My father navigated one of these planes in Viet Nam, so I was thrilled to find one to waymark.
The plane is marked with a cartoon and the words General Delivery. Below the cockpit are the names of pilots: Lt. Jim Gorman and Lt. Frank Moynahan.
From Wikipedia (
visit link) :
"The Douglas AC-47 Spooky (also nicknamed "Puff the Magic Dragon") was the first in a series of gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. It was felt that more firepower than could be provided by light and medium attack aircraft was needed in some situations when ground forces called for close air support.
General characteristics
* Crew: 8: pilot, copilot, navigator, flight engineer, loadmaster, 2 gunners and a South Vietnamese observer
* Length: 64 ft 5 in (19.6 m)
* Wingspan: 95 ft 0 in (28.9 m)
* Height: 16 ft 11 in (5.2 m)
* Wing area: 987 ft² (91.7 m²)
* Empty weight: 18,080 lb (8,200 kg)
* Loaded weight: 33,000 lb (14,900 kg)
* Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engines, 1,200 hp (895 kW) each
Performance
* Maximum speed: 200 knots (230 mph, 375 km/h)
* Cruise speed: 150 knots (175 mph, 280 km/h)
* Range: 1,890 nm (2,175 mi, 3,500 km)
* Service ceiling 24,450 ft (7,450 m)
* Rate of climb: ft/min (m/s)
* Wing loading: 33.4 lb/ft² (162.5 kg/m²)
* Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (240 W/kg)
Armament
* Guns:
o 3× 7.62 mm (0.30 in) General Electric GAU-2/M134 miniguns, 2,000 rounds/gun or
o 10× .30 in Browning AN/M2 machine guns
* 48× Mk 24 flares"