*If you enjoyed the video, please share it!* Hey all! This must the most in-depth and biggest project I work on for the channel so far. Let me know what you thought about it!

I'm really glad we have dedicated people like you who produce such high quality content about history

"Give me 50 DC3s and the Japanese can have the Burma Road" - Chiang Kai-Shek

My dad flew the C 47 for the Philippine Air Force. His was a transport and then a modified gunship during the conflict in Mindanao in the early 1970s. Thanks for this video.

My grandfather serviced these during ww2 (he was ground crew) he nicknamed them 'biscuit bombers' He was based in paupa new guinea

Very good job. I have worked on DC 2's and DC 3's. My father flew a DC 3 for Argonaut Airlines between Key West and Miami back in the 60's. When I was an engineer for McDonnell Douglas we had a DC 2 as part of out heritage flight which I helped restore. I also assisted on a DC 3 used to haul jumpers. Thus I pretty well know the history of the DC 3 and you really covered it well and in a short period of time.

I just want to say that the added audio over the historical footage is amazing! It adds an immense amount to the immersion.

It’s amazing how many of these still fly. And the fact that after more 80 years later there’s a company turning them into bt-67’s is amazing

Secret to becoming a fighter ace: 1. Purchase and wear maroon pants. 2. ??? 3. Fighter ace.

The most beautiful aircraft for me, i can't understand it but something about this aircraft just feels right.

GREAT video Biz! One small correction... The B-18 Bolo was a mess of DC-2 and DC-3 parts. It has the wing and tail of the DC-3 and the engines and landing gear of the DC-2. Most survivors however were converted with DC-3 engines after the war.

I was very fortunate last year for my reunion to jump out of a Navy R4D in Lancaster TX with my platoon buddy who is the Jump Master for the Commemorative Air Force Airborne Demonstration Team. It was wonderful to jump from this plane. Even though she rattled like a bucket of bolts.

A minor quibble. The C-47 didn't save Berlin during the airlift all by herself. She had help from Douglas C-54's and Curtis-Wright C-46's...and probably a whole lot of other plane types.

I had the pleasure of flying in the DC-3 about 40 years ago. It’s a testament to the design that so many of this legendary aircraft are still flying.

Recently found your channel and as a fan of aviation history i enjoy your work very much. Your in-depth research and presentation is very good and I look forward to your posts.

Great video! South Africa still uses it today in it's military for electronic warfare!

Flew in them a lot, as well had a nice tour during the Junkers being restored, seeing the aircraft stripped down to near bare metal. With the Dakota, plenty of hours in them, though they were a lot more modern inside, upgraded avionics in most cases, and slightly better canvas seats. With the original P&W engines it was always wise to check for oil dripping out of those oil coolers, because if there was none dripping, there was no oil, and not a good thing. However there are quite a few upgraded to a turboprop arrangement, with much better fuel economy and operating cost, and those are great to fly on. Converse applies there, the oil coolers actually work. Only one time I was worried flying on one was when we had undercarriage failure, and had to circle till empty before landing, after a few cycles of the gear, with me as the human lifeline holding the flight engineer, as we both were leaning out the door looking if the gear was down ( it was), and it looked like it was locking ( no green light on the pedestal). Best, smoothest, landing ever, though slightly marred by the 45 ton Rosenbaur fire engine that was pacing us down the runway with a running foam cannon. Switch was sticky, percussive maintenance and it was fixed enough to fly us the rest of the way. Got in to my destination 6 hours late, walked in and was asked why, replied the Dakota broke down, and we all had to get out and push.

In 1976 I flew from Terrace to Dease Lake in a DC3 operated by Northern Thunderbird Air. What a ride! With the high dihedral on the wings, the plane flew like a powered leaf. Unforgettable.

Great vid Bismarck. Love the in depth stuff as well as the actual look at a real plane. Keep up the good work good sir.

A simply superlative video Bis. Informative, concise and engaging.

Cant wait to see that amazing bird fly on Tuesday and Wednesday

Apologies for the child who walked behind you and dabbed right at the end. That was my friend... Loved the video!

It's cool how the engine gauges have two needles instead of having two separate gauges. I've never seen that before. Awesome video!

If the P-51D is the ‘Cadillac of the Sky’ the C47 is the ‘Chevy Pick-Up of the Sky.’ Local boy and former C47 aircrew Sir Freddie Laker named his airline Skytrain after it. Well done Bisz

This is great, considering that within the next week (as of writing this) will be the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion, which these were used famously perhaps. Thank you and I will definitely share it!

