How many C 47s are still flying?
More than 16,000 DC-3s and military version C-47s were built in 50-plus variants. More than 300 are still flying today.
How many DC 10s are still in service?
There are 59 DC-10 aircraft (designated KC-10) in the United States Air Force currently in existence during military operations. Four DC-10s are distinct from all other DC-10s as they are used as aerial firefighters operated by 10 Tankers to counter forest fires.
What is the nickname for the DC-3?
Answer: The Douglas DC-3, also known in the Air Force as the C-47 (plus other designations) or Sky-train and in the Navy as the R4D. The British called it the Dakota. The airlines referred to it simply as the Three; their pilots called it Old Methuselah, Placid Plodder, Dowager Duchess, Doug, or the Dizzy Three.
Are DC 8 still in service?
Operators. As of May 2021, five DC-8s remain in commercial service, with three operating for Trans Air Cargo Service and two with Skybus Jet Cargo. Disaster relief organization Samaritan’s Purse operates a DC-8-72.
Did the DC-3 have retractable landing gear?
This was accomplished in the DC-3 by devising retractable landing gear. In its initial form the gear was manually retracted, and then only partially–the wheels were left partly protruding from the engine nacelles.
What is an R4D-8 Super DC3?
The “Super DC-3” featured a longer fuselage, redesigned tail and wings, and fully enclosed the landing gear when retracted. In 1951, the Navy evaluated the Super DC-3 and liked the increased performance it offered and accepted the aircraft as the R4D-8. Rather than purchase new aircraft a total of 98 earlier R4Ds were converted to R4D-8 standards.
When did the Navy change from R4D-3 to r4-8?
In 1951, the Navy evaluated the Super DC-3 and liked the increased performance it offered and accepted the aircraft as the R4D-8. Rather than purchase new aircraft a total of 98 earlier R4Ds were converted to R4D-8 standards.
How many R4D-8 were converted to C-117D?
Rather than purchase new aircraft a total of 98 earlier R4Ds were converted to R4D-8 standards. In 1962, the R4D-8 was redesignated under the joint Air Force-Navy designation system as the C-117D.
What happened to the R4D-5?
The U.S. Air Force turned it down, but the U.S. Navy awarded a contract for conversion of 98 existing R4Ds to the new configuration, which was designated the R4D-8 (later C-117D). With Wright R-1820-80 engines that boasted 275 more horsepower than the engines on the R4D-5, the overall capability and performance factors increased substantially.