NEW STUNNING RARE SEAC LIVERY ZA947 C-47 DAKOTA BATTLE OF BRITAIN MEMORIAL FLIGHT • RAF CONINGSBY

Описание: There are not many SEAC (South East Asia Command) liveries about, and recently the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight welcomed back its C-47 Dakota with this exciting new livery a few months ago.

The BBMF Dakota, serial ZA947 was constructed in 1942 as a C-47A by Douglas at Long Beach, California, USA. It was delivered to the USAAF on 7th September 1942. Then just a few days later, on the 16th September, she was transferred under the Lend-Lease agreement to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and re-designated as a Dakota III. She was allocated the RCAF serial number ‘661’. During the Second World War Dakota ‘661’ served entirely in Canada. She spent many years after WW2 in Europe with the RCAF and operated in support of the Canadian forces from 1965 until 1969 when the aircraft was declared surplus to requirements.

For the next 23 years the Dakota was operated by the British Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE). Initially, it was given the RAF designation KG661, but in the late 1970s it was realized that the serial number KG661 had, in fact, previously been allocated to another Dakota which had been destroyed in an accident. The error was reported and in July 1979 the Dakota was allocated the ‘modern’ serial ZA947, which explains why this serial does not match the age or era of the aircraft. When the Defence Research Agency – the successor to the RAE – declared ZA947 surplus to their requirements and offered it up for disposal in 1992, the aircraft was adopted by RAF Strike Command to be issued to the BBMF. She was then issued to the BBMF in March 1993.

Since October 2022, she has been at Duxford for major maintenance at Duxford with The Aircraft Restoration Company and finally returned in August 2025 with a rare livery adopting the South East Asia Command and of 31 Squadron. Take note of the RAF markings and roundel.

REFERENCE:
ZA947 75th Birthday
https://www.memorialflightclub.com/bl...

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