In the late 1970's as a young technician in the Canadian Forces I worked on a rather unique 'Dak' named Pinocchio at CFB Cold Lake. It was one of a number of DC3's modified with a CF-104 Starfighter nose complete with radar installed. These were used as radar trainers for CF-104 pilots. A radar console was installed in the cabin with a 't-rack' holding the electronics. A ground power unit bolted to the floor & exhausted through a blanked out window was used to power the system. I believe several other NATO countries operating the F-104 Starfighter, including Germany also had their version of Pinocchio.

My father worked at Douglas Aircraft Santa Monica ca during this period as a aeronautical engineer he told me that this Aircraft was the best he had anything to do with ,this is a very nice video thanks.

SIR, I respect your enthusiasm, the history, EVERYTHING!!! WOW, I am very impressed with your presentation. WOW doesn't cut it, there must be another way of saying GREAT JOB. SUPER WELL DONE. For those thumb downers, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

I flew the C-47 in the military. The problem for people of your height: On landing, with a quarterly trailing cross wind, the large "barn door" (vertical tail) causes reverse command on the rudder pedals. Normally, on landing, if the aircraft begins turning to the left, one depresses the right rudder pedal to bring their aircraft back straight. In a quarterly trailing cross wind, situation, the opposite happens, i.e. depressing the right pedal makes the aircraft turn more to the left. To counter that, the pilot MUST "peddle" the rudders, like a bicycle, to determine which peddle produces which result. And while doing that he must bring the yoke back into his stomach, to assist the rear tail wheel to come down to the runway. IF the pilot has long legs, doing that becomes a problem. The control arm for the yoke can get caught on his leg, while he's trying to peddle the rudder pedals. Often times it keeps him from making the necessary corrections and he can easily run off the runway. Just a guess, but I would imagine in the early 30's, when this aircraft was designed, pilots, and people in general, were a lot shorter and the above problem was not an issue.

The Japanese version was not the Type O (letter "O"), but the Type 0 (zero). Japanese military equipment, whether aircraft, weapons or other, were assigned type numbers corresponding to the year of adoption. So both this plane and the A6 "Zero" fighter were accepted by the military in Imperial Year 2600, which on our calendar was the year 1940.

It truly is an iconic plane. My great uncle flew a C-47 over Normandy as part of the 100th AAF Troop Carrier Squadron, transporting paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division the night before D-Day. He was killed when his C-47 crashed in Germany in April 1945.

Amusing to hear the long and careful process of getting the aircraft ready to fly. I was for a few times a passenger in one owned by Eldorado Nuclear (source of Hiroshima uranium) in the early '70s. We flew up the MacKenzie River valley, the northern terminal being Tuktoyaktuk, on the Arctic ocean. Gordie, our pilot, was extremely experienced, but he had a ferocious alcohol problem. He would stumble out, severely hung over, onto the gravel strip at Tuk, jump in, pull about 3 levers, and we were airborne!

Such an iconic plane... it was also the first model airplane I had as a kid while my brother had the JU-52. Ah... memories ;)

Outstanding video, my father was a C-47 crew chief stationed in India during WW2, I watch every C-47 video I can find. Thank you.

Ah I have had a ride in the DC-3. It was wonderful

There are still some of these in operational service (4 I think) and some airlines still use them. Some are now being upgraded with newer type turboprops and the extra fuel efficiency (compared to the original engines) now means a higher cruising speed (260MPH+) and 10+ hours endurance. That means at the right time of year (to get a good tail wind) they can fly from LAX to JFK. That's in the ball park of 3000 miles.

Aaah yeah, the DC 3, a truly iconic aircraft..... By the way, when are you planning to do a video on the He 162?

Nice one Bizzie!! Informative and as well - presented as ever... Thanks.

I was fortunate enough to enter the C - 47 that was the 2 airplane or the lead plane of the 2nd wave at D - Day of paratroopers. Based on the inside, I think it was of the 505th Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Dovision. At least I know it was from the 82nd. It could still fly.

I saw the only airworthy C-41a flying just a couple days ago! Not even at an airshow or anything; I was just in the right place at the right time as it flew overhead! It's currently owned by Golden Age Air Tours, and you can pay to ride on it for a large fee.

WOW!! Thx m8. I got the privilege of making about a dozen skydives (civilian not military) out of the DC 3 about 20 years ago. Made me dig out the old video camera and watch the jumps again. :)

Took a flight in one in February ( DC 3 spec that was originally a RAAF Dakota). Remarkably comfortable and not that noisy. Nice bounce on one of the landings in true DC3 style.

I sometimes go to the American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport, Long Island, New York. The C-47 is always there.

