hesitant to title it differently than it was posted on youtube .I ve changed the title accordingly

Edited December 27, 2009 by abn deuce

[antarmike]

Everyone knows the C47 as a DC3, but although the same family and the same lineage, the C47 has a pair of side loading doors that allowed a jeep to be loaded and carried, (although it was a very tight squeeze) The DC3 did not have this feature.

 

I don't know why the C47 is almost universally called a DC3.

Edited December 27, 2009 by antarmike

[abn deuce]

Only the right side was shown so I was not sure if it was a C47 or not

[Jessie The Jeep]

There was also the C-53 Skytrooper, the paratrooper version which had a single door, but unlike the civil version, probably self-sealing tanks and other military mods.

 

C-53D-DO "Skytrooper" 42-68823

 

[antarmike]

Only the right side was shown so I was not sure if it was a C47 or not

 

And I forgot to say the C47A was named the Skytrain.

The name Dakota was only applied to aircraft in British or Commonwealth service, so this is definitely not a Dakota!

Another funamental difference between The pre war DC3 and the C47A was the fitting of Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp radial-piston engines in place of the Wright Cyclones.

Edited December 27, 2009 by antarmike

[agripper]

I always thought that the designation of C47 was a military one rather than that of Douglas. As the E3 is teh 707 airframe and so on.

[antarmike]

The other designation given to some members of a family of aircraft which were developed from the pre war civilian DC3 was the Douglas R4D.

The Douglas transport went to war with the Army Air Corps as the C-47 but it served with the Navy and Marine Corps as the R4D.

 

First ordered for the Navy in 1941, the R4D-1 was a cargo transport and served as the basic equipment for the Naval Air Transport Service (NATS), which was created on 12 December, 1941. In 1942, the South Pacific Combat Air Transport Service was formed, and used R4Ds to carry supplies into combat zones and airlift casualties out. In one month, over 22,000 passengers, 3,300,000 pounds of freight and 941,000 pounds of mail were delivered by this unit.

 

In addition to normal transport duties, R4Ds were equipped for various specialized roles, indicated by a special letter suffix added to their basic designation. For example, an R4D-4Q was fitted for radar countermeasures; the R4D-5E carried special electronics equipment; the R4D-5T was a navigation trainer; the R4D-5Z an executive or VIP transport and the R4D-6S was equipped for air-sea warfare training.

 

The R4D-6S was a model specifically built for air-sea warfare.(about 30 were built) It carried the most modern air-to-surface radar available, in theory, identifiable by antennas that can be seen under the rear fuselage and on the sides of the nose, beneath the cockpit windows. Unfortunately the R4D-6S was secret, and as yet no pictures have emerged, but it is thought that equipment was constantly changed and updated, so appearance regularly changed! The Confederate Air Force CAF fly one and they suggest that provision was made at one time to carry bombs. (Their R6D was actually pulled off the production line were it had been built as a C47 and was reworked as an R6D, which work included changing radio gear etc to Navy standards.)

 

In addition to air-sea warfare training, some R4D-6Ss saw actual combat. Records of these air-sea warfare operations are still apparently classified as secret, however, this aircraft's squadron is credited with sinking a German U-boat in the Atlantic.

Edited December 28, 2009 by antarmike

[Jessie The Jeep]

Interesting introduction for your first post :??? Perhaps you could introduce yourself properly in the Introductions & Welcomes section. We like to know who everyone is, this being a pretty friendly forum.

 

EDIT - It would seem the post by 'trucky', that I referred to, has been removed.

Edited December 29, 2009 by Jessie The Jeep

[antarmike]

And he no longer seems to be in the members list??

[Marmite!!]

And he no longer seems to be in the members list??

 

His post was removed as it was not in the spirit of the forum & totally unacceptable for a first post, he has been asked to post an introduction. He is not showing up in the members lists as we have a bug & not all new members are showing up at the moment.

[abn deuce]

more C-47 flying action