Types you’ll see alongside
de Havilland Canada Chipmunk, English Electric Canberra, Harrier family, Hawker Hurricane, Avro Lancaster.
Last verified 2026-10-11 against the gazetteer Compendium. Airframes move — confirm on museum pages before travel.
On charge
Where to see the Douglas C-47 Dakota in the UK
The gazetteer records 10 Douglas C-47 Dakota airframes (including cockpit sections and replicas where noted) across 9 UK collections, in 5 regions: East of England, Midlands & Lincolnshire, Northern England, South West England, South East England.
| Museum | City | Region | Airframes recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight Visitors CentreChecked 2026-10-08 | Lincoln | Midlands & Lincolnshire | Douglas C-47 Dakota III ZA947 |
| Boscombe Down Aviation CollectionChecked 2026-10-08 | Salisbury | South West England | Douglas C-47A Skytrain nose section 42-93510 Cockpit or section |
| IWM DuxfordChecked 2026-10-08 | Cambridge | East of England | Douglas C-47A Skytrain 43-15509 |
| Metheringham Airfield Visitor CentreChecked 2026-10-08 | Lincoln | Midlands & Lincolnshire | Douglas C-47 Dakota III KG651 |
| Romney Marsh Wartime CollectionChecked 2026-10-08 | Romney Marsh | South East England | Douglas Dakota C.4 nose section KN274 Cockpit or section |
| Royal Air Force Museum MidlandsChecked 2026-10-08 | Shifnal | Midlands & Lincolnshire | Douglas Dakota C.4 KN645 Douglas Dakota III nose section KG437 Cockpit or section |
| South Yorkshire Aircraft MuseumChecked 2026-10-08 | Doncaster | Northern England | Douglas DC-3 N4565L |
| Wings Aviation MuseumChecked 2026-10-08 | Haywards Heath | South East England | Douglas C-47A Skytrain fuselage/nose 42-100611 Cockpit or section |
| Yorkshire Air MuseumChecked 2026-10-08 | York | Northern England | Douglas Dakota IV KN353 |
3D model
The Dakota IV in 3D
A procedural model built in Blender from the type’s published dimensions, painted as KN645, a C-47B built at Oklahoma City and delivered to the RAF under Lend-Lease in 1945, which flew as a VIP transport for Field Marshal Montgomery and the British Military Governors of Germany and was the last Dakota in RAF service: the post-war Transport Command scheme of white upper fuselage, fin and rudder over high-speed silver, a dark-blue cheatline, a black anti-glare panel on the nose, Type D roundels, a fin flash, black de-icer boots on the leading edges and black propellers with yellow tips, as it is displayed at RAF Museum Midlands, Cosford. Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom · all 219 models · download .glb (1.2 MB) · Plate 72 in The Hangar
Computed from the survey
Collection context
Where the type is thickest
Midlands & Lincolnshire has 3 collections recording the type.
Marks and variants recorded
Douglas Dakota C.4; Douglas Dakota C.4 nose section.
Why it matters
The short story
Eisenhower listed four tools that won the war: the bulldozer, the jeep, the 2½-ton truck, and the C-47. It dropped every Allied airborne army from Sicily to Arnhem, towed gliders, hauled freight, and then flew the Berlin Airlift as if the war had been a warm-up. Roughly 16,000 built; the RAF called it Dakota and never looked back. Four gazetteer museums hold one — Cosford’s last RAF Dak still “flies” indoors; Yorkshire’s still runs.
Type notes
The Douglas C-47 Dakota in brief
| Type | Douglas C-47 Dakota |
|---|---|
| UK museums holding one | 9 |
| Airframes recorded in this survey | 10 |
Serials are the gazetteer's survey snapshot of what each collection records on charge — restorations move between workshops and reserve hangars, so check the museum page for opening times and current display status before travelling. Every type across 119 museums is indexed in the Compendium.
Aircraft questions
Frequently asked
How many Douglas C-47 Dakota airframes are left in the UK?
The Aviation Gazetteer records 10 Douglas C-47 Dakota airframes in UK collections.
Which museum has the most Douglas C-47 Dakota airframes?
Royal Air Force Museum Midlands has the most in this survey, with 2 recorded airframes.