Christoph, the "TWA" that requested the DC-1 from Douglas Aircraft was not yet "Trans World Airlines", but, at that time, was known as "Trans-Western Airlines", a mostly American West coast airline. At that time, they wanted to extend their routes to the East coast, but didn't possess an airliner with the capacity or range. This brought the DC-1 into the world. TWA liked what they saw, but made a few design change requests, which resulted in the DC-2. This eventually morphed into the DC-3, or "Skytrain", or "Dakota", as it was variously known. As you are no doubt aware, some are still flying to this day.

i saw one fly over my house two weeks ago for the D day memorials.Beautiful looks and sound.

A wonderfully presented documentary. You are doing a great job Bismarck. 👍🏻

15:30 Why is it called a Hamburger door?

I'm happy I found your channel. The content is excellent! Keep up the good work! 😎

23 minutes and you don't say anything about the autopilot in front of you that worked with vacuum pressure, a true work of art. Much of the operation and start-up of the engines, something really simple and of which there are thousands of videos on youtube that really show it but nothing from the technical part of the aircraft. Not everyone wants to be a pilot ... some of us want to see in more detail the systems of those beautiful classic aircraft

My pop's flew soldiers on leave to and from Germany, Spain Morocco, etc., in the early 50's in a C47 . While he was on leave he met my mom, who was an attendant for an airline on the DC3. From time to time she would dead head the DC3 she attended. They both loved the Goony Bird. So nice to see "props" given to such a workhorse.

Super episode about such an important (if not the sexiest) aircraft from WWII.

I flew the EC-47 in SEA….going from a T-38 to the 47, it could be a handful until you figured everything out, it was very reliable for reconnaissance purposes

Excellent vid bro, thank you.

Sgoimg to Dakotas over duxford, it's going to be awesome to see 30+ flying together ...

I work in Inverness airport and literally seen two of these today. I believe they must be on their way to join the others marking the anniversary of the invasion of Normandy.

Thank you very much for this great video!! One of my favorite planes ever!! Just beautiful.

I am looking forward to seeing of the Dakotas flying over Normandy!

Mukhtair Dogar a WW2 Burma front vetran of Pakistan Air force was flying a Dakota on a supply drop mission for the freedom fighters and after dropping the supplies was returning to base when he spotted 2 indian tempests and joined their formation thinking they were Pakistanis since the were also operated by Pakistan. The indian pilots ordered the Dakota to land at an india airfield but he refused and so the india tempests began their attack runs with 20mm cannon against a defenceless Dakotafatally wounding one pilot and knocking the navigator unconscious but still Dogar eluded the enemy fighters scraping almost the river's surface and he cried ' if you haven't got me so far you will never get me!' They seemed to agree and pushed off. Air Commodore Dogar was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat for his daring handling of the belligerant Indian Air Force Fighters on 04 November, 1948. His Sitara-e-Jurat is the first for Pakistan Air Force.

You are very welcome in The Netherlands for a meeting in our RNlAF Historical Flight at Gilze-Rijen or Vliegend Museum Seppe at Breda International Airport.

The only thing you left out is Flying the Hump to bring supplies into China. I do hope you will look into that. Those crews and their planes are a remarkable chapter in aviation history and don't get the credit & attention they deserve. That took some great flying.

Well done! I was on a c47 about a year ago at a local air show. Very cool and important plane.

My great grandfather was a radio operator in a C-47 in the pacific theater. Pretty neat he was a warrant Jr Officer.

My father was a navigator on a C-47 at Normandy and Arnhem. Dropping the parachutists and towing the gliders. He mentioned to me that the ground fire was horrific. Anyone with a gun was shooting upward. He also mentioned that at that time the Americans did not have self sealing gasoline tanks and should a bullet hit the gasoline tank that plane would have a real problem. Later in the war they were retrofitted with self-sealing gasoline tanks.

I love these videos, they're always interesting, and the thumbnails look pleasing, please keep it up

She's at the museum where I'm from in Elvington York, been on board many times with my daughter. She's a living icon and a dream to have to pay respects to all who served and flew in her

I got in too I was in red. We never came up and said hello cause you where filming and zack was a chicken

I remember blotter acid in the 1980s with a picture of a DC3 and the words "gooney bird" on them. Carried quite a load...

Great channel....the starting procedures for this episode are really amazing! You really do your homework; keep up the great work!

I first got to fly on one of them after leaving boot camp in San Antonio at Kelly Field. It was suppose to take us to Denver, Colorado to our technical school, but it had problems with one of the engines and we had to return to Kelly Field where we ended up flying on a larger aircraft to Denver. The next time I flew on one was while stationed in Thailand and we flew on one U-tapao air base to Chiang Mei on our R&R. I flew on another one on an R&R during my second tour to U-tapeo. It was a nice aircraft and the first one I saw which had a wing and elevators which was made with cloth on them.

There's only one thing that can replace a DC-3 and that's another DC-3.

Whatta Wonderful Plane....

