Dakota at Singapore Poly 1970s

John Smith: I don’t quite understand. If you look at post # 1, I started this thread based on my correspondence with Singapore Polytechnic.

Laurence

Dakota at Singapore Poly 1970s

lauriebe

Thank you! It seems was approximately correct with what I knew in regard to 43-48886. Thanks to your reply, it seems certain that the Dakota as Singapore Poly c.1978 was NOT 43-48886. The colour scheme (natural metal undersides, white topsides) was something of a giveaway!

Which is progress, of a sort. We now are fairly certain which airframe it wasn’t. Any speculation as to which airframe it was?

My speculation would now shift to an ex-civilianised DC-3/C-47. Malaysia Airlines (the forerunner to today’s Singapore Airlines) used a large number of them in the 1950s and 1960s…perhaps it was one of those

Only useful thing I can add is: perhaps we should ask the Poly! Singapore Poly still exists, and still has a school of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering. Their website is at http://www.sp.edu.sg/wps/portal/vp-spws/schmae.home

Perhaps showing them the OP’s photo will ring some bells – even identify some of the Poly’s “old boys”?

Re the C-47 on Sentosa. I saw it there in 1987, together with the Meteor, Hunter and Sea Vixen. It carried the marks WB and 886 on the fin, although they were difficult to decipher. When the people from Queensland came in 1989 they removed the other 3, but the C-47 had been scrapped, exactly when I am not sure. The photos of the C-47 at the Poly were in about 1978 or 1979.

Laurence

Almost certainly two different airframes. There are external differences in the photos of the two aircraft.

A little info from the ABIX site which I hope they won’t mind me sharing here.

EC-47P, 43-48886, arrived at Paya Lebar Airport, Singapore, on 29 Apr 75 carrying refugees. It was impounded on arrival and handed over to the US authorities but later sold to the Singapore AF. Seems that although it might have been evaluated by the RSAF for possible use, that was not the case and the aircraft was left parked up. It, and several other ex-SAFTECH airframes, were moved to the Sentosa display site in November 79. It was scrapped in 1987.

Laurence, Penang is still a nice place to live.

Dakota at Singapore Poly 1970s

Aha! A little more at http://www.qam.com.au/recoveries/C-47.htm

Quote:”This is the C-47 which was scrapped on Sentosa Island. Its identity has been a mystery for some time but it is now believed to be C-47B 43-48886 c/n 26147. This aircraft was later converted to C-47D and EC-47P (note the elongated nose). It was operated in SE Asia by the USAF and was subsequently issued to the South Vietnamese Air Force who operated it with the code “WB” until 1975 when it was returned to the USAF who presumably issued it to Singapore.

When inspected on Sentosa it was showing traces of the serial 886 and the code WB. The aircraft is also reported to have been carrying the number “707”. By the time the QAM recovery crew arrived on Sentosa the C-47 had been reduced to scrap although QAM were successful in saving both props which will be used in the restoration of a Lockheed Ventura.”

None of which explains how the aircraft in the OP’s photo is not in the standard USAF early-1970s “south east asia” camo scheme, whereas 43-48886 definitely is!

So we could still be talking about more than one C-47…

ETA: C-47 43-48886 was broken up at Sentosa Island sometime (but not long after) after May 1987, according to this thread: http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=88755

Dakota at Singapore Poly 1970s

43-48886 (c/n 26147) converted to EC-47P. May have been seen in Singapore in 1987 having come from Vietnam. Broken up in 1989.

There’s a picture of this DC-3/C-47 at Sentosa Island, Singapore dated 22 August 1986 at http://abpic.co.uk/photo/1276385 However, the caption disagrees slightly with you

“Scanned from slide. Not easy to get a clear shot of this Dak and now unfortunately not possible as it was scrapped on site in 1987. Ex 43-48886 and became 348886 of Vietnamese AF.”

No info stated as to when this Dak arrived in Singapore, so any connection to the one at Singapore Poly is purely circumstantial. Unless it was resprayed in camouflage sometime in the early 80s…

ETA: 43-48886 Was at TSN with 360th TEWS, USAF at least from Sept. 1970 to Sept. 1971 Was Transferred to SVNAF in late 1971/early 1972. To 718th TEWS SVNAF EC-47 Squadron. Perhaps it made its way to Singapore in early 1975 with the fall of South Vietnam? That would give an appropriate date “Window”…arrived Singapore c.1974-75, scrapped 1987-89

However it may have been an ex-Singapore Air Force SAFTECH airframe, as parked nearby were Gloster Meteor WA880 (ex-SAFTECH-2) and Hawker Hunter F.4 XF311 (ex-SAFTECH-11)

Thanks for trying. I tried everywhere I could think of. Baugher’s site might help but you need to know at least the serial year block.

Laurence

The only two C-47 at Baugher’s site connected with Singapore

43-16326 (c/n 20792) to Lalasia Singapore Airways Mar 1947 as VR-SCB.
Bought by Jamair as VT-CQL Dec 1947. Aug 1953 to Indian AF as BJ973
43-48886 (c/n 26147) converted to EC-47P. May have been seen in Singapore in 1987 having come from Vietnam. Broken up in 1989.

🙁

From the fact that it still has the blower housings on top of the nacelles, and the colour scheme, I’d guess that it had come direct from military use.

Just a guess mind you, I’m no DC-3 expert.

DD

Thanks lauriebe. Let’s see if anyone on the thread has any information. You never know with this site!
PS: Is Penang still as nice a place as it was in the 1980s/90s?

Laurence

Laurence, the Air-Britain Information Exchange (AB-IX) is a members only site within Yahoo groups. If you are a member of Air-Britain you can ask to join the group so a link posted here would not get you to the photo unfortunately.

The other photo, as I mentioned, taken in 1978, shows the same view of the aircraft but in a different position from that in the photos above. There are no buildings behind it, only bushes/trees.

Interesting lauriebe. This one was also by an ex-student. There was also one of a class group in front of an SIA 727. As they were in service 1978-1985 it would put the date at the end of the 1970s. Do you have a link to that Air-Britain page?

Laurence

I have seen another photo of this aircraft on the Air-Britain Information Exchange site. It was taken by an ex-student at the Poly in 1978. That student has also been trying to identify the aircraft, so far without success.

Thanks for trying. I tried everywhere I could think of. Baugher’s site might help but you need to know at least the serial year block.

Laurence

First unsuccessful effort :confused:
Singapore isn’t even mentioned here
http://www.dc3history.org/locateadc3bynumber.html