C-47

[THE PILGRIM]

Speaking of EC-47s -
A regular Goon could be ferried over to SEA with fuel bladders in the cargo compartment.
The EC with equipment installed had to take the scenic route, up through Alaska, out to Adak then South.
So one morning my old boss Jerry was flying an EC-47 North up in Southern Alaska.
Oops! An engine goes out. He needs a place to land, fast.
He was about on the coast but there's not much beach up there.
Inland, mostly big trees. Really big trees!
The only open flat places are lakes, and there plenty of them.
So he put it down on a Lake, then slid up on the shore. Then he put an engine right into a big tree.
The trusty Gooney Bird spun to a stop.
He had a photo of this in his office.
I say, looks like you had a bad day, Colonel.
Jerry replied, not completely bad. We all walked away!

 

[BillyMagg]

One hell of an airplane!

My Dad transitioned into the C-47 after being a Command Pilot and IP in the C-130 around 1966 at Sewart AFB, Tn.....

After the 130, the poor old "gooney bird" was just exactly that to the old man, he sadly stated it was the most overated airplane he had ever flown?? However, it was spared the "loathing" that he felt for the Fairchild C-123 Provider.

He graduated with 53 Foxtrot, flew the AT-6, C-45, B-25, A-26, and then into the C-119 for the the real work. We moved to Naha AB, Okinawa around 1960, where he checked out in the "love of his life", the C-130A. I was the only kid in kindergarten who knew how to fight fires and feather those "KOOL" Allison's.

The Dash-One was my reading primer, and if the first shot of extinguisher didn't kill the fire, you rotated the fire handle a quarter turn and punched it again!

I started kindergarten at NAHA AB, Japan, I HATED SCHOOL! but I liked it when we moved on base, there were T-33's, SA-16s, the huge old C-133, C-97s, and of course C-47s, but the A models were the dolls, loved to here them spool up, and loved to hear them fly over LOW!

 

[BillyMagg]

Flew on one many hrs in the early 60's. I was a dependent we flew back and forth from Italy to France to school, twice a year.

One trip we flew into a really bad hail storm over south France. We had to make a forced landing in Marselles. It badly dented the leading edges of the wings, fractured the cockpit window as well. We were some scared young'ens.

Dan

I bet, I'm the Air Force Brat on the Sino Defense Forum,,,, but all my flying was on a DC-6 from St Louie to Naha AB, and a DC-7 from Naha back to San Bernadino, must have been Travis AFB?? and a 1956 Buick back to Smyrna, TN.

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

...but all my flying was on a DC-6 from St Louie to Naha AB, and a DC-7 from Naha back to San Bernadino, must have been Travis AFB?? and a 1956 Buick back to Smyrna, TN.

Norton AFB was in San Bernardino. Travis is between SF and Sacramento...

 

[onebadvet]

Here is one all shined up, and still flying today.

 

[M E Morrison]

more on the guys that flew the EC-47

EC 47 Memorial A History Denied Very Nice Presentation - YouTube

Thank you.

 

[M E Morrison]

I bet, I'm the Air Force Brat on the Sino Defense Forum,,,, but all my flying was on a DC-6 from St Louie to Naha AB, and a DC-7 from Naha back to San Bernadino, must have been Travis AFB?? and a 1956 Buick back to Smyrna, TN.

If you are referring to San Bernardino, CA it was Norton AFB at the time - it's gone now.

 

[crazyphil]

Speaking of EC-47s -
A regular Goon could be ferried over to SEA with fuel bladders in the cargo compartment.
The EC with equipment installed had to take the scenic route, up through Alaska, out to Adak then South.
So one morning my old boss Jerry was flying an EC-47 North up in Southern Alaska.
Oops! An engine goes out. He needs a place to land, fast.
He was about on the coast but there's not much beach up there.
Inland, mostly big trees. Really big trees!
The only open flat places are lakes, and there plenty of them.
So he put it down on a Lake, then slid up on the shore. Then he put an engine right into a big tree.

The trusty Gooney Bird spun to a stop.
He had a photo of this in his office.
I say, looks like you had a bad day, Colonel.
Jerry replied, not completely bad. We all walked away!

I was always told that any landing you can walk away from
is a good landing.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Donald Douglas was asked by American Airlines to 'stretch' his successful DC -2 to accommodate sleeping berths.
He was not asked to design a Military freighter, paratroop dropping, glider towing, reccee -intercept, Air Sea Rescue, ski plane, float plane, and OMG a gunship?
It's hard to name anything designed ever that has been so useful.
Harder to name anything designed in 1935 that stands the test of time like the Gooney Bird.

 

[JayFramer]

I like the one with three 7,62mm x 51 NATO chambered mini guns on the side!!

BUUURRRTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[M E Morrison]

I was always told that any landing you can walk away from
is a good landing.

AND any landing where you can re-use the airplane is a GREAT landing!!!

 

[Hawker800]

Douglas DC-3 Monument | Museum of Flying

 

[M E Morrison]

^^^I don't think those pipes sticking out the three windows are there to play "Tip-Toe-Through-The-Tulips" for those below!

No, actually it was TAPS.....

 

[PALADIN85020]

My very first flight ever was on a military C-47. It was 1957, and my JROTC unit was offered a familiarization tour to Fort Ord, California for the senior cadet officers. As I recall, about a half-dozen of us took them up on the offer. I had a hell of a time convincing my parents to sign the release papers, particularly when dad found out we were flying on a WWII gooney bird!

It was a fun flight, and it was configured for parachute jumps, with the long canvas seats along each side of the interior. We had no parachutes, either!

At any rate, we landed at Ord and debarked to tour the installation. We were all wearing uniforms which pretty much mimicked the standard khakis worn at the time by the Army. Our cap insignia looked like the standard officers', with a spread eagle - only difference instead of the 13 stars in a circle on top were the initials "ROTC."

We took (and returned) a lot of salutes from yardbirds - which tickled us no end!

The return trip to Phoenix was fun also, and I couldn't wait to call my then-girlfriend/future wife after landing to get together so I could tell her about it.

Today, flying is routine on jetliners, but back then a flight in a C-47 was noteworthy, and I remember it all very well.

John