The Cayman Islands Air Show is proud to present the Douglas C-47.
One of the most prolific aircraft designs of the 20th Century the Douglas C-47, ‘Tico Belle’, was a direct militarized variant of the Douglas DC-3 airliner. First flying on December 23rd, 1941, a mere sixteen days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The C-47 utilized several modifications over the pioneering civilian DC-3 including a strengthened floor, a larger cargo door, hoist, and astrodome above the cockpit for celestial navigation. When production ceased a total of 10,174 C-47s had been produced with the majority seeing extensive service with all allied nations throughout WWII. Serving as the backbone for air transport in most theaters and a pivotal piece of the allied invasion of mainland Europe the C-47 remains one of the most iconic military transports in history.