Service in Portugal

Recently in the Portuguese Air Force magazine "MAIS ALTO" (Dec-Jan.98 issue), an article by investigator M.C.Lopes states that three aircraft were interned:  D-1 (possibly using CS-EDA as call-sign) the only one used by the military,  and other two that became respectively CS-TDA and CS-TDB with the predecessor of TAP.

We are inclined on the other hand to believe that the Arma de Aeronáutica received and used two aircraft ( D-1 and D-2 )- using call-signs CS-EDA and CS-EDH (or CS-EDB and written mistakenly as CS-EDH).The destiny of D-2 is part of the mystery, because there are no more references to another Dakota besides D-1,  in military service after 1945. Did he became CS-TDA or TDB ?
The Portuguese Civil Aircraft Register shows  a CS-EDA having been registered as aircraft Nr.78 ,  canceled in February 2 1946. However to add to the mystery, the type of plane is not given but is mentioned as a "light aircraft" which we presume a Dakota is not !  CS-TDA and TDB were registered with Nrs. 79 and 80, that is immediately after  CS-EDA.
The aircraft registered with Nr.77 was a Caudron Simoun in February 14,1944, so the registration of CS-EDA must have occured before this date.

As a matter of curiosity,  CS-TDA (C/n 19393 and USAF s/n 42-100930) was canceled in September 18,1958 and according to the the Aircraft Civil Register of Moçambique, became CR-AGD with DETA, but reverted to Portuguese Air Force in 1971, together with another 4 aircraft of the same company !

Another remark must be done: the photos show the serial applied as D1 and not D-1 as stated in the log-books.

Anyway, the fact is that D1 was the only Dakota in service until 1958. She was used as a transport aircraft for higher ranks, and was assigned to the Comando Geral da Aeronáutica Militar (Army Aviation High Command) based at Sintra (B.A.1). In pilot log books  appears with the serial 250 for the first time in June 1946. Probably before that date  used the serial D250, which is again non-regular, but documented by one of the photos that goes with this text. Anyway the last record  of a flight of our first Dakota as  250 dates from September 1956.
Only in 1st October 1956, with the Portuguese Air Force existing already for 4 years she makes her first flight with the new serial : 6150..
Her base is then Lisbon, and finally in September 1958 was joined by 6151. From then on several more aircraft were received along the years, finishing with a group of 5 aircraft from DETA (the Moçambique airline) in 1971.The details of all aircraft when known are presented in the list below.

The Dakotas were used for all type of work, in Portugal and in Africa: transport of passengers and cargo, aerial photography, instruction, ambulance, search and rescue, etc. At least one (6155) was even used as a bomber in Guiné-Bissau during the sixties.
They served in many bases and units, and the following numbers give some idea of their use.

- In December 1971 there were 18 Dakotas operational
- In 1972 there were 4 Dakotas in Angola but only two available
- In 1973 10 Dakotas were based with the Air Force  in Moçambique but only 4 were available
- In Guinea-Bissau there were 2 available in 1971, and three in March 1974.

In  1976 there were only 4 Dakotas operational, two of them being used at A.B.1 (Portela) for aerial photography.6153 and 6171 were sold as N9984Q and N9983Q in July 1976, to be used in the film "A Bridge too far". One (6157) was preserved for the "Museu do Ar" (Air Museum).
So in 1976 finished a story with 32 years.

Some of units in which they served were:

- Esquadra 81 -Located in Lisbon Airport (AB1 or Airfield Base 1). Transport Duties
- E.I.C.P.A.C. - Esquadra de Instrução Complementar de Pilotagem de Aviões Pesados (Heavy Transport Training Squadron). Formed at B.A.2 Ota in 1960 with C-47's.
- E.L.T.S. - Esquadrilha de Ligação de Transporte Sanitário (Sanitary Transport Squadron). Also based at Lisbon , had C-47 6160 equipped for VIP and sanitary transport.
- Esquadra 101- Formed at B.A.10 - Beira (Moçambique) in February 5, 1962 with C-47's. Later transferred to Lourenço Marques as Esquadra 801.
 
 
 

 Aircraft List

Colour schemes and markings:

2 - The second scheme corresponds to the aircraft not being painted, with the serial 250 in the rear fuselage behind the Cross of Christ (Portuguese Roundel). The markings in the wings were like scheme 1.

3 - When the serial 6150 was applied, the scheme changed and was basically maintained until  the end of service: top of the aircraft together with vertical tail : white; underside of fuselage and wings: natural metal;
cheatline along mid-fuselage: dark blue. The termination of the cheatline on the nose varied, as can be seen from photos.Also the cheatline became thinner without any lines over and under it.
"MAIS ALTO" from Dec/Jan 98 states that the cheatline was yellow (like  the one in the DC-4 flying at the same time and also based at Lajes). From the close examination of the black and white photos available, as the one above,  we don't think so,  unless color photos prove the contrary.Also from the photo of 6151 above , the yellow color of the band is much lighter than the red in the Cross of Christ (and that yellow band was seen by one of us at Lajes in 1960...)
The roundel was applied to the rear fuselage on both sides, over the of port wing and under the starboard. The serial was applied under port wing and over starboard. On the fin was applied the Portuguese flag with serial over it on both sides.
On the aircraft based at Lajes during the early sixties for search and rescue, the usual yellow bands with black thin lines were applied around the rear fuselage and wingtips (see photo).
Sometimes the squadron insignia was applied under the cockpit on port side, as can be seen from the photo of 6161 above(Squadron 801). Later also the rudder and ailerons were painted in silver.
During the late sixties there was a variation to this scheme applied at least to 6160: the unpainted parts were covered with the flat blue gray paint also used in the Fiat G-91 and F-86F, which was very similar with FS 595a 16473 according to a sample obtained at OGMA on 1973.

4 - Finally , during 1973 a radically different scheme was tried, at least in Moçambique, to protect the planes used in combat zones from infra-red missile attacks: they were painted all over in flat dark green (radiation absorbent paint), with roundels 21 cm in diameter  in the rear fuselage, and national flag on the tail. It seems the serial was applied in black on the wings but there are not enough photos to clarify this detail. The photo shown below depicts this variation
 

 

During the war years in Africa other variations were seen , and one of the photos we have, shows one Dakota flying over Beira (Moçambique) in May 11, 1974, still with the dark blue tail and cheatline of DETA but already with the roundel in rear fuselage.
 

Bibliography

- DC-3 Production List - Airline Publications and Sales - John & Maureen Woods- 1982
- DC-3 Production  - London Amateur Aviation Society - 1968
- The DC-3 - Air Britain
- African Military Aviation - Winston A.Brent 1994 (details on Angola and Moçambique aircraft)
- Douglas Propliners DC-1 DC-7 - Arthur Pearcy - Airlife 1995 - A fantastic book on the Douglas airliners, with     the detail to be expected from A.Pearcy !
- Bordo de Ataque - José Krus Abecasis - Coimbra 1985 (good descriptions of the operational use of the Dakota in FAP)