Flying in a Gooney Bird

Flying in a Gooney Bird.

My family arranged for me to take a flight is a C-47 military aircraft as a birthday present. It was a very special event, as I have always been very impressed by the design and product life of this aircraft. My flight took place on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011.

The C-47 (aka Gooney Bird) was developed based on the DC-3 civilian airplane. Here is a bit of background on the two versions of the plane:

The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made. Many DC-3s are still used in all parts of the world. Translated, that is over 75 years of flying and the clock continues to tick.

The Douglas C-47 is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. The first flight was Dec. 1941. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.

During World War II, the armed forces of many countries used the C-47 and modified DC-3s for the transport of troops, cargo and wounded. The US Naval designation was R4D. Over 10,000 aircraft were produced in Long Beach and Santa Monica, California and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City plant produced 5,354 C-47s from March 1943 until August 1945. The 10K units was in addition to the over 16,000 civilian planes.

While I am not a strong student of aircraft, the DC-3 has always fascinated me. Many years ago, I arranged a business trip so that I could fly on a commercial airline that was still flying the DC-3. I was so thrilled to fly on an aircraft with so much history.

Can you imagine how thrilled I was to be able to fly on the military version? The flight was out of the Colorado Springs Airport. The pilots flew us north so that we could fly over The Garden of the Gods. All in all, a very impressive and fun adventure.

Here are some photos (not the best quality as they were taken with my cell phone).

The C-47 is a classic "tail dragger"

Looking out the window with an opening

that was used to permit firing rifles during the war.

Taking pictures out the window.  

They let us get out of our seats for most of the flight.
Note that you can see the structure of the fuselage
and the seats are very primitive.

Flying over The Garden of the Gods

Looking into the cockpit during the flight.

The right side seems to be original, while the pilot

has a modern display.