Sea Dakota MR.2A, No.206 Sqn, RAF St.Mawgan ++FINISHED ++

[McColm]

The Douglas C-47 has been re-engined many times,  the British named it the Dakota.
I'm thinking along the lines of a light bomber/ground attack with a pair of Rolls-Royce Griffon engines.
The GR.1 could have been used during the Korean War by the Royal Air Force on trucks and artillery. My version won't be fitted with any guns,just relying on the skill of the pilot to get it home in one piece.
I might include a weapons bay fitted under the fuselage with pylons for rockets or markers for the heavy bombers to hit.

[Wardukw]

Sounds pretty cool Mac 🙂

[mat]

AFAIK SAAF is still flying C-47s converted to turbo-prop,

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[McColm]

AFAIK SAAF is still flying C-47s converted to turbo-prop,

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Alleycat does the conversion sets in 1/72 scale,  Heritage Aviation Models used to do the Dakota Dart and the Turbo Dakota also in 1/72, I'm not too sure who has the castings.

[kerick]

You could do the retractable rocket tray used on some F-86s and the F-8 Crusaders and others. It used the 2.75" that became popular for ground attack. I'm imagining a Gooney bird rolling in for a rocket run! You could bet it would be a lot of rockets!

[Rick Lowe]

And being slower than a lot of Fast Mud Movers, would be a touch more accurate. And put a lot more ordnance on target!

[jcf]

The DC-3 is actually fairly large, bigger than a Wellington, A-20/Boston, B-26 or B-25.
It's only slightly smaller than a Warwick. In the role you're imagining it would require
fighter cover as it would be very vulnerable. 

Fokker proposed bomber versions of the DC-2 and DC-3 in the mid to late 1930s. 
There were also Li-2s that had bomb doors added forward of the wing in addition
to the belly mounted external hard-points. 

The Northrop multi-cellular wing structure design means you have to put weapons
bays forward or aft of the wings, you can't go through the wing itself.

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[rickshaw]

Australia produced it's own version of a gunship variant.armed with half a dozen .5in guns mounted on the belly and supplied to the Cambodian air force of Lon Nol in 1975.  They made about six or so aircraft which were given to the Cambodians.

[thundereagle1997]

A-4 Skyhawk with F414 engine with afterburner.

[PR19_Kit]

That has nothing to do with McColm's Dakota GR1 thread.................

[McColm]

I haven't found any evidence of a pure jet powered C-47 Skytrain or DC-3,  the closest is the Nene powered Vickers Viking and they did use rocket assisted take off for those fitted with skis.
Turbines, turboprops, Darts and even the Mamba but not jet engines or turbofans, that's not to say it couldn't be done as a whiff but I'm not building one for this GB.
Although I might have a go as a side project using the DC-4  depending if the wings fit the DC-3.

[McColm]

The 1/72 Italeri Dakota C-47 "Skytrain " model kit No.127 arrived this morning,  dry testing with a pair of Rolls-Royce Merlin resin engines means that the Griffons will fit. I've found one of the Dakota Turbo engines and hopefully using some epoxy resin I can use it to make a pair or pairs.
What I had in mind won't fit as it's too big, however the SAAF used the Dakota in the maritime surveillance role, so what if the RAF did the same instead of using the Lockheed Neptune until the Avro Shackleton MR.1 was in service. Parts from various Shackleton kits could be used including spares from the Hasegawa Shinmeiwa PS-1 that I'm working on.

[McColm]

There's some debate on whether the DC-3/C-47/RD4 can land and take off from a WWII aircraft carrier due to the wingspan. Post-war is more likely as the wingspan is similar to that of the Lockheed Neptune which could take off from a aircraft carrier but not land back on it .
The only Dakota that successfully made a take off and landing is the one with the long nose with the words 'Memphis Belle' painted on the side.
In Whiffland anything is possible.

[Wardukw]

A B-25 has a 67ft wingspan and that's a cozy fit on a WW2 carrier..a C-47s is 95ft ..the only way to truly know is to get the measurements from the conning tower to the edge of the flight deck and what type of carrier it is.

[McColm]

The 1/72 Italeri Dakota C-47 Skytrain model kit has thrown up a few problems. There's interior detailing but you can't see it through the windows, the fuselage and wings have gaps. The Milliput superfine white putty will be used on this build. The Frog Rolls-Royce Griffon outer engines have been fitted to the upper wing section and I need to reduce the length of the contra-rotating propellers, the original landing gear of the Dakota will be used. I will post photos after the PSR process is complete.