Warbird Information Exchange

The museum I belong to is acquiring a C-47 that was manufactured in 1943. I am trying to find out info on it, but I can only find info from when it was used by the state of Florida for Mosquito spraying.

The aircraft is N836M with serial number 43-48716. I have a picture of a dataplate which says it was a VC-47D, which would mean it was a VIP aircraft, but the plate is not original and was etched by hand. I have not been in the plane yet to see if I can find anything inside. So really, I’m just curious if this plane made the Normandy flight or not. Is there any public database of planes that flew or would we have to contact the air force museum to try and find this info?

Any help would be great! Thanks, Tyler

_________________
Tyler Pinkerton
Active Member of Air Heritage Inc. of Beaver Falls, PA.
Aircraft: C47B, C-123K, Fairchild F-24, Funk Model B, L-21B, T-28B, T-34B
Static: F-4C Phantom II, F-15A, T-3 Provost

Your bird 43-48716 started life as a C-47-B...that block according to Baugher appears to show the overwhelming number of planes going to military billets after Normandy. You've got some work to do to determine where she went just after she rolled off the line. One site indicates she was in British service during her operational life. Many planes in that block served with Commonwealth air forces.

ABCDList showsC-47B-5-DK, l/n 25977 (originally allocated 14532) became 0-48716 then N836M

_________________
Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

C-47B-5-DK c/n 14532/25977 43-48716 D Sep44 - no card - xx USAF VC-47D (Sep 54) - "0-48716" US Attaché Belgrade (Aug 66 to Aug 68) - AFHQ "49" (Sep 69) - N836M Lee County Mosquito Control, Ft Myers, FL R 28 Jul 75.

Reference to RAF use: http://www.ukserials.com/prodlists.php?type=366
So not D-day but possibly Market Garden.

"a low mileage, two owner beauty.....' pretty rare for a C-47/DC-3

_________________
Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

No kidding... sounds kinda like the CAF Harvard/T-6 with the Houston Wing (RCAF 3048, N9790Z); warbird registry shows RCAF operated 1941-1960, then Lloyd Nolan/CAF 1963-present. A 70 year old ship with only two owners, and 50 with the CAF(!)... but low miles though, not really. Looking through the logs last week showed roughly 10,500 hrs on it, but she flies great!

'and only driven 2300 miles by a little old granny on Sundays, I believe she ran in C/Gas or Street Eliminator'

_________________
Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Maybe old news here, but I learned recently that the 0-prefix on a tail number--usually seen on WW2 planes being used in the USAF means "over ten years old"...

From what I was reading last night, it has to do with how many digits are in the serial.

The first two digits represent the year, so 43 would be the year it was made. Since 48716 is the remaining part after the dash, no zero would be added. My understanding is that the zero is only added to numbers which were less than four digits long, because the number displayed on the tail was to be five digits

A serial of:
43-10 would be 30010 on the tail
43-100 would be 30100 on the tail
43-1000 would be 31000 on the tail

The lifetime of the planes were thought to be no more than ten years, so they only used the single year digit, at least for a period of time. However, I'm sure there is someone who can elaborate more since I believe what I said above might not be 100% correct.

So for our c-47, it appears that it might have service with the British before being converted into a VC-47 by the US.

BTW, this plane has only 12,500hrs on it and low time engines as well. We will be the 4th/5th operator of it, though only really the 3rd/4th.

RAF USAF, Florida state, vietnam Huey pilots association (they just got the plane in November and we will be buying it from them), Air Heritage

Just curious, but is all this info coming from? Every time I searched with the serial, I couldn't find squat.

_________________
Tyler Pinkerton
Active Member of Air Heritage Inc. of Beaver Falls, PA.
Aircraft: C47B, C-123K, Fairchild F-24, Funk Model B, L-21B, T-28B, T-34B
Static: F-4C Phantom II, F-15A, T-3 Provost

Essentially correct, except that it was the letter "O" not zero and indicated "obsolete". Which, considering they were still giving useful service, is a bit of an oxymoron. Obsolescent perhaps.

Talking about the O prefix which precedes the dash.

Take a look here www.oldwings.nl

_________________
Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Hello
First two digits are the year.... of the contract.
If you got the aircraft card for 43-48716 I am sure that you will see she was built and delivered in 1944

_________________
Patrick Elie - Webmaster
http://www.6juin1944.com
http://www.the-snafu-special.com
https://www.facebook.com/snafuspecial

...it was the letter "O" not zero and indicated "obsolete".

Thanks WallyB...a subtle little variation that speaks volumes. Perhaps this is why flightsimer couldn't find data because he used a zero instead of the letter....but then in this case I would suggest searching both the correct form as well as the mistake since computerized input--right or wrong--will absolutely differentiate between the two and only give you one or the other when asked. A rule I use when searching for variant names like Harold or Lloyd....which can be written several different ways...search the "error" as thoroughly as the "factual".

As the Inspector pointed out, there is a dispute over the O/0 prefix. I'm in the "O" camp, but I don't remember why just that I read/was told that years ago pre-internet. Quite willing to switch teams if someone has a definitive USAAF directive etc.

I'm pretty sure most, if not all, documents on the internet are using the zero.

Yes, and they are right. It is a zero, and not the letter "O".
It's all explained in detail here (including copies of original USAF documents):
http://www.oldwings.nl/content/o0/not_oh.htm