D-Day anniversary at the Royal Air Force Museum

**McClef** · 11th June 07, 01:19 AM

Looks like you had a wonderful time Alex!

I envy you the flight in the DC3 - one of my favourite aircraft of all time!

**caig** · 11th June 07, 02:03 AM

Wow ! Alex, you do get about ! Lovely pics from a lovely day out. Thanks.

**andyfg** · 11th June 07, 04:49 AM

Alex, you do get around. Thanks again for the pics.

**BEEDEE** · 11th June 07, 07:42 AM

Wow! And how great to see a DC3(or C47 as you know it) still in operation. I still remember my first commercial flight back in the 1950's on a DC3 with what became Air New Zealand.

Brian

**cessna152towser** · 11th June 07, 01:12 PM

Did you father participate in D-DAY?

Not directly as he was shipped home in 1943 following a serious head injury and served from 1943 to 1946 with 57MU (Maintainence Unit) in the salvage, repair and maintenance of aircraft.

And how great to see a DC3(or C47 as you know it) still in operation.

As far as I know the DC-3, or Dakota, was only known as a C-47 in its military guise, the classification C-47 having been adopted by the USAF and later also used by the RAF. The only difference appears to be internal, where a civilian example normally has soft fabric lining for sound and temperature insulation.

**Riverkilt** · 11th June 07, 01:34 PM

Aye, the DC-3's I rode were configured like an airliner, with a center aisle and forward facing seats - I think two on either side of the aisle.

The C-47s had a row of two seats down the center and bench seats along the side like you see in the War II movies. So folks on the side face the center row of seats....which is how I came to vomit an excellent lunch on a LTJG during a thunder storm somewhere over New Mexico.

My father missed D-Day too. He was on the Dieppe Raid while in the RAF and was shot down by ground fire (breaking a cardinal rule of making a second straffing run at a convoy) during Kassarine Pass.

Because he got started early he got shipped home early to train pilots. Apparently he was one of three fighter pilots with combat experience when he was assigned to Randolph Field in '44.

Amazing times.

Ron