austernj673
November 6, 2015 at 7:52 pm

How many crew on an RAF Dakota?

I can’t seem to find the answer and would be very grateful please if anyone could let me know the standard crew numbers/ positions for a wartime RAF C47 Dakota. Was it 2 pilots, Wireless operator and Navigator or 2 pilots and a wireless operator? Thanks

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By: austernj673 - 6th November 2015 at 21:17

Thanks all, it does seem odd that the crewing seems to flip between 3 and 4. Looks like the poor old Nav is just ballast.

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By: D1566 - 6th November 2015 at 20:51

Depends on the operation; some would have carried at least two dispatchers in addition to the flight deck crew.

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By: Alan Clark - 6th November 2015 at 20:48

I don’t have many ORB entries concerning RAF Dakota operations, the ones I have from No.24 Sqn (which may or may not be representative given the nature of the squadron) most entries have four crew with a couple being three. So a four man crew would be Pilot, 2nd Pilot, Navigator, Wireless Operator and the three man crews I would take to be P / P2 / WO.