The last Dakota/C-47 operation in the UK - Withybush, Wales, 1996.

[Simba]

On Thursday 15th February 1996, a tanker captain made a complete hash of entering Milford Haven in Wales. The Sea Empress grounded, punctured, and spilled over 70,000 tons of crude oil into the harbour. The Department of the Environment called in the Ministry of Transport's contracted Pollution Control Unit - and two days later this ol' cat spent a very interesting day taking photos of the aircraft at Withybush Airport near Haverfordwest in Wales.

Air Atlantique specialised in operating old aircraft to do modern jobs, and I had the privilege of observing and recording the last mass-gathering of the dear ol' Dakota in the UK. I even managed to persuade the Ops Commander to let me fly along if I signed a waiver, but the insurance company kill-joys wouldn't wear it, so all I could do was point the camera 'n' click away. Here's some of the pics:

1. Seven Dakotas (ex-C-47s from WW2, ex-USAAF, ex-RAF, and still going strong) flew from the airfield over the following two weeks. Here's a cobbled-together panorama shot of six of them; from left to right, they are: G-AMPO, G-ANAF, G-AMCA, G-AMHJ, G-AMPY and G-AMSV. The one I didn't manage to catch in the viewfinder was G-AMYJ.




2. G-AMPO needed to go to the ramp to have her port engine looked at. Underneath is the wind-driven pump that drove the dispersant spray bars fed from five large tanks in the fuselage.




3. Here's a view of G-AMPO before she was taxied to the ramp, and the aircraft's interior. Love the seats, just about good enough for a short-range op but you wouldn't really want to fly over The Hump in 'em. Better than the ol' bucket-seats the paratroopers had to use though, I guess.




4. Last but by no means least, here's a close view of the cockpit of G-AMCA.



The aircraft returned to their base at Coventry Airport when they'd cut the muck up into patches small enough to be corralled by surface booms. They never flew together en masse again and now the European Union's passenger-safety regulations have grounded them all. Sigh.

Sic Transit Gloria, Douglas built a damn good aircraft.  

[Muzzy]

Wow...gotta love those gooney birds!

[Vulcan]

Might be of interest ...

The last Dambuster pilot still looks comfortable at the controls of a World War II plane.

Les Munro sat in the pilot's seat briefly yesterday, after a 30-minute flight over Christchurch in the Southern DC3 Trust's 1944 ex-air force Douglas Dakota.

Instead of bombs for payload, he had passengers – fellow World War II airmen of the Canterbury Brevet Club, and guests.

The former Lancaster bomber pilot and his partner, Christine Ross, are in Christchurch to attend the Mainland Arms and Militaria Gun Show at Riccarton Raceway today.

Munro, 91, is the last surviving pilot of 19 who took off on May 17, 1943, to bomb three dams in Germany's Ruhr Valley. His plane was one of 11 that returned. The raid became celebrated in print and film as The Dam Busters.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3953532/Last-of-the-Dambusters-takes-to-the-skies

[Simba]

Thanks for the link, Vulcan. It's always good to see one of the great names of RAF history still keeping his hand in - and Les Munro is one of those, for sure. 

And it's equally pleasing to know that at least one DC-3 is flying in the UK. The latest EU air safety regulations were imposed without thought to the ability of an aircraft to be modified to meet them, and the dear ol' Dak was one of those. I confess I'm not up-to-date on any exemptions that may have been granted, but I presume if Les could take a few mates for a trip the few vintage airliners still extant haven't had to be fitted with the escape chutes, drop-down oxygen masks and lifejacket-under-every-seat required of the modern jets. Good!

 

[Flench]

 

[007Rusty]

 

[Simba]

Here's a link to a You-toob clip showing the last flight of an Air Atlantique Dakota. They certainly tarted up G-AMRA between 1996 and 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5azpMp6sbk

 

[Ping]

I had the priviledge about 15 years ago to tour the inside of a C47 at what is now Nav Can at the Ottawa National Airport. Was taking lessons there and 1 of the staff was kind enough to show me around.

Love that Old Bird.