Aer Lingus DC-3's

BeardySi

Does anyone here have a pic (or more likely a link to a pic) of an Aer Lingus DC-3 from during WW2?

I could swear I saw a pic of one during the War in camo wearing Aer Lingus markings, but I can't find any reference to it anywhere...

The closest I can find is here:
http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac5/ROW%20Europe/EI-ACK.html
Which is (apparently) the "immediate post WW2 livery" - this implies that the wartime livery was different, but as yet I've drawn a blank to it...

Can anyone shed a little light?

L1011

From memory they only had the one DC-3 during the war which they managed to write off shortly after the war (http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19460618-1) so any photos you find of EI-ACA are basically wartime. None I've found are camo but that doesn't mean it wasn't, obviously

Most of their DC-3s other than -ACA were adapted from Dakotas, I think?

Ardennes1944

Such a fine looking airplane.

BeardySi

Ooh, got one of ACA here http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%200738.html

Not a lot to go on, but she looks like she might be camouflaged....

Tenger

Treadhead wrote: »

Does anyone here have a pic (or more likely a link to a pic) of an Aer Lingus DC-3 from during WW2?

I could swear I saw a pic of one during the War in camo wearing Aer Lingus markings, but I can't find any reference to it anywhere...

I have definitely seen that during WWII EI had camo on their aircraft. A mate had an old EI promotional pic of all their aircraft types and 1 image was a DC-3 in camo. Not sure where to find a pic of it though.

Madpaddy79

Treadhead wrote: »

Does anyone here have a pic (or more likely a link to a pic) of an Aer Lingus DC-3 from during WW2?

I could swear I saw a pic of one during the War in camo wearing Aer Lingus markings, but I can't find any reference to it anywhere...

The closest I can find is here:
http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac5/ROW%20Europe/EI-ACK.html
Which is (apparently) the "immediate post WW2 livery" - this implies that the wartime livery was different, but as yet I've drawn a blank to it...

Can anyone shed a little light?

Would you believe I have a photo of one. About 22 years ago, being the good kid i was, I was helping clean out a room at my school in swords, and came across several photos ( stamped by Aer Lingus on the back, with a negative number ) one of which is EI-ACA in full camo colours. It had Aer Lingus titles on the nose and Irish airlines written over the door.

cyrusdvirus

Madpaddy79 wrote: »

Would you believe I have a photo of one. About 22 years ago, being the good kid i was, I was helping clean out a room at my school in swords, and came across several photos ( stamped by Aer Lingus on the back, with a negative number ) one of which is EI-ACA in full camo colours. It had Aer Lingus titles on the nose and Irish airlines written over the door.

Any chance you could scan it in and post it here?

BeardySi

aye, please do if you can.

seven_eleven

Not a photo of the actual aircraft, but this was posted in the photo thread last year. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=74793150

St Albert. Might be of some interest to you

Simon Gruber Says

I have the History of Aer Lingus poster they released around 1999 or 2000 up in my room and while the actual picture of the DC3 on it has the normal livery they had at the time, on the right hand column the drawing of the DC3 shows it in brown and green camo and mentions it in the text.

Tenger

That's the poster I saw a while back, a mate has the same one. His dad used to work for EI and had it.

BeardySi

Orange eh? Many thanks! That's enough to get started I suppose...

If anyone's interested, I'm working on doing this and the other Aer Lingus DC-3 liveries for FSX...

Simon Gruber Says

Here's a link to a model Electra done in EI camo. As for the orange..

"The orange bottom is a best guess; although, there is photographic evidence that at least one Electra had an orange bottom right before the camoflage went on. The orange was painted on neutral country aircraft at that time I have been told."


http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=234918013

micknotmike

Hallo....I'm very interested in EI-ACA and in the 2 Lockheed 14s briefly with Aer Lingus 1939/1940.....did Madpaddy79 post the photo somewhere or share it via private email?

BeardySi

No to both I'm afraid, best I can do for you is a screenshot of my FSX paint!

micknotmike

Pics of EI-ACA in camouflage in: Google Cultural Institute searchwords 'Eire Vandivert'

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/eire/1wEGMWCsXA4-kQ

Newsreel of EI-ACA in neutrality orange as delivered from the Fokker agency in Pathe Youtube searchword 'Irish Trade Mission'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxK22YAqw1c

micknotmike

(Above is a still from the 'Irish Trade Mission' newsreel, EI-ACA in allover orange as delivered from Holland


(Blemishes removed with photoshop...Camouflage must have been applied in May 1940, undersides left orange)

...shots in this collection also of Collinstown terminal construction and Irish Air Corps types


landing  KgG4BfGdp8hOtA

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/eire/KgG4BfGdp8hOtA

side view  OQGfQF5rj83DCA
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/eire/OQGfQF5rj83DCA

3/4 rear  aQGEyeFzy41Ivw
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/eire/aQGEyeFzy41Ivw

taxying   UgFzYt9FzW1wqA
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/eire/UgFzYt9FzW1wqA

BeardySi

Thanks a million! Some great photos I've never seen of her there! What a great site!

