Specifications: C-47 Skytrain (Dakota Mk I)
Type: Three-crew, 27-troop military transport
Powerplant: Two 894.8kW (1200 Hp)Pratt & whitney R-1830-92 14 cylinder radial engines
Performance
Maximum speed: 370 Km/h (230mph)
Climb: 9.6 minutes to 3048m (10 000ft)
Ceiling: 7315m (24 000ft)
Range: 2575Km (1600 miles)
Weights
Empty: 8255 Kg (18 200Lbs)
Maximum Take-Off: 11793 Kg (26 000Lbs)
Dimensions
Span: 29.11m (95ft 6in)
Lenght: 19.43m (63ft 9in)
Height: 5.18m (17ft)
Wing area: 91.69 m2 (987 sq ft)
Armament:None
Operatinal history
Probably the best known transport aircraft of all times, whether as an airliner or military transport, the Douglas C-47 Skytrain evolved from the DC-3 airliner which introduced new levels of speed and comfort to travel during the late 1930's. First flown as a comercial airraft on 17 December 1935, the C-47 was not ordered by the US Army air corps until 1940, the airliner interior giving way to bucket seats along the cabin sides, and Pratt & whitney R-1830 radials replacing the DC-3's Wright Cyclones. Some 93 C-47's before production switched to the C-47A with 24 volts in place of 12 volts electrical system; a total of 4931 C-47A's were built. High altitude superchargers and R-1830-90 engines were introduced into 3241 C-47B aircraft intended for use in South East Asia. Many other variations were pruduced under seperate designations, of which the C-53 Skytrooper was the most important, being in effect an airline standard aircraft for military use. wartime military production of the C-47 reached 10 048, plus an estimated 2700 produced in the Soviet-Union as the Li-2. It was also produced in Japan as the L2D. In the USAAF the C-47 became the standard transport and glider tug in service from 1942 onwards, being flown in large numbers in every airborne force operation during the war; furthermore, some 1895 Dakota's served with 25 RAF squadrons.
