genehil
World Explorer
Reged: 08/31/05
Posts: 399
Loc: Panama City, FL
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American Airlines's museum has a DC-3 on display in their C.R. Smith Museum near the DFW International...
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You can tell a lot about a person's character by where they leave the shopping cart in the parking lot...
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redhell
Tourist
Reged: 10/28/05
Posts: 2
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This is a DC3 in flight over Greece.
They are not done yet here.
regards
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saukko
Master Arctic Guide
Reged: 09/07/05
Posts: 1230
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
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What means "started out life as a DC-2" ? To convert a DC-2 into a DC-3 one has to change fuselage, outer wingpanels, horisontal and vertical tailsurfaces. I'm not sure about mid-wing, because there has been one DC-2½:
http://www.douglasdc3.com/dc2half/dc2half.htm 
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Cheers,
saukko
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Hill
Master Guide
Reged: 10/31/04
Posts: 9224
Loc: Southern California
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I guess what I should have said is that the plane may be a DC-2 that is being called a DC-3. The dimensions are too small for a DC-3. Wingspan of only 85' and length of 57'.
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Desmo
Master Aviation Guide
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 1050
Loc: Lena, Norway
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Here's the Norwegian bird. She's a C-53 Skytrooper.
Dakota Norway homepage.
I have found more information on the Norwegian DC-3. It's C-53D-DO #11750, and built in 1942. Used by USAAF from 1943 in the ETO,and sold to Finland in 1948. Flown commercially by Finnair on their routes up to 1969. Then the Finnish Air Force (Ilavoimat) bought it,and used it from 1969 to 1985. It was bought by its present owners in 1985,and entered the Norwegian civil register as LN-WND in 1986. Its used for display flying at airshows,and sightseeing trips for members of Dakota Norway. I have been a supporting member for the last 15 years.
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"We have met the enemy and he is us"
Pogo.
Edited by Desmo (11/15/05 06:42 AM)
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saukko
Master Arctic Guide
Reged: 09/07/05
Posts: 1230
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
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There are four DC-3/C-47s left in Finland. Company named Airveteran Oy owns two. One of them OH-LCH flies frequently in summertime. The other plane is not airworthy but can taxi. I don't know if they have intention to fly it too or is it just for spares. These two planes are in Helsinki Vantaa Airport giving good sunglares in GE but this day was rainy:
Here are more pictures of Charlie Hotel
http://www.kuppilatiima.org/gallery/album06
In Finnish Air Force Museum in Jyväskylä is one ex-Air Force plane.
In Finnish Aviation Museum near Helsinki Vantaa Airport is ex-Kar Air plane.
A couple of notes about the Pima planes. The one in the western part could be their R4D-8 / C-117. The horizontal tailsurfaces are not like those of normal DC-3.
The dark plane in the middle has shorter wingspan than the other two, so it could be their B-18B Bolo.
Best regards,
saukko 
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Cheers,
saukko
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RedMoose
Tourist
Reged: 10/30/05
Posts: 34
Loc: Eagle River, Alaska
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Frank;
Nice job of DC-3 spotting, but I think I have to disagree with the one in Anchorage. It measures 110 feet by 72 feet, too big for a DC-3. The fuselage also appears to be too fat for a C-47/DC-3. I think we are looking at a C-46 here. A few years back I flew for Atlas Air out of ANC, and our office was just north of this ramp. Air Cargo Express (ACE) operated what I was told is the only Part 135 registered C-46 in the world, hauling freight around the bush in Alaska. It lives among a half dozen DC-6s operated by ACE and NAC (Northern Air Cargo).
I fly for FedEx out of ANC now, and when I last taxied out past this ramp, the C-46 was sitting there, still fully operational. Don't worry, though. You are still batting .667 in this post, and that'll get you a job on any major league team in town! ;-)
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RedMoose
Tourist
Reged: 10/30/05
Posts: 34
Loc: Eagle River, Alaska
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Frank;
Another case where one of the "C-47s" is a bit too big. Your #1 acft at La Paz, Bolivia is 107 feet by 72 feet, too big for a Skytrain. The wing leading edge sweep looks too shallow also, and it is the right size for a C-46 Commando, but the fuselage doesn't look quite fat enough for that, so I'm not quite sure what it is.
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Red Moose
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RedMoose
Tourist
Reged: 10/30/05
Posts: 34
Loc: Eagle River, Alaska
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genehil;
You are right. I was in El Salvador for a few years with the USAF, and my office was at Ilopango AB. The fuselage you pointed out, as well as two more I have indicated here and a pile of 5 or 6 wrecked C-47s near the approach end of Runway 33 (which has since been cleaned up) were all combat or accident losses.
Frank, you are right about all the C-47s you pointed out here, but some are a bit different. The one on the north side of the highway is a static display, mounted on a pole. The one northeast of the domed terminal building (now the HQ for the Salvadoran AF) is a museum display, as are the other aircraft in the parking lot with it. The one to the east is obviously in pieces, and is being used for parts. The one dark one remaining on the ramp is an R-1830 radial combustion engine powered AC-47 "Spooky" gunship, converted from a standard C-47 "Skytrain" by the US prior to its sale to El Salvador.
The remaining two brighter colored C-47s are also AC-47s, but they are BT-67 Bassler Turbo conversions, powered by two derated PT-6 reversable turboprops. You might notice that the fuselage is about four feet longer than normal. The length of the PT-6s put the prop arcs abeam the pilot and copilot, so the FAA wouldn't certify the modification without adding a 40 inch fuselage plug. This not only moved the cockpit forward away from the props, but also added valuable cargo space, the weight of which was easily handled by the more powerful PT-6s. The rest of the added length is accounted for by a slightly reshaped nose cone, now made of fiberglass and housing a Westinghouse color weather radar. I flew one of these two aircraft immediately after its conversion. I accompanied a Salvadoran crew in one aircraft, and the other in formation with us, from Oshkosh, Wisconsin to Kelly Field, San Antonio, then to Vera Cruz, Mexico and on to San Salvador... all at 165 knots and below 10,000 feet!
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Red Moose
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Hill
Master Guide
Reged: 10/31/04
Posts: 9224
Loc: Southern California
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Here's Rose, another one you can actually fly in Southern California. Go HERE for more information.
Picture credit www.vintageflight.com
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