Average Mission C-47 Pilot

[kitplane01]

I'm curious what the average mission for a C-47 crew might be. I imagine it's *not* dropping paratroopers over Normandy.

I understand the C-47 had many many missions, being a workhorse. But was the average C-47 flying NY to Cinncinati, or London to Edinburg, or Cairo to Suez? I'm sure the answer is all-of-these but that's not helpful. What was the most common missions and theatres for the C-47? What was their day-to-day?

 

[BobB]

I'm curious what the average mission for a C-47 crew might be. I imagine it's *not* dropping paratroopers over Normandy.

I understand the C-47 had many many missions, being a workhorse. But was the average C-47 flying NY to Cinncinati, or London to Edinburg, or Cairo to Suez? I'm sure the answer is all-of-these but that's not helpful. What was the most common missions and theatres for the C-47? What was their day-to-day?

The people who could answer accurately are mostly dead. I knew a fellow who had been in the Kentucky National Guard pre-war so he wound up as a C-47 crew chief in New Guinea pretty early in the war. He said that they were flying so much that the pilots never got a rest so they started using crew chiefs in the co-pilot seat. That allowed them to give the pilots a day off once a week. New Guinea is a big island so air supply was vital.

 

[cvairwerks]

Cargo and people.....

 

[Snautzer01]

Laing telephone wire picking up other airplanes with engine trouble

 

[MikeMeech]

I'm curious what the average mission for a C-47 crew might be. I imagine it's *not* dropping paratroopers over Normandy.

I understand the C-47 had many many missions, being a workhorse. But was the average C-47 flying NY to Cinncinati, or London to Edinburg, or Cairo to Suez? I'm sure the answer is all-of-these but that's not helpful. What was the most common missions and theatres for the C-47? What was their day-to-day?

Hi
Some information to give an idea on tasks and hours flown by C-47 equipped 3rd Combat Cargo Group in CBI, from USAF microfilm records of WW2 docs below for December 1944:

Tactical Freight delivered by 3rd CCG from June 1944-March 1945:

Mike

 

[kitplane01]

OMG thanks awesome

 

[Big Jake]

One of the best aviation in general and transport pilot's memoirs in particular, read "Flying the Hump to China - The Early Days" by James Paul Segel.

 

[Big Jake]

Hi
Some information to give an idea on tasks and hours flown by C-47 equipped 3rd Combat Cargo Group in CBI, from USAF microfilm records of WW2 docs below for December 1944:
View attachment 713668
View attachment 713669
View attachment 713671
Tactical Freight delivered by 3rd CCG from June 1944-March 1945:
View attachment 713672

Mike

Amazing - 1000 hrs in 6 months means flying 5.5 hours every day!

 

[MikeMeech]

Amazing - 1000 hrs in 6 months means flying 5.5 hours every day!

Hi
My father reckoned he had about 500 or so hours flying time during about 6 months as an air despatcher, "Kicker", over 1944-1945. He did have two or so weeks off flying (due to minor injuries) after the C-47 he was in crashed on take-off when engaged in a Christmas food run in December 1944.

Mike

 

[BobB]

Amazing - 1000 hrs in 6 months means flying 5.5 hours every day!

I met an L-100 crew from Bolivian Air Transport who said that they liked flying in Angola because they flew 200 hours per month and pilots got paid $50/hr. I mentioned that to someone a few years later and he said "You know those guys are dead? They had a mid-air collision with a SAM." A Canadian crew said that they only flew their L-100 on Red Cross contracts in Angola and stayed in a Red Cross compound so your life was nothing but flying, working on the airplane and eating/sleeping in the compound. They hoped that the Red Cross painted on their airplane would protect them.

 

[MarkS]

See Ernest K. Gann's "Fate is the Hunter". There are no hard numbers, but there will never be a better description of a transport pilot's WWII experience.

 

[33k in the air]

Not strictly about C-47 pilots. but the following videos on the WW2TV channel on YouTube might shed some light on the subject of transport/airborne transport:

USAAF Troop Carrier Operations in The Mediterranean Theater of Operations
The Airspeed Horsa