C-47 Walkaround
Hi everyone!
I had the chance to spend some time near HAF's C-47, s/n KK156. This was one the last flying HAF C-47s, meticulously maintained, its last flight taken place sometime in 2005.
Since then, it resides in 114CW, Tanagra, my Base, slowly deteriorating in its original, with some "not that original" repairs being done, in order to make her "look" less derelict...
I have spend quite some time around this beauty, then, yesterday, upon a leisure visit to the Base, I thought: "why not doing a walkaround pic coverage?".
So here it is!
It is amazing how customized a C-47 can get, even at its outside! Just check the "improvised" drains at the bottom of the front fuselage.
Anyway, these pics are for you to admire this old lady, up, close and personal; they might even prove useful to potential C-47 builders, but please note that C-47s sported quite a few variations in external "details", let alone the fact that "custom improvisations" could be found...
If you want to build KK156 at its final years, just "copy" everything!
If in need for extra pics or any further info, please let me know.
Happy Modeling!
Thanks a lot for sharing those detailed pictures, Spiros @fiveten
Such a pity to see her loosing her coat (paint).
For the rest her condition seems to be not that bad.
Would be great to see her restored and get her up in the sky again.
KK156 was grounded well over a decade ago, for its scheduled overhaul inspection.
Sadly, cost was a decisive factor at those difficult times, with the overhaul was keeping postponed. Then, Greece entered its economic crisis, so KK156 was grounded for good...
Thanks for liking the pics, John @johnb!
Great photos, I agree, the craft seems to be in good shape. I love the rivet count.
Thanks Robert @roofrat!
The details one can see upon close examination of the C-47 are so many and so interesting!
Excellent subject for an extreme weathering project. I wonder how easy it would be to do peeling paint in 1/72. Great pics.
Thanks Aldo @aldog!
This extreme weathering is for the brave ones. I am not! (But I wish I will become!).
Replicating these paint flakes is something! (Let alone the rest of the weathering, paint fading, grim and staining etc...).
I am "lucky" enough to have access to some planes that show extreme weathering. As much as I hate seing planes decaying, I cannot hide my interest in the way their weathered condition looks. How about a HAF ex-Luftwaffe RF-4E, left abandoned for 30 years, with its top coat weather to the point that the Luftwaffe crosses and codes being VERY visible?
A good thing is that through this amazing site and equally amazing friends, motivation is building up, so, who knows?
Great walk around Spiros. That C-47 sure could use a little love. Shame to let it rot away but money is always the deciding factor, isn't it?
Yes, Eric @eb801, money is a decisive factor, but it would not be that costly to keep on flying that C-47, when it was still operational.
It could also perform secondary operational duties, aside from being a celebrity!
At mid 90's, of the 88 C-47s received by HAF, nearly a third of them were then rescued in various bases.This fleet was the most importantand perhaps the largest in all of Europe. it was typical that friends and fans of the genre from all over the world were besieging HAF with requests to repair it, while several related articles had appeared in foreign air magazines about this piece of Aviation History...
Thanks for liking the pics!
Hey Spiros! Thanks so much for
sharing!
I had a look at the ‘airframe dossier’ site and found this, photographed Nov 2014!
6 years deterioration is a lot!
What is the history of this beauty? You know I get interested when someone says ‘first’ or ‘last’!
C-47 KK 156 c/n 26740 former USAAF 43-49479 is the oldest HAF C-47. She was delivered to USAAF on 28/11/1944, then to the RAF and finally to the Royal Hellenic Air Force on 14/9/1949.
Nice pic of KK156! Reminding us of Better Days! Amazing how the dark green has faded into a brownish shade...
Thanks for liking the pics, Paul @yellow10!
Great walkaround, my friend, brought back a LOT of good memories from my time as a flight mechanic on Gooneys back in the early 80's. It's always sad to me to see these old airplanes rotting away, I can remember when many small cargo outfits here had at least one Gooney and some had quite a few more. At peak, my little company had four C-47s and four Beech 18's of various models, as well as a Stearman biplane for a company hack. It was an odd, but great, bunch of people that I worked with; would be nice to know what became of them.
Thanks my friend @jetmex!
It's really sad to see this beauty rotting away. I also knew some great mechanics that knew every trick to keep those beauties tiptop!
Glad that my walkaround brought those nice memories to you!
Great photos Spiros,
Looks like quite a few other aircraft parked waiting for whatever may befall them.
Thanks Walt @waltosoaring!
Looks like it...yes...
Nice one Spiros, thanks for posting.
Thanks Allan @kalamazoo!
I hope this baby get a roof over its head !
I love this plane. Interesting that as a pre-war design it had swept leading wing edges. It beat the pants off of any other transport of it’s time.
I hope too, Bernard @bernardbedeur.
Such a pity it's rotting away. It was flying in pristine condition a decade ago...