THE DOUGLAS C-47

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The Douglas C-47 was the military adaptation of the civilian DC-3. Nicknamed the "Skytrain" or "Dakota" and affectionately called the "gooney bird", it was the prevalent medium cargo ship in several theaters of operation, including southeast Asia and north Africa. The army took the standard old airliner and strengthened the lower fuselage and undercarriage, and installed larger cargo doors. It could accomodate two jeeps or three aircraft engines, or the equivalent weight in other stores, in a single load. Or it could transport 28 fully armed troops. It was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engines rated at 1200 hp each. The C-47 carried no armament. It had a cruising speed of 230 mph at an altitude of 8,500 feet. Empty, the C-47 had a maximum ceiling of 23,200 feet. It was considerably lower fully loaded, and that made it unacceptable when the HUMP routes were forced to the north by the fall of Imphal and the Burma Road to the Japanese. The northern routes required altitudes of well over 20,000 feet fully loaded. The C-47 had a wing-span of 95 feet and a length of 64 feet, 6 inches. Its range was 1200 miles.

Many of these planes are still flying today, though maybe not of the WWII vintage.