수송기 도입 80주년을 맞은 남아프리카 공군의 C-47

[위종민]

남아프리카 공군은 1943년 6월 21일 C-47을 도입한 후 현재까지 운용중인데, 지금은 유지보수 문제로 비행가능한 기체가 없어 80주년 기념 행사를 건너뛰었다고 합니다. 남아공은 현재 적절한 유지보수 자격을 갖춘 회사를 찾고 있다고 합니다. 

남아프리카 공군은 1990년대 초 C-47의 엔진을 P & W PT6A-65AR 터보프롭 엔진으로 교체하고 레이더를 설치하는 등의 개조를 한 후 C-47TP라는 명칭으로 운용중이라고 합니다. 한 대는 곡예비행팀에 지원기로 배치했는데 추락사고로 탑승자 11명이 전원 사망하는 사고를 겪기도 했었네요. 

https://www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/aerospace-aerospace/dc-3-racks-up-80-years-in-the-saaf/

C-47 racks up 80 years in the SAAF

Kim Helfrich -

28th Jun 2023

6237

Silver Falcons support aircraft C47-TP 6840 in formation with the team.

June 2023 marks what should have been a landmark event for the SA Air Force (SAAF).

It was on Solstice Day (21 June) in 1943 the SAAF took delivery of its first Douglas C-47 Skytrain, the military designation for the twin-engined DC-3.

That it was not seemingly officially commemorated by those in charge of South Africa’s military aviation component of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) is because none of 35 Squadron’s C-47TPs, known far and wide as “turbo Daks”, are airworthy. Apart from confirmation by a respected Western Cape military aviation enthusiast, further evidence of the C-47TPs’ current status comes from Armscor. The defence and security acquisition SOE (State-owned enterprise) is currently seeking interested – as well as suitably BBBEE qualified – bidders to “maintain and support the Dakota C-47TP aircraft fleet”.

The book “Aircraft of the South African Air Force” has it “the first C-47 (DC-3 in military form) to be taken into the SAAF was 6801, picked up at Accra on 21 June 1943. It was then flown in a series of legs ending a few days later at Rand Airport”. Further confirmation comes from Dean Wingrin’s Unofficial SAAF Website. He writes: “The most widely used transport aircraft of World War II, the DC-3/C-47 has been in SAAF service since 1943. In the early 1990s several were modernised with, among others, turboprop engines replacing piston engines and a fuselage extension under Project Felstone”.

New Pratt & Whitney PT6A AR engines give the C-47TP a reported range of close to three thousand kilometres, well suited for the maritime patrol and reconnaissance tasking assigned to it at Air Force Base (AFB) Ysterplaat in Cape Town.

In addition to the maritime tasking, the C-47TPs and its predecessors moved cargo, passengers and been jump ships for parabats, usually operating out of Air Force Base (Bloemspruit) in Free State.

One C-47TP was assigned to the SAAF Silver Falcons aerobatic team. The “honour” saw it painted to match the team’s Pilatus PC-7s stylised colour scheme in September 2012. The aircraft, tail number 6840, was transport configured for its Silver Falcon duties over and above squadron missions and sorties.

Sadly, 6840 crashed in the Drakensberg near Ladysmith just on four months later with all 11 aboard killed. The aircraft was on a delivery sortie ex AFB Waterkloof en route to Umtata. Then Defence and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula (now National Assembly Speaker) was reportedly “horrified”. She told Gauteng Afrikaans daily Beeld at the crash site it “wasn’t good to have our people flying in aircraft this old”.

https://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/aircraft/19/c47-tp-turbo-dakota

The South African Air Force

THE AIRFORCE - AIRCRAFT - C47-TP TURBO DAKOTA

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  The Airforce Aircraft Current C47-TP Turbo Dakota

Aircraft Stats:

Powerplant: 2 x P&W PT6A AR turboprops

Speed: 368 kph, 229mph mph

Range: 2 810km, 1,746miles

Seats: 3+28

Length: 20.68m, 67ft 9in

Span: 28.96m, 0ft

Empty Weight: 7 144kg, 15,750lb

Max T/O Weight: 13 041kg, 28,750lb

Weapons:
None specified

Squadrons:
35 Squadron

Attrition:
5 incidents recorded

C47-TP Turbo Dakota

Status: Current

Manufacturer: Douglas

Country of Manufacture: United States

Role: Light Tranport

Description:

The most widely used transport aircraft of World War Two, the DC3/C47 has been in SAAF service since 1943. In the early 1990s several were modernised with, inter alia ,turboprops replacing the piston engines and a fuselage extension under Project Felstone.

The SAAF C-47TP conversions are not the same as the Basler BT-67, it's a licensed copy of the Schafer/AMI-65TP conversion developed by Schafer and AMI in the US.

AMI of Fort Worth, Texas, marketed a DC-3 conversion called the DC-3-65TP Cargomaster, for which the company received an STC in August 1987. Original research and development work for the modification was performed by Schafer Aircraft Modifications, Waco, Texas. AMI delivered seven DC-3 conversions.

The AMI DC-3 conversion featured 1,062-kW (1,424-shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AR turboprops, each flat-rated to 917 kW (1,230 shp). The engines drove Hartzell five-blade constant-speed propellers, which featured the ability to feather, were reversible, had a de-icing capability, and were governor regulated.

Maximum level speed was increased to 402 kmph (217 kt) at 3,049 meters (10,000 ft). The conversion also included a 1.02-meter (3.33-ft) fuselage plug installed forward of the wing root to maintain the aircraft's center of gravity envelope. With the extension, the Cargomaster had a useful load of 5,352 kilograms (11,800 lb). The aircraft was (still) capable of operating from unimproved runways.

Other features of the DC-3-65TP included new circuits (to replace existing electrical wiring), AlliedSignal (Bendix/King) avionics, 118-gallon internal fuel tanks, a fire detection/extinguishing system, a dual-battery system and a new throttle quadrant. AMI said that the converted DC-3 cost less to operate than a standard DC-3. 

The SAAF's C47-TPs are all equipped with radar and the Maritime platforms each have three control sets - one in the front of the cockpit; one at the Radar Operator's station; and one at the Navigator Station.

There is a positional switch that can be selected for which station, out of the three,  has 'Master' control over the radar. For Maritime Operations, of course, the switch is always selected for the Radar Operator's station.

The Transport platforms have only one radar that is controlled from the cockpit.

The radar has only a maximum of 120° forward scan and 60° on either side of the nose. The radar antenna is located in the nose. It is essentially a weather radar, but it serves quite acceptably for the detection of sea-surface ship contacts.

Search-and-Rescue is performed with the naked eye, ("Mark 1 Eyeball"), in the case of the search for a rescue raft ("dinghy"). There is also a V/UHF "Homer" on board for detecting the position of an emergency beacon, the audio signal of which can be picked up by any or all of the crew members on the call system.

None have FLIR. There was a project in the mid 90's where the SAAF wanted to upgrade the Maritime TPs with additional equipment such as EW, FLIR, and Sonar. The project folded, however, in that all the additional equipment would have made the TP hopelessly too heavy, which would have interfered with flight safety.

In addition to the electronic equipment, apparently air conditioners also had to be installed, to keep the sonar equipment cool in the sub-tropical areas of the coast, between East London and Kosi Bay, in North Natal.

Block 2 is the latest phase to which the fleet has been upgraded from Block 1. This basically led to the inclusion of additional components and instrumentation in the cockpit, a project that took place in the early to mid-2000s.

Images:

[백선호]

헐... 엔진을 바꾸긴 했지만 아직도 이것을 쓰다니... @.@

[위종민]

엔진 외 다른 부품들이 나오기나 하는지.. 하긴 수급이 잘 안되니 비행중지 상태일 듯 합니다만.