Also, definiteively solved (for me) the question of which type of engine she had. I'd only seen one grainy shot that gave a clue that she had Wright engines but those confirm it...

micknotmike

Treadhead wrote: »

Thanks a million! Some great photos I've never seen of her there! What a great site!

Also, definiteively solved (for me) the question of which type of engine she had. I'd only seen one grainy shot that gave a clue that she had Wright engines but those confirm it...

There's no doubt that it had Wright engines when delivered but status when it finally got struck off at Shannon after a rebuild in Manchester? is unknown (my guess is it kept Wrights)..a wreck photo at Shannon from 1946 would be neat.

micknotmike

substitute suffix in Google link PAE5eti2Y6XT-A

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/eire/PAE5eti2Y6XT-A

Pat Dunne

micknotmike wrote: »

substitute suffix in Google link PAE5eti2Y6XT-A

At this rate you'll soon hit me the magic number

micknotmike

substitute suffix in above Google link pAFfLHjG_2nuFA

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/eire/pAFfLHjG_2nuFA

micknotmike

Pat Dunne wrote: »

At the his rate you'll soon hit me he magic number

doesn't feel like it ! :-)

Pat Dunne

micknotmike wrote: »

substitute suffix in above Google link pAFfLHjG_2nuFA

Keep coming up with these nuggets they're brilliant.

micknotmike

Pat Dunne wrote: »

Keep coming up with these nuggets they're brilliant.

Thank the saintly Irish Steve :-)

Bog Man 1

When did Aer Lingus stop using DC -3,s because I remember as a child a plane passing at 7.15am most mornings . My father always called it the Cork plane and said it was a Dakota . I remember looking out the window and seeing it passing and new it was time to get up . This would have been in the late 1950,s or early 60.s . Why the Dublin Cork plane would be passing over Carlow I do not know but there certainly was a plane that passed at that hour most mornings but it may not have been an Aer Lingus plane .

Pat Dunne

Here is one to keep the SNN contingent happy https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/top-euro-eire-co-clare/mAGJ1a6Pf-lDRQ

L1011

Bog Man 1 wrote: »

When did Aer Lingus stop using DC -3,s because I remember as a child a plane passing at 7.15am most mornings . My father always called it the Cork plane and said it was a Dakota . I remember looking out the window and seeing it passing and new it was time to get up . This would have been in the late 1950,s or early 60.s . Why the Dublin Cork plane would be passing over Carlow I do not know but there certainly was a plane that passed at that hour most mornings but it may not have been an Aer Lingus plane .

Early 60s. Cork didn't open until 61 though so it couldn't be until then or after

micknotmike

Pat Dunne wrote: »

Here is one to keep the SNN contingent happy https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/top-euro-eire-co-clare/mAGJ1a6Pf-lDRQ

Some more LIFE Shannon shots from 1948 here
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/entity/%2Fm%2F02lpw5
Aer Lingus Viking in there!

And from a Hans Wild 1946 LIFE essay
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/irish-essay/mQHgNGtzqqieSw EI-ACH at dublin
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/irish-essay/owHAyhyk5d0XwQ
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/irish-essay/RwG4iATJuZvWLw
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/irish-essay/FAHwdLgsKCwc9A
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/irish-essay/PAGJ6Q6DZyAzWQ
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/irish-essay/UAH4lf0F7d9g-Q

micknotmike

Bog Man 1 wrote: »

When did Aer Lingus stop using DC -3,s because I remember as a child a plane passing at 7.15am most mornings . My father always called it the Cork plane and said it was a Dakota . I remember looking out the window and seeing it passing and new it was time to get up . This would have been in the late 1950,s or early 60.s . Why the Dublin Cork plane would be passing over Carlow I do not know but there certainly was a plane that passed at that hour most mornings but it may not have been an Aer Lingus plane .

According to Tony Merton-Jones 'British Independent Airlines 1946-1976' Aer Lingus surprisingly had DC-3s until 1964...Aer Turas had one in 1964 and the short lived Hibernian Airways had a few in 1966/1967

Tenger

Bog Man 1 wrote: »

When did Aer Lingus stop using DC -3,s because I remember as a child a plane passing at 7.15am most mornings . My father always called it the Cork plane and said it was a Dakota..........

According to Flight of the Iolar the last DC-3 in service was EI-ACE, which left the fleet in July1964, EI-ACD left in '63. (-ACA was the first in April 1940)

At war's end the decided to purchase war surplus DC-3's. However due to some inexplicable delay in the application they found themselves 67th in line to purchase aircraft. However in a guy called Capt Ray Wells found himself at Hannau where there were 6 pristine C-47's which had been delivered but hadn't seen any service. He called the EI CEO and let him know about them....EI purchased 5 of them for £5000 each.
These cargo aircraft were converted at Prestwick for passeger use. EI were very lucky in that these aircraft had been handbuilt at the Douglas plant in California rather than churned out of the conveyor line at Oklahoma City.
By July 1946 EI had 10 DC-3s