Simply amazing Biz, Great job and keep up your awesome work! Thank You from North Carolina

There was an airline, I think it was New England Air, that flew DC-3's out of New Bedfrod Airport. I saw a few of these as late as 1972

The C-47 played VITAL roles in the Vietnam War. Not ONLY did it serve as a close air support gunship (AC-47), but also as an electronic warfare/intel gathering (EC-47). Both roles significantly enhanced military operations in South-East Asia.

Great book on the plane is surprise: The Plane That Changed the World: A Biography of the DC-3 by Douglas J. Ingells.

I watch a lot of KZfaq videos on a lot of subjects. I assume that the good creators will do well money wise by getting lots of views, likes, subscribes, etc. I’ve never chosen to use Patreon. It feels a little like panhandling to me. But damn it, I’m signing up for a Patreon donation for Bismarck. These are the best historical and museum tour videos on KZfaq. He goes on site for these types of reviews and has a videographer as well. I want more of these so I’m willing to help fund them.

It was a DC-3 operated by Allegheny Airlines that was the 2nd airplane flight I ever took, probably 1960 or so, flying with my Dad from Allegheny County Airport in Pittsburgh to Harrisburg, the state capital. My first flight, however, had been on TWA Lockheed Constellation, from Greater Pittsburgh Airport to NYC LaGuardia, so I wasn't real impressed with the DC-3 in comparison. Seemed a bit rustic and Spartan in design, but both flights were great experiences, and I was very fortunate to have the opportunity at a time when kids didn't get very many chances to fly. In those early days of flight, they would invite children to come up and visit the flight deck during the flight, and the crew would give a metal pin with a set of wings as a souvenir. I might still have it somewhere.

Never a truer word said “what a machine “ simply beautiful

Ah Dakota. I get all warm and fuzzy thinking about crawling into her belly, even more than a Chinook or a C130. When I served in the 70s, I remember one exercise flight where the Dakota and the pilot had the same birth year, 1945. The plane was older by a couple months. Any hit that doesn't kill her, doesn't count. That is good enough for a soldier.

This was truly awesome! Thank you!

The production numbers are a little tricky. It's true that nobody could get too many C47s. It's also true that the plane was designed for durability and not high performance - and it was not normally put in harms way. So the hours per plane were far higher than a combat plane. Pilots didn't count missions - they counted hours. Anyway, that meant a whole lot of those planes made were in service - after the war also. One reason there are lots of C47s today and fighters are rare.

it may not have had all the speed or all the guns or any of the flash and flair of the fighters and bombers but without planes like this the war would have been pretty much unwinnable. Good video thanks for sharing

Lovely video!

It may not be as "sexy" as a spitfire or P 51 or whatever but such an important plane. Very informative video as ever. P.S. I commend your commitment to keeping consistent clothing over what looks as though was multiple day filming (that, or the weather took a turn and it rained, which considering its Britain is as likely). PPS I AM EVER WATCHFUL FOR THE VIDEO YOU KNOW I DEMAND - even if you'll hate me for the ever pestering demand :3

Indeed she is still flying. If weather permits, they always have one parachute jump out of a C-47 during the Market Garden remembrance parachute jump. You will see C-130 flying on and off, and then suddenly a lonely C-47 appears.

Thank you! Great video, very informative. What a legend.....

Excellent.

This aircraft was produced by license in USSR, named LI-2. Great airplane.

It is always great to hear from our (next to Top) Favourite you tube presenter (sorry, David Fletcher still holds that Number One slot). Here is hoping all your exam studies - or whatever the recent mega brain work was for - have been going well. P.S. I hate you, my wife wants me to were burgundy trousers and a lavender shirt - like you .. See what you have started!!! ;o)

Really good stuff! My father in law supports a still flying dakota in Denmark. Gives tours some times too. Do you have a movie on the JU 52?

Such good content.

Good job. Nice vídeo. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🇧🇷

In the Spanish Civil War, some of the DC-3 aircraft from the postal service were quickly converted into bombers at the start of the war

Excellent video! Thanks!

9:21 He's a Wizzard you know!

19:20 "Wouldnt get any good reviews on Trip Advisor" Priceless.

Great vid! Love the C-47, such a classic. But why do you keep saying Arnhem instead of just Market Garden?

Once a gooney bird, always a gooney bird. Lee County (my fair home) contracts with a turboprop DC3 to spray for mosquitoes. It comes over at night at a few hundred feet. It flies a spray pattern so I see it go by several times. Still working after 7 decades.

The C47's that got converted into gunships in Vietnam, the AC47, were outfitted with multiple 7.62mm miniguns and .50 caliber machine guns. When all the guns fired on a single target the tracers would form near solid column of red light, which is where the name "Puff the Magic Dragon" came from.

6:22 Bismark gets artsy.