Scale plastic model of the AC-47 Spooky aircraft

The photos show a plastic model of the American AC-47 Spooky air support aircraft from the Vietnam War period. The airplane's second nickname was "Puff, the Magic Dragon", taken from the title of a song recorded in 1962. The model was assembled in a 1:72 scale.

The AC-47 was a rebuilt Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft, also known as the Dakota and the DC-3 in the civilian version.

The plane had three M134 Minigun machine guns on board, positioned on the left side and firing perpendicular to the direction of flight. The sight was placed in the left window of the pilot, who was also the gunner. Each rifle could fire up to 6,000 rounds per minute. In this way, the plane could cover a large area with dense fire, supporting ground troops and could do so for a longer time. Such planes were called gunships, and the AC-47 Spooky was the first machine of this type.

The plane made its first combat flight in 1964 and proved its usefulness. In 1969, the AC-47 aircraft were replaced by the more modern Lockheed AC-130 airplanes, an armed version of the C-130 Hercules.

Some technical data:

• Propulsion: 2 air-cooled 14-cylinder radial piston engines, each with a power of 890 kW (1,200 HP),
• Length: 19.60 m (64.3 ft),
• Wingspan: 28.90 m (94.8 ft),
• Height: 5.20 m (17.1 ft),
• Empty weight: 8,200 kg (18,078 lb),
• Take-off weight: 14,900 kg (32,849 lb),
• Max speed: 375 km/h, (233 mph)
• Ceiling: 7,450 m (24,442 ft),
• Range: 3,500 km (2175 mi).

Sources:

• https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_AC-47_Spooky
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_AC-47_Spooky
• https://www.smartage.pl/douglas-ac-47-spooky-pierwszy-gunship/

10 Mar. 2024