Photo Of The Day - Douglas C-47/DC-3 Skytrain (Dakota) "What's Up Doc?" in Palm Springs, California


 From the Palm Springs Air Museum:

The Douglas built C-47 Skytrain (aka Dakota, aka “Gooney Bird”) was a superlative military aircraft and saw widespread use by every Allied service in every theater of WWII. The C-47, a modified DC-3, became famous for carrying paratroopers and towing gliders full of soldiers and heavy equipment into battle. The C-47 was used to deploy the first airborne troops in July 1943 when C-47s dropped almost 4,000 paratroopers into Sicily. In June 1944 more than 1,000 C-47s dropped paratroopers before and during the Normandy D-Day invasion. In 60 hours, C-47s alone airlifted more than 60,000 paratroopers and their equipment into Normandy.
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In the Pacific, with careful use of the island landing strips of the Pacific Ocean, C-47s were even used for ferrying soldiers serving in the Pacific theater back to the United States. C-47s in British and Commonwealth service took the name Dakota.

Our C-47, “What’s Up Doc?” was built in either Tulsa or Oklahoma City, OK, and was delivered to RAF (UK) Squadron 187 in March, 1945. Later assignments include: Belgium-1949; French Air Force-1952; Israeli Air Force- 1967-1997. It was surplused in 2001 and purchased by Cascade Air.

Palm Springs Air Museum acquired the aircraft from Cascade Air in October 2003, and it has been a mainstay of the museum and Warbird Ride program ever since!
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26

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