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C/N 12064
42-92281 US Army Air Force
FL637 Royal Air Force as a Dakota Mk III
SAAF 6884
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C/N 12064
SAAF 6884
Photograph via Doug Drysdale
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C/N 12064
SAAF 6884
Photograph: Will Blunt
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C/N 12064
SAAF 6884
Photograph: Karel Zaayman
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Text and 15 photographs below received from Wayne Belling 7 March 2012.
Hi John,
I have attached a whole sequence of photos of our time with SAAF 6884 (April 1989).
At the time, SAAF 6884 was configured in an Air Supply role, hence the roller system fitted and one door taped up and the other door removed for CDS (container despatchment system) drops.
I was section leader at the time on a Dakota Team from 44 Parachute Brigade – 101 Air Supply.
Regards, Wayne Belling
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C/N 12064
SAAF 6884
Photograph: Etienne du Plessis
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Final trip for C/N 12064
It was a typical winter’s day in Cape Town, with rain pouring down in buckets – yet this did not deter the SAAF to road-transport one of the two redundant C-47TP Dakotas stored at Air Force Base Ysterplaat to a new location at the Bokrivier military base between Ceres and Touwsrivier.
Two former 35 Squadron C-47TP Dakotas (6864 and 6884) had been in storage for several years at the base, and since it was decided not to upgrade them to the latest modification status, they were progressively stripped of all useful spares until only the shell remained. Now they have found a new life where they will be used for survival training, according to a report in the Burger newspaper of July 5.
The first of the “Turbodaks” to be moved on July 6, 2008, was tail number 6884 (c/n 12064), which left Air Force Base Ysterplaat shortly after 9 o’clock that morning for a two day tow to its new location.
Dakota 6884 is a significant airframe. This is the last of the 84 Dakotas which was supplied to the South African Air Force under the World War 2 lend-lease scheme. It was delivered to the US Army Air Force on 25 November 1943 (as 42-92281) but never saw actual service with the USAAF, being directly delivered to the Royal Air Force as a Dakota Mk III ( tail number FL637) on 9th January 1944. Its RAF service was rather nominal, for a month later, on 12th February 1944, it was assigned to number 28 Squadron, South African Air Force, serving the Middle East theatre of operations.
The aircraft remained with the SAAF throughout the war and upon the cessation of hostilities, it came to South Africa, and was allocated the SAAF serial number 6884 in September 1945.
Initially the aircraft saw service with 44 Squadron, but was also used as a multi-engine conversion trainer with the Multi Engine Conversion Unit at Bloemspruit (later to become 86 Advanced Flying School) Subsequent to that, it also saw action in the “Border” conflict” before being identified for conversion to AM 65TP Turbo DC-3 standard, in which role it served the SAAF for some years, notably with 35 Squadron in Cape Town.
Rationalisation of the SAAF aircraft inventory in the mid 1990s also took its toll on the C-47TP fleet, and several were not brought up to the present modification state. “Turbodak” 6884 was last seen at an air show at Ysterplaat in 1999, and by 2002 it had been reduced to open air storage, never to fly again.
Text and pictures: Louis Vosloo
The location of the aircraft is 33°19'55.07"S 19°53'29.76"E click to open in Google Maps
The other SAAF TP Dak at Bokrivier is 6864 c/n 12580 located at 33°18'36.08"S 19°44'16.03"E click to open in Google Maps
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C/N 12064
SAAF 6884
Swartkop Air Force Base 15 April 2000
Photograph: Michel Anciaux
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 C/N 12064
SAAF 6884
Photograph: L J Vosloo
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 C/N 12064
SAAF 6884
Photograph: L J Vosloo
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C/N 12064
SAAF 6884
Photograph: L J Vosloo
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 C/N 12064
SAAF 6884
Photograph: L J Vosloo
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DC-3 Individual Aircraft History 
