The Douglas C-47 Skytrain (or Dakota) is an American twin-engine, all-metal transport aircraft from the Second World War. It was a very successful military adaptation of the Douglas DC-3 aircraft. The test flight of the C-47 prototype took place on December 23, 1941. Serial production started in January 1942, which ended with the production of over 10,000 copies of this aircraft by the end of 1945. The basic power unit were two Pratt-Whitney R-1830-92 engines with a power of 1200KM each. A dozen or so versions of the C-47 were created, of which the A version (reinforced cabin, 24V electrical system in the plane) and B (more powerful engines) were produced on the largest scale. The C-47 fought on all fronts of World War II as a transport plane, evacuation of the wounded, specialist for paratroopers or towing gliders. These aircraft were also exported to the USSR under the Land-Lease Act, and the Soviet Union itself built over 6,000 under license in 1939-1952 (as Li-2). After 1945, the planes were massively "civilized", becoming the most popular passenger and transport plane in the world. Technical data: Maximum speed: 326 km / h, speed of climb: 5.7 m / s, maximum ceiling 7170 m, maximum range: 2400 km.
The Douglas DC-3 was an American passenger and transport aircraft from the interwar period and World War II. The plane was built in the low wing configuration, it had a metal structure and a landing gear retracted in flight in the classic configuration. The flight of the prototype took place in 1935, and serial production was carried out in 1936-1942 and in 1950. Approximately 600 examples of these planes were built in its course - not including those in the C-47 Skytrain version. The drive was provided in serial copies by two Pratt and Whitney R-1830 engines 1,200 hp each . The machine did not have a permanent on-board armament.
The Douglas DC-3 was created at the request of American Airlines, as a development of the previous model of Douglas - the DC-2 aircraft. The new plane turned out to be one of the most successful designs in the history of civil aviation! The machine was highly reliable, had low operating costs, was very simple and easy to use on the ground, it was easy to pilot and very liked by the pilots. What's more - it offered good performance and a good flight range. Many experts say that the DC-3 contributed significantly to the popularization of civil aviation in the US in the 1930s and 1940s. During World War II, a military version was also created, designated C-47 or Dakota, which was one of the main transport aircraft of the Western Allies during the conflict. After 1945, a large number of these machines were withdrawn from service and found their way to many airlines around the world (e.g. LOT Polish Airlines). The quality of the machine is evidenced by the fact that at the beginning of the 21st century, several hundred DC-3s were still in service - mainly as transport planes!