DC-3 / C-47

[Stearmen]

Believe it or not, it is possible to make a DC3 ugly!

 

[Tiki Tom]

Golden Era adventure time! The dashing crew of this classic DC-3 is attempting to set a new world record. At 77 years old, this DC-3 Dakota will be the oldest plane to circumnavigate the globe. How I would like to take part in that jaunt. (Am in the market for a good mid-life crisis activity. )

http://komonews.com/news/local/iconic-dc-3-makes-stop-in-seattle-on-historic-world-record-attept

 

[Stearmen]

I remember watching A Bridge Too Far with my Dad. He was involved in D-Day and Operation Market Gordon. He said this seen was the closest to what he remembered. He kept thinking, "if one of those guys up front cracks up, we've all had it!"

 

[Tiki Tom]

That is an amazing clip. I doubt they would allow such tight intervals these days.

 

[Tiki Tom]

And another cool DC-3 clip...

 

[nick123]

Took this photo in Upland, CA. Cable Airport.

 

[The Reno Kid]

A few years ago, I was touring Boeing's gigantic parts warehouse on a business trip when one of my hosts remarked that they stocked a complete line of spares for every aircraft type they ever made which had at least one example still in commercial service. I asked about the DC-3 (McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in the late '90s). Sure enough, they kept the DC-3 spares fully stocked. It's likely they will be carrying those parts after the aircraft passes its century mark.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

With all due respects, the DC 3 pales in comparison to the DC 2 1/2.

The DC 2 1/2 was flown by CNAC, which basically was Pan Am in Chiang Kai-shek's China.

​

At a certain point, CNAC was in a tight spot, so they joined a DC 2 wing to the fuselage of a DC 3. It actually flew. Reportedly, this is how it happened:

We had a DC-2 going through overhaul. As I looked at one of the wings, I couldn't help but wonder. it was certainly worth a try and a trial. we had a DC-3 on the line being serviced, so I ordered it into the hanger and directed that the right wing be removed. it was but a very short time later that we were fitting a DC-3 with a DC-2 wing to its center section. We bolted it in place, hooked up all the control cables, electric lines, etc. It seemed too good to believe! I called a meeting of our Chinese engineer,Loy Locke; our highest ranking American Supervisor, Arnold Weier
and our Chinese forman and lead mechanics. I explained to them that here we had a substitute wing, but no time to spare. I told them that I had Hal Sweet coming out to talk to him about flying the wing into Suifu. Eyes were big with disbelief and questions were many and varied. However, I had the whole thing planned in my head, and once I explained my plan, all agreed that it should work. Of course there were quite a few "bugs" to iron out. We removed the DC-2 wing from the DC-3, removed the tip and we had to remove the trailing edge to butt to the rear spar. As we did that, we made up a Kit so that it could be readily reassembled. I kept P.Y. informed of our plans and progress.

I might clear up a point at this time which has been very much disputed about the attach angle fitting the DC-2 and DC-3. By sheer accident and Donald Douglas' Scoth thrift, he used the DC-2 wing butt and center wing butt jigs, to form the DC-3 angles; however his design engineers called for a heavier angle with a wrap around plus double the attach bolts for the 3 -- so they drilled additional holes between the DC-2 holes; thus we filled all the DC-2 holes and skipped every other in the DC-3 center wing. Douglas built them strong.
​

This is part of a much longer yarn, recorded here http://cnac.org/aircraft02.htm



Here's a photo:

 

[Bugguy]

As I recall, the DC-3 was also a glider tow plane in Europe during WWII.

 

[EngProf]

As I recall, the DC-3 was also a glider tow plane in Europe during WWII.

It was - at all of the major airborne operations (Normandy, Market-Garden, and Operation Varsity (Rhine crossing)).

 

[Tiki Tom]

Another DC-3 in Action. Here she shows that she is still up for Modern adventure. (Scroll down the article for the photo.)

http://www.rcinet.ca/en/2018/04/11/amazing-discovery-under-high-arctic-ice/

 

[Fading Fast]

Another DC-3 in Action. Here she shows that she is still up for Modern adventure. (Scroll down the article for the photo.)

http://www.rcinet.ca/en/2018/04/11/amazing-discovery-under-high-arctic-ice/

Good catch and nice to see that the article isn't about the plane, i.e., the plane is just doing its job and not part of a historic flight, etc.

 

[Flightengineer]

My favorite plane, I was lucky to fly in the C-47 and Li-2 cockpit . I wrote several articles about this nice bird. I love it so much that one of my cars was painted DC-3.
I'm flying big cargo plane (my job now), but my heart with DC-3 forever.

 

[Flightengineer]

DC-2 and DC-3 from Lylestad Aviodrome Museum.



DC-2 in airworthy and can fly but for a number of reasons she does not fly for about 5 years

 

[Flightengineer]

Another DC-3 from Lelystad.

 

[Flightengineer]

Still flying as commercial aircraft

 

[Flightengineer]

Pics taken from here http://www.oldjets.net/air-colombia.html#

 

[Tiki Tom]

An article on Basler. I really admire these guys.

https://www.avweb.com/news/features/AirVenture-2018-Basler-DC3-Conversion-231173-1.html

 

[Tiki Tom]

Visiting the C47 at the D-Day museum in Sainte-Mère-Église, Normandy. Very good museum with lots of artifacts from June 6, 1944. The American Cemetery, just above Omaha Beach, is very moving.

 

[3fingers]

^^ A friend of mine was there a couple of years ago. He said there were more American flags flying there than at home.
They still remember more than 70 years on.