ODE TO THE DC3 DAKOTA GOONEY BIRD, VOMIT COMMIT. CLOUD SEEDER RAIN MAKER ETC

This photograph of  six 3 Squadron Dakota/C47 aircraft flying in a beautiful formation. We often flew in threes and on occasion there would be 4 Goonie Birds in a tight formation but it was rare to have six as in this photograph by Kevin Milligan.

For the last few weeks I have been harping on about my favourite aircraft – the unbeatable Dakota or DC3. As far as the PTS was concerned, this was the ultimate aircraft from which to parachute. As far as the Rhodesian Airforce was concerned, it was reliable, hardy, and a most versatile machine. It could be used for any number of tasks from dropping supplies and men, troop transportation, the occasional bombing, search and rescue, reconnaissance, sky shout with big speakers and, at times even VIP transport. As mentioned in the previous chapter our limited number of Dakotas, (8 in all) were called on to do all types of work in all conditions and rarely let us down.

 For the statistic geeks out there, here are a few stats:

Wing Span  95ft 5inches. Unless about one foot was cut off the port wing tip after hitting a tree on take-off. Then it was a bit shorter.

 Length  63ft 9inches

 Height 17ft

 Top Speed, when being shot at, about 215kts

 Normal Cruise 150kts. Or, if flying for endurance, 85kts to 90kts?

Parachute Drop Speed For early static line drops at 1000ft AGL, we flew at 70kts to 80kts with half flap.  From 1970 onwards, drop speed increased to a minimum of 95kts with half flap, and drop height reduced to 400ft to 500ft AGL.

Stall Speed 50kts as observed by me in 1960, on an air test after a routine service.

 Normal Take Off Speed, 80kts, which was the minimum speed required for aircraft handling if there was an engine failure during the take-off. On very short airfields sometimes pilots would select a quarter-flap and drag the Dakota off the ground at just 65kts.

Once, on a parachuting sortie which took off from Perrims airstrip just outside Umtali, we had a full load of 20 paratroops, all with suspended loads. This made for a heavy take-off on a very short grass strip. I was on-board to select the DZ from the cockpit, and stood between the two pilots during take-off. I watched the airspeed indicator move…. very, very slowly – too damn slowly for my liking. The trees at the end of the strip seemed to loom bigger and closer and higher and yet we were still on the ground. It seemed impossible that we would avoid them.

I should have had more faith. Just as it appeared we were certain to crash, the Skipper, in a firm voice, called for a quarter flap. The second pilot reached for the appropriate lever and, as a quarter- flap went down, we seemed to lift straight up. It was an amazing sensation and, in the end, we cleared the trees by a good margin. Looking back at the airspeed indicator I saw it was reading just over the 65kt mark. The skipper let out a big sigh. So did I. The troops in the back were none the wiser.

  Normal Landing Speed  80kts. But if the strip was short this was reduced to much slower speeds around 60kts to 70kts.

 On one occasion, when Jerry Dunn was driving the Dakota, we arrived over our destination airfield approximately 5000 feet above the end of the runway. Jerry said, “Do you reckon I can get this thing on the ground without having to go round?” Looking through the front windscreen it just did not seem possible, “Never,” I said, confidently, “The only way you could get anything down from this altitude without going round would be by parachute.”

Challenge accepted! He shut everything off, selected full flaps and somehow, like magic, the old Dakota seemed to go down vertically. The airspeed never went above about 80kts. Just as we were about to peg ourselves into the dirt short of the runway, Jerry hauled back on the stick and very gently touched down in what would be called a greaser now days. He stood on the brakes and we came to a stop in about 300mts.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but the passengers in the back? Not so much. They probably thought their last days had arrived. This was a slick demonstration of the method developed by 3 Sqn pilots for landings on short grass strips out in the bush. It was an incredible display of flying skill and an indication of the wonderful flying qualities of the aircraft we jumped from, especially when flown by an expert

Normal Training Free Fall drop heights : In the early days it was about 8000ft AGL at Salisbury Airport .This meant we were actually jumping from a height of 13000ft ASL, because Salisbury Airport  (Harare) is 4896ftASL.  On occasion we would sneak it up to 15000ft ASL or 10000ft AGL to give the PJIs and the trainees a delay for as long as possible without the need for oxygen. This would allow us to free fall for up to an exhilirating 50secs and enabled the students to learn how to fall in a stable position. So yes, we occasionally broke the rules, but only for short periods and only as a carefully managed risk.

The pilots always tried to beat us to the ground by carrying out the maximum rate of descent and short landing previously described. They often did get there first, as we had to operate our parachutes at 2500ft AGL. The Dakota would then taxi down to the end of runway 32, which was also our DZ, to pick up the next load. On occasions the pilots would have time to scrounge a cup of tea from the DZ team whilst they waited for the trainees to fit new parachutes for their next jump. It was sometimes very stressful but always friendly.

Service Ceiling The original specification showed it to be 24000ft ASL. During the Rhodesian Bush War this height was exceeded during HALO parachuting operations. On a number of occasions troops were dropped from 26000ft ASL and on one occasion the PJIs jumped out at 28000ft ASL just to make sure we held the record in Rhodesia.

 Range According to the official specifications for the Dakota/ C47 aircraft, the maximum range was 1000 nautical miles. With full tanks the pilots would tell the tower prior to take off that there was X passengers and X crew on board with seven and a half hours endurance, but on a search and rescue mission we only landed after nine and a half hours in the air and still had two hours of fuel in the tanks. It was incredible what could be done with this aircraft when flown for endurance. 

