After 75 years of service, age is finally catching up with the Douglas DC-3 and its military variants, the C-47 and Dakota. Murray E Kirkus looks at what lies ahead for these former workhorses.
From luxury passenger liner in its heyday to wartime troop transport, aerial fire fighter, agricultural topdressing and freighter, the Douglas DC-3, C-47 or Dakota has done it all, and done it remarkably well. Having celebrated its 75th birthday last December, age, however, is finally catching up with these former workhorses of the sky as ever escalating maintenance and operating costs are limiting the DC-3’s ability to earn its keep.
With more than 10,000 built, some sources put the number still flying worldwide at just a few hundred, while in America the figure is less than 100. Even in third world regions, where more modern alternatives have customarily been beyond the economic reach of operators, the Douglas DC-3 is no longer considered a viable option.
One graphic example is the Philippines, where for decades the Dakota dominated the airfreight industry of this densely populated 1800km archipelago. Day and night, often in atrocious weather conditions, C-47s and Dakotas hauled everything conceivable to outlaying islands, returning to Manila with cargoes of fresh produce and seafood for metropolitan and overseas markets.
And, of course there was a period when they were the mainstay of that country’s passenger lines, such as Philippines Airlines and Mabuhay Airways. But alas, there now appears no place for the DC-3 even in this cash-strapped country where financing modern, expensive aircraft, is a challenging, if not impossible, task, and the Douglas Dakota’s productive life there is now drawing to a close.
Dak graveyard
Although the sights and sounds of airworthy Dakotas have almost disappeared from these Asian skies, the evidence of their former worth is apparent, with the dismembered carcasses of the last half-a-dozen examples lying scattered around Manila’s Ninoy Aquino Airport. All are unlikely ever to fly again, but at least two will assume new roles, one sunk to create a dive site and the other converted to beachside accommodation.
The fate of the others, however, hangs in the balance as their present resting site is soon to be cleared for a new hangar, and unless alternative storage or buyers can be found, they will most likely be broken up for scrap.
Of course, no country which has operated Dakotas has escaped without the grand old lady’s involvement in incidents and accidents - some hair-raising, others distressing - and the Philippines has experienced its share of these.
Wartime catastrophes are too numerous to recount here, while mystery still surrounds the loss of some civilian post-war craft - such as one with its cargo of fresh tuna fish which disappeared without a trace. Departing Davao, on the island of Mindanao, at 03:45 bound for the capital Manila, the aircraft failed to arrive and despite extensive searching no trace of the aircraft was ever found.
Mystery crash
Speculation surrounds a more recent crash - that of Victoria Air’s Dakota RP-C550 in October 2009. (They were at one time the country’s largest operator of DC 3 freighters.) Losing power on one engine shortly after take-off from Manila, the aircraft crashed into a warehouse at Las Pinas while attempting to return to the airport. The crew of four, two pilots and two engineers, were incinerated when drums of fuel in the cabin exploded on impact.
While officially the aircraft was recorded as being on a test flight following maintenance, rumours circulated it was bound for the island of Palawan where it was to uplift prohibited immigrants; while another source claimed it had been sold to Indonesian interests and was on an illegal delivery flight. The truth has yet to be confirmed.
The loss of other Philippine-registered Dakotas can be more easily explained. One inexperienced first officer allowed the aircraft’s take off swing to get the better of him. Both pilot and fully laden aircraft ended their flying careers simultaneously when the Dakota came to a halt in scrub beside the runway minus an undercarriage and one engine. Another pilot taxiing an empty aircraft damaged it beyond economical repair when over-use of brakes put the aircraft on its nose. Accidents such as these have undoubtedly hastened some machines’ end; as has the airframe corrosion prevalent in the region’s salt-laden climate.
Today just one airworthy example of Donald Douglas’ finest creation remains airworthy in the Philippines. Having outlived their economic capabilities, these grand old ladies will soon vanish from the Philippine skies for eternity.
A Victoria Air DC-3 minus a wing and engine is likely to be broken up and the airframe melted down. (Murray E Kirkus)
