Rat Dak by cfulton
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Description
The company I work for had a year-end function at Ratanga Junction, Cape Town, on Friday. Needless to say I took my camera along...!
This is one of the displays I knew would appeal to a few of the RR photographers, Rob and Bill included!
From a sign under the aircraft I have gleaned the following:
~ This aircraft was built in December 1943 as a Douglas C-47A-DK in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma , for the United States Air Force (later the United States Army Air Force). The aircraft was transferred to the Royal Air Force under the lend-lease programme. On being pressed into the Royal Air Force, the aircraft was known as a 'Dakota Mark 3'
In June 1944 she is confirmed as having been a glider tug with 512 Squadron and was used in Operation Coup de Main/ Operation Tonga, the first stage of the airborne assault in the Normandy landings.
Following the end of hostilities she flew missions to the Middle East before moving to Egypt In October 1945. Later based in Italy, flying various routes to Greece, Romania, and Austria before returning to Britain in 1946.
After the war she was thoroughly overhauled at Scottish Aviation and sold to Turkish Airlines in July 1946. It served faithfully for 12 years until being sold to Ethiopian Airlines in 1958. She served here for 33 years. During 1969 she was leased to the Ethiopian-United States Mapping Mission for aerial photography of Ethiopia and Djibouti.
As one of the longest serving of the Ethiopian Airlines DC-3's it was eventually sold in April 1991 to a Swaziland based Mozambican Airline Scan Transportes Aéreos, transporting food throughout Mozambique during the devastating civil war.
In mid-1996 she was removed from service, stripped of useful components at Rand Airport, Germiston, South Africa, and later transported by road to Cape Town for static display at Ratanga Junction Theme Park. ~
Hmm, a water ride runs under the plane and she now serves as some kind of facility (pub?), and extraction fan visible down the fuselage.
Enjoy,
Clive
Comments (18)
papy2
Great pic for a great plane. Thanks for the share
durleybeachbum
great to see the old lady is not wasted!
flavia49
wonderful photo!
awjay
excellent place and excellent capture
bmac62
Douglas built their planes to last and last and last. More than 50 years in flying service. Wow. Cool photo. Glad you captured it for us.
koosievantutte
i can't help but feeling sorry for the old bird to end up like this.
psyoshida
What an incredible history and well built machine. I'm with koosievantutte, I feel sad to see it end like this. Would have been better to scavange it for parts. Great shot. Thanks for showing it.
Meisiekind
Waste not want not... she is still useful in some bizarre way! Great image and narrative Clive! :)
lizzibell
nice photo...
kgb224
Outstanding capture Clive.
praep
Nice shot of that old that lady...
MrsRatbag
Wow, I like the new incarnation! Great shot!
moochagoo
I have been in a Dakota. I was in Peru in 1973. A great souvenir.
NightGallery
Never seen a DC-3/C-47 painted like that. Nice shot.
auntietk
Great capture, and I love all the information. What a history!
neiwil
Good to see this still has a purpose, though a shame it can't be kept in better "nick" a little preservation could keep this around for many more years.Great capture, thanks for sharing.
ekatz
good shot and a brilliant story, thanks
debbielove
A great find Clive!... Wonderful history (shame she isn't looked after better) But it occurs to me on the food runs, as it brings in aid to starving people, what they must have thought when they saw those teeth baring down on them!!! lol What a great history.. Super shot.. Brilliant pub! Mines a pint! Rob.