In the early days only one of our Dakotas was fitted out for the parachuting role at a time. When this aircraft was pulled offline for servicing and a different one converted to the parachuting role, a comprehensive check was carried out.

Later in the war, every Dakota aircraft was fitted for the parachuting role. The technicians on 3 Squadron modified all the aircraft so it was easy to change from freighter to passenger to parachuting at very short notice without any major modifications. but before every parachuting sortie, the number 1 dispatcher checked the aircraft to ensure all necessary equipment was on board and in a serviceable condition.

 To do this, the following modifications were made.  When the X type parachute was used, the aircraft was fitted with a cable to which 25 strops were attached. This cable was run down the starboard side of the cabin. Prior to every parachuting sortie, each and every strop was inspected then folded in a special way, and held in place with elastic bands. In the early days the parachuting door handles were masked to prevent the parachutist putting his hand behind the handle. This masking was checked on every flight to ensure no poor unfortunate could accidentally amputate his hand when leaving the aircraft. It is amazing what we used duct tape for in the parachute training school, from masking door handles to covering bullet holes.

 On the Dakota tail wheel there were two small bobbins on the axel used for towing the aircraft. These were also masked to prevent a parachute becoming hooked up. A gaiter was also fitted around the tail wheel assembly for the same reason.Again if the correct covers were not available duct tape or as we called it 100mph tape was used.

The cables inside the cabin were attached to strong points on front and rear bulkheads and these were visually and physically checked before each parachuting flight. Two other items also had to be checked prior to take off: the red and green jump lights, and the intercom, which were usually checked with the pilots as they were taxiing out for take-off.

 At first the aircraft were fitted with canvas-type seating. This was inclined to collapse and was not very satisfactory. As part of the aircraft drill the students were taught to fold these seats out of the way, a tedious process, especially if the aircraft was flying through turbulence. Later this seating was removed and replaced with far superior fibre glass or aluminium seats which could be folded away with ease. The reason for folding the seats against the side of the cabin was supposedly to provide more room for the troops about to jump. In practice this did not often happen. In reality it gave the number 2 and number 3 dispatchers a path to clamber up the cabin to check the troops’ parachutes, suspended loads and other equipment. If full loads were carried it was always a very tight squeeze.

 Another piece of equipment carried in the aircraft, at least in the early days, was a block and tackle in case a parachutist was hung up outside, dangling on the end of the static lines. This never happened, but if it did we would have cut the static line and enabled the parachutist to use his reserve. The drills for this contraption were complicated and never practiced. So I’m thankful we never had to put it into practice.

 However we did get a HUPRA (hung-up parachutist release assembly) and the UT/PJIs and dispatchers were shown how to use this. This piece of equipment was 
basically another parachute with a cable instead of a harness and a strong point lug fixed to the aircraft floor .The HUPRA cable was threaded through all the hooks on the overhead cable and secured with a special connector. Its static line was then secured to a strong point on the floor.

In the mean-time the pilots would have been told by the no.1 dispatcher/PJI that they had a hang up, and asked to climb to 3000 feet and make another pass over the DZ. At the appropriate moment, the skipper would turn on the green light and the overhead cable would be severed with bolt cutters. All the static lines would have gone out of the door, but on the end there was a new parachute, which in theory, would enable the parachutist to arrive on the ground hale and hearty.

 Again, we never had to use this device, although on one occasion it came uncomfortably close. An RLI soldier was hung up for a short period when his static line passed between the lift webs of his parachute to the overhead cable. It was nail-biting, but before the HUPRA could be used, the parachute came clear and the soldier landed in the dog section at New Sarum. The soldier’s only injury was a minor dog bite. However, this close call guaranteed all the staff at PTS made absolutely certain the static lines were always connected to the overhead cables correctly, every time.

We also carried a spare reserve parachute. The reason for this was in case a reserve rip cord was accidently pulled when it got hooked on a piece of equipment. This only happened once or twice and on each occasion it was on an operational sortie. A quick response by the dispatchers, who smothered the canopy and gave the parachutist the spare reserve, prevented catastrophe.

On some operational sorties a box of additional ammunition and a box of tinned water were carried and could be dropped using a supply drop parachute obtained from No 3 Air Supply Platoon.

The unsung heroes of the Rhodesian Bush War were the men of 3ASP – they were commanded my Major Tom Gentleman, a true gentleman by both name and nature. The Parachute Training School were always happy to work closely with these men who did fantastic work in the airborne resupply field. On many occasions we were required to drop 44 gallon drums of fuel for the choppers and the PJIs would give whatever assistance was needed to 3ASP .

This beautiful photograph of a Rhodesian Air Force Dakota heading out on a parachuting sortie and flying into the evening dusk. It clearly shows the anti Strella (Heat seeking anti aircraft missile) fitted to the engine exhausts. They must have worked I am still here.

So, to end my ode to the Dakota DC3, a very brief history. This fixed wing, propeller driven plane, was developed during the 1930s and 1940s. Its speed, ability to take-off from short air-strips, carrying capacity and range, made it a revolutionary development in both military and civilian air-travel. It was the first commercial airliner to cross the United States, and made the concept of long-distance air travel economically viable for the first time. During WWII, this rugged little plane was put to great use, often pressed above and beyond specified limitations, it played a crucial part in the Allied victory. We certainly could not have performed the paratroop role we did without this remarkable machine and the skilled pilots who flew them.