Chris Walby Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 Fancy seeing +38 DC3, C53 and C47's in one place at one time? Duxford and Caen will be hosting possibly the last gathering of so many of these aircraft at one time. **LINK** Just thought you might like to know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will -0 Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 BTW, there is an airspace restriction in place on Wednesday 5th which could affect you for a short period of time while the gaggle flies to normandy and back **LINK** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 How about THAT!!! They should pass just over my house or a fraction south. I will have my long lenses out and ready!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis Watkins Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 The DC 3 has an active transponder So you can track them on your chosen device Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 I'm on me holidays, and have had the careful job of guiding the trip, so that we just so happen to be in Caen next week. A skilled job as my beloved is navigator and organiser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Walby Posted May 31, 2019 Author Share Posted May 31, 2019 Will -0 the link does not work for me....and I don't think they are coming back for a few days... Denis - which one of the DC3's/C47's has the transponder...or do all 35 have one each? Can't miss this many Daks in one place, Edited By Chris Walby on 31/05/2019 08:49:09 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Walby Posted May 31, 2019 Author Share Posted May 31, 2019 Not sure how you find the route, but air space notifications look like this. For the 5th so is this the route they will fly out to Caens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funflyerColin Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 Hello all hopefully i will be going on the 4th all being well will be impressive to see, hope to take many photos.this is the route from the official site i believe, **LINK** Hopefully will encourage me to get my Dak flying Edited By funflyerColin on 31/05/2019 21:36:51 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will -0 Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 It's a phenomenal event, 22 dakotas on site today, 8 in the circuit at one point Edited By will -0 on 02/06/2019 21:28:38 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daithi O Buitigh Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 I just found out (after browsing a war time copy of Air Trails) that the venerable C 47 was only a 'Dakota' in the RAF - in the Yank service it was a 'Skytrain'. The C 53 was a RAF 'Dakota 2' while being a 'Skytrooper' with the Yanks. Nothing like sowing a bit of confusion now and again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 I had a flight in a DC-3 round Blackpool Tower in early 1956. Another little snippet. The Vickers Valetta was the DC-3 replacement for the RAF. We had a Valetta squadron in Aden. I 1961 I was involved in chopping up a Valetta for scrap in Adenin 61. IT was replaced with....yes... Youve guessed it...a Dakota I was talking to an old Aden mate on Friday. He siad that the local airlines used them a lot in those days and he had many flights round the area in them, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Thorpe Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 From a few years ago but Aer Lingus had them back in the day and had one painted up, think it lives in Germany was originally South Africa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 I got my ticket last night so dont anyone bother calling Laser on wednesday as im taking the day off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 Well I saw 16 of the Daks pass south of me at 4.30pm. Four hours late I have a feeling that they were a but more punctual on D-Day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 Posted by Peter Miller on 05/06/2019 18:33:07: Well I saw 16 of the Daks pass south of me at 4.30pm. Four hours late I have a feeling that they were a but more punctual on D-Day Actually a day late due to the weather! and I suspect that was the reason today, probably too windy over the drop zone for the parachutists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 Posted by will -0 on 02/06/2019 21:27:04: It's a phenomenal event, 22 dakotas on site today, 8 in the circuit at one point Edited By will -0 on 02/06/2019 21:28:38 Seeing these photos reminds me of when I was lucky enough to have a friend who flew Dakotas for Air Atlantique back in the early 80s and blagged a few flights...and the odd little stir of the controls. However, I don't recall the cockpit looking anything like this! Is it a Catalina perhaps? The Dak felt like a living thing from my vantage point behind the pilots' seats with the hydraulic accumulators huffing and hissing with every movement during taxying and seeing her sitting cheekily tail down amongst the modern tricycle u/c airliners and freighters at Glasgow and Luton Airports made me feel extra privileged as I walked away from her. Edited By Martin Harris on 05/06/2019 19:27:09 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 Stupid calls. I carefully arranged holidays in Normandy this year. My beloved does crafts, so I "arranged" a halfway stop between my ( undeclared) interests, and the Bayaux tapestry. How clever was that. So we pulled the caravan into the chosen site. "En plain", full. "You must go at least an hour and a half west or south". I was basically thrown off Normandy. Total fail. I could not believe how big this in here. There were convoys of Dutch registered 2 WW American army stuff coming down the motorway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 i went to duxford today and was quite disappointed. Yes there were 23 daks, but the most that flew together in formation was 5. When it came for the big departure they took off one at at time 15-20 seconds apart. 10 of them turned around and flew past, in single file, one at a time. The remaining aircraft took off..one at a time, and just flew off. They seemed to ditch the mass formation and combined with the one by one take off's it just felt like a missed opportunity as i have seen them take off a 3 ship of daks in formation at a past event. A bit of a shame i must say. All that said, i am pleased i attended as this event is about the 7000+ who did not survive D-Day and the countless others who were lost during the continued effort to liberate Europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 I also went to Duxford today. Sad that it took 2 hrs to get the last 2 miles to the car park. I guess I underestimated how many people would attend a mid-week event at Duxford and this event in particular! I agree with you Jon about the massed formation but all became clear when I consulted by rain app and found that there was a front with heavy rain traversing the whole of NW France. It would have been helpful for the commentator to say so! I suspect that given the 2 hr delay in the take off, there was no time to waste in building up the formation prior to flying across Duxford. As you say, a bit of a shame, but quite understandable in the circumstances. I overheard a conversation with one of the parachutists (who I have to say looked pretty large to be a jumper!) and he said the flight time was 2 hrs to the DZ. That would mean they would be jumping at around 7 pm BST! I did get some nice shots of Spitfires - one of the best formation aerobatic shows with a pair of close formation Spits: Mustangs the P47, beautifully displayed by Paul Bonhomme and a Martlett, as flown by Winkle Brown when he was flying fighters off a flat top for the Fleet Air Arm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Myself and Mrs C8 waited at Abberton Reservoir Visitor Centre along with hundreds of others. Quite an anti- climax after the wait and anticipation. The formation, if you could call it that, was much further north than we expected, and quite high as well. Combine that with a very loose grouping in no particular order and it left those gathered about a bit disappointed. Oh well, it was a nice day and the cream teas in the visitor centre were good. Had some friends in Southend who felt the same - heard on the news that the town and pier were gridlocked. Edited By Cuban8 on 06/06/2019 06:15:51 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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