Douglas C-47B Skytrain

Douglas · USA · first flew 1943 · transport aircraft

The C-47B is the high-altitude variant of the Skytrain, fitted with two-stage supercharged engines specifically to maintain power over the Himalayas on the India-China Hump route.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	2 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	19.43 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Two-stage, two-speed supercharged R-1830-90-series engines — 1,050 hp held to 13,100 ft where A-model engines fade; the change is entirely internal to the nacelle
Externally identical to the C-47A — no reliable silhouette difference exists; CBI-theatre markings, serials, or a 'Dakota IV' stencil are the practical identifiers
Post-war examples with the high blower removed were redesignated C-47D — a D placard indicates an ex-B airframe

There is no reliable external difference from the C-47A — the two-stage supercharger lives entirely inside the nacelle. Serials, records, and RAF 'Dakota IV' stencils are the honest identifiers; a spotter should log 'C-47' and let the paperwork decide the suffix. Post-war 'C-47D' markings indicate an ex-B with the high blower removed. Against the Li-2: starboard door, shorter single-row nacelles, and dorsal turret on armed examples.

Specifications

The Douglas C-47B Skytrain has a length of 19.43 m (64 ft).
It has a wingspan of 29.11 m (96 ft).
Its maximum speed is 360 km/h (224 mph).
Typical crew: 4.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Developed in 1943 in response to the punishing altitude demands of the CBI theatre; 3,364 built at Oklahoma City. The Hump airlift — the largest air cargo operation of the war — was sustained largely by C-47Bs flying at altitudes where the A-model's single-stage engines struggled. RAF received the type as the Dakota IV.

Variants

C-47B-1-DK through later production blocks; post-war conversions to VC-47B VIP transports. Many demilitarised to DC-3C standard.

Where you'll see it

USAAF Air Transport Command, RAF Transport Command (as Dakota IV), CNAC. Post-war, widely civilianised as DC-3Cs worldwide.

Related aircraft

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