Dacota (Photographed in June 2006) DACoTA is an acronym for 'Douglas Aircraft Company Transport Aircraft'. It was coined by the British and Australian Air Forces when they 'took on charge' the Mark I version of the aircraft. The Dacota entered war service as the 'Douglas C-47 Skytrian' (a varient of the Douglas DC-3 airliner). Typically it could carry a load of 2,700 kilograms or 28 troops. In flight it was operated by a crew of 3, comprising 2 pilots and a radio operator/navigator. It had a wing span of 29.1 meters and a length of 19.43 meters. Flying at a ceiling of just over 8,000 meters, the Dacota could cruise at 257 kilometers per hour. Two 1,200 horsepower Pratt and Whitney R-1830-92 radial engines gave C-47s a top speed of nearly 370 kilometers per hour. Its first memorable mission in the UK occured on Sunday, 17 September 1944 when Dacotas took part in Operation Market Garden, the assault on Arnhem in Holland. 12 HORSA gliders, accommodating troops and equipment of the 1 British Airborne Division, were hauled to the combat area.