Douglas C-47 visit a dream come true

PLANE spotters had a rare treat at Waterford Airport at the weekend when a spectacular World War II Douglas C-47 paid a visit.

More than 63 years old and a veteran of the D-Day landings, the US aircraft aroused great interest following its arrival in Waterford, before heading on to Britain for the annual Remembrance Day services.

The C-47 was first delivered to the US Air Force on December 28, 1943, but transferred to the Royal Air Force in September, 1944.

The plane saw active service on D-Day and still has the marks to prove it — the fuselage bears many visible bullet and shrapnel marks.

The visit of the vintage fighter was a dream come true for young aviation enthusiast, Jake Burke from the Cork Road in Waterford along with Anna and Alex Power from Hillview in Waterford who got to see the aircraft and have their photographs taken with it.

This DC-47 was piloted by First Lt Orlando Bill Allin who got his wings in 1943. During World War II, Allin was stationed in Greenham Common, England. His duties included bringing the wounded back to England, and delivering cans of gas to France for General Patton’s tanks. The DC-47 was used to tow gliders into the air and was fitted with a large reel of cable for this purpose.

Allin named the plane after the job it performed: “Drag ‘em oot”. He also named an engine after his back-home girlfriend, Irene. The fully-restored DC-47 returned to Britain on Sunday to take part in WWII Remembrance Day with its owner, aviation enthusiast Patrick Green.