Current Tally on Flying DC-3/C-47 Types World-Wide

[JohnTerrell]

Thank you guys for your help, I appreciate it! I will continue adding them as they come - don't count me ignorant simply because there aren't particular countries/DC-3's yet included, I'm just adding to the list as I can find them. I will do my best and try to include all that are documented/can be substantiated, and I appreciate the suggestions of several more countries to look at.

I've made all of the corrections required based on your posts thus far (I had completely forgotten about HB-IRJ being sold to MSO in Turkey and new reg). For the US, I have added N28TN, N9796N, and N32TN, which weren't present before, and for Colombia I have added HK-3037, HK-3292, HK-2820, HK-3286, HK-5016, HK-122, and HK-1175 - though I'm not completely sure of most of those. In searching Colombian DC-3's, I ran into quite a few that were destroyed or damaged in crashes in more recent years (one, HK-2494, just a couple months ago). In searching a number of other African and South American counties, I've run into a lot which appear to no longer be in operation for some years now. I have added CP-2421 in Bolivia, which has been for sale, listed as flying, and 5Y-WOW in Kenya.

[Chris Brame]

How many of the surviving C-47s are known to be D-Day veterans, besides That's All Brother?

[Mick G]

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N9796N

N9796N flew in 2016 and shows new registration last week, does it qualify?

[quemerford]

How many of the surviving C-47s are known to be D-Day veterans, besides That's All Brother?

Well, famously, C-FDTD for a start! IIRC Mikey later found two other DC-3s Buffalo already owned were D-Day vets.

[Mike]

I believe N150D is owned by the same owner as the polished Swissair example and is effectively on a delivery flight. On the Daks over Normandy site it is listed as a participant from Switzerland.

[sanderwi]

What about N56V (@ Erickson) and N86U (in Austria)

Sander

[JohnTerrell]

Thank you all again for your feedback!

N9796N has been on the list, but I'm not entirely sure of what its status may be (like a number of the Colombian DC-3's I added). This is the most recent photo I could find of it, from just a few months ago: https://www.airliners.net/photo/Kamaka- ... ho3w9DZzIT
The recent change of ownership would suggest that it may be going to Texas(?).

With regard to N150D, I noticed that too Mike! I will go ahead and change its position to Switzerland.

With regard to the Erickson DC-3 N56V, I was under the impression that it hasn't been active - ferried to Erickson and parked. However, I did find an instance on Facebook of it flying in 2016, at Madras, so perhaps it is kept in annual/flying? I will add it.

With regard to N86U, it is no longer airworthy and will be remaining a static museum piece - and that's straight from the owners. The registration has been canceled for the past 5 years, and of course hasn't been flying for a good while now. Actually just this week, however, a restoration and repainting program on the aircraft was just completed - although remaining static going forward, it looks fantastic.

(Oddly, the registration of N56V shows up on FlightAware as having flown this month, but it was clearly a different aircraft than the Erickson DC-3. Also, N86U shows up as having flown in Texas just a couple months ago, and again is clearly not the DC-3 N86U.)

[Mick G]

What about Columbia HK2820 & HK3215 & HK2006

HK3215 seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmjPFb0hTKU

[JohnTerrell]

How many of the surviving C-47s are known to be D-Day veterans, besides That's All Brother?

There are quite a few - here are some that I know of:

Flying:

FZ692 - C-GRSB (Canadian Warplane Heritage)
KG330 - "Ed Force Three" (Buffalo Airways) C-GWZS
42-23310 - "Air France" F-AZTE
42-24064 - "Placid Lassie" N74589
43-30647 - "Virginia Ann" N62CC
42-32832 - "Sky King" N5106X
42-32833 - "Liberty" N25641
42-68830 - "D-Day Doll" N45366
42-92847 - "That's All Brother" N47TB
42-100591 - "Tico Belle" N3239T
42-100764 - C-GAWI (Basler turbo conversion - known in WWII as "Georgia Jane II")
42-100882 - "Drag-'em-oot" N473DC
42-100884 - "Mayfly" N147DC
42-100971 - "Prinses Amalia" PH-PBA
43-30652 - "Whiskey 7" N345AB
43-30732 - "Daisy" SE-CFP


Non Flying:

FZ658 - National Air Force Museum of Canada
FZ668 - C-FDTD (soon to fly)
KG545 - C-FROD
42-68710 - "Painted Lady/Lulu Belle" N85SA
42-92841 - "Turf and Sport Special"
42-93096 - National WWII Museum
42-100521 - "Night Fright" N308SF (under restoration to fly)
42-100825 - "Argonia"
43-15073- "SNAFU Special"
43-15211 - N1944A (Kermit Weeks' - airworthy, but not flown in a while)

I know I'm missing another Buffalo Airways example that was recently found to also be a D-Day vet.

Last edited by JohnTerrell on Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:30 pm, edited 3 times in total.

[Chris Brame]

Twenty-three? Wow!
Thanks John!

[Cubs2jets]

N44V, the Piedmont Airlines DC-3 has not flown since May(?) 2011. She has one sick engine and blew the expander tube in her right brake on her last flight.

The Carolinas Aviation Museum has not been able to find the funding to fix either the engine or replace / upgrade the brakes to (more reliable) disk brakes in the past 8 years. With the current uncertainty of the museum's future (loss of home and no funds to build new), the future of N44V is also in question.

The airframe is in excellent condition, having been completely rebuilt by Piedmont Airlines and reasonably well cared for in the years that followed. It would be great to see her purchased and operated by a dedicated, interested group. There's nothing that an infusion of $100K can't fix with her!

C2j

[grant_mcdonald]

VH-ABR The ex Ansett DC-3 has been back in the air a while now

[BenG]

John, you can add one more Dakota in France in flying condition: Douglas C-53D Skytrooper F-HVED ( ex N49AG ).

[JohnTerrell]

Thank you gentlemen!

BTW, it's great to see G-ANAF (RAF KP220) in its new RAF color scheme and outside undergoing engine runs last week, appearing very close to flying again (photo by Alec Wilson):

[Thomas_Mac]

You can add FZ658 to the D-Day list with the National Air Force Museum of Canada.

Also FZ692 had its first post restoration flight today.