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The Douglas C-47 is arguably the most successful aircraft to come out of World War II. It was designed in 1935 as the DC-3 commercial airliner. The aircraft was so far ahead of its competitors that over 400 had been built by 1940 when the U.S. Army Air Forces expressed an interest in a militarized cargo and troop transport version. The main modifications from the DC-3 version are a large cargo door on the left side of the aircraft and a strengthened floor. More than 9,500 Skytrains were built for all branches of the American military and for export. Large numbers of C-47s entered civil service after the war and as many as 1,000 of them were still flying around the world in the late 1990s.
Douglas DC- Legacy: B-18, B-23, C-47, C-54D, DC-7, C-117D, VC-118, C-9B/DC-9
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| Wingspan |
95 ft 6 in |
| Length |
63 ft 9 in |
| Height |
17 ft |
| Weight |
26,000 lbs (loaded) |
| Maximum Speed |
230 mph |
| Service Ceiling |
24,000 ft |
| Range |
1,600 miles |
| Engines |
2 Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92, 1,200 horsepower each |
| Crew |
2, passenger 27 |
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