Douglas C-47 Skytrain / Dakota

The C-47 Skytrain was a product of the Douglas Aircraft Company and is regarded as the best transport of World War 2. Interestingly enough, the Skytrain was first born as a civilian passenger airliner in the DC-3 model and began operations in the 1930s, setting new levels of performance for any commercial aircraft of the time. The system would become an instrumental component to the American war effort in the Second World War as the C-47 Skytrain platform with its eventual introduction into service by late 1940. From there, the system would continue to serve throughout the war and beyond, seeing service with a variety of nations and in a variety of combat and peace time roles.

With its introduction into war development, the DC-3 was modified from commercial airline to military transport. Chief among the changes were the revising of the passenger cabin to include seating for up to 27 combat-ready personnel. This accommodation was accomplished by the removing of the airliner-style seats and the implementation of utilitarian seating on either side of the cabin in the form of bucket seats. Other notable peacetime to wartime changes included the fitting of Pratt & Whitney radial-piston engines in place of the Wright Cyclones found in the DC-3. The initial production was delivered with the designation of C-47 and the appropriate identifier of "Skytrain". No sooner were 93 examples of the base C-47 produced before the line evolved to producing the C-47A, made notable by the improved electrical capacity for onboard systems. One of the more definitive production marks in the series was later born with the C-47B which featured improved performance engines and were earmarked for work in South East Asian theaters. This particular model featured high-altitude capabilities, making it ideal for the required flights to China from the US and was also developed into a trainer with the designation of TC-47B.

Externally, the C-47 was of a fundamental shape, featuring smooth rolling contours, a low-monoplane wing set, tubular cabin and a single vertical tail surface. Two engines were mounted at each wing leading edge and provided some 1,200 horsepower each. The pilot and co-pilot sat at the extreme front of the fuselage with an observation blister directly behind the cockpit. Entry/exit doors were situated at the forward and aft fuselage sides. The aircraft as a whole was duly noted for its ability to withstand extreme amounts of damage and still keep aloft.

The C-47 Skytrain appeared in similar and varied forms with the US Navy (as the R4D), the British Royal Air Force (as "Dakota" marks), the Soviet Air Force (produced by Lisunov as the Li-2 and with Japan as the L2D. In all, over 12,000 examples were produced with the series seeing use up into the 1960s. The Skytrain also earned the affectionate nicknames of "Gooney Bird" and "Old Bucket" during its heyday. In both civilian travel and military transport, the Skytrain airframe proved to be up to the task making it one of the more influential aircraft designs of all time and undoubtedly contributed immensely to the Allied war effort and its ultimate victory. The C-47 was also used in quantity during the Berlin Airlift of 1948 - 1949.

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Last Revision: 10/8/2009