Douglas C-47 Skytrain

what is it?

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain, or Dakota (RAF designation), is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war, the C-47 was used for troop transport, cargo, paratrooper drops, glider towing, and military cargo parachute drops. The C-47 remained in front-line service with various military operators for many years.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · retractable tailwheel (taildragger) · 29.1 m wingspan

base stats

• range 2,400 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 28passengers
• size 14.1 tmax take-off weight
• built 10,174made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 85 years ago, in 1941.
• 🚗Wingspan of 29.1 m: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 2 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 2,400 km: 13× Amsterdam to Brussels.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1941-12-23

status

still flying

number built

10,174

role

military transport aircraft

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Douglas

engines

2× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-90C Twin Wasp

crew

4

passengers

28

length

19.4 m

wingspan

29.1 m

height

5.2 m

max take-off weight

14.1 t

top speed

—

range

2,400 km

ceiling

7,000 m

landing gear

retractable conventional landing gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family