Goodbye Dakota G-AMRA

On 15 July 2008, Air Atlantique's faithful old Dakotas end their long and flawless passenger carrying duties. But this isn't the comfortable retirement of respected old ladies; they have it in them to outlive us all.

Sadly, but not surprisingly, it's spiralling regulations that have achieved what time couldn't. European legislation has decreed that all passenger-carrying aircraft must comply with certain criteria - whatever their age. Some of these modifications would be prohibitively expensive; some are actually impossible to carry out on the DC-3.

The EU-OPS legislation is well-intentioned, but it lays down requirements that are impossible or impractical for vintage aircraft. Fitting oxygen masks to an aircraft that never flies high enough to use them, or equipping it with chutes to deliver passengers to the ground four feet below the exit door would be prohibitively expensive - even if the items were available.

Dakotas have been synonymous with Air Atlantique for a fair few years now, and hundreds of people have heard those Pratt & Whitneys making their unique music.

G-AMRA was built in 1944 and joined the USAF as 43-49474. She was transferred to the RAF on lend-lease and used in the Berlin Airlift. She later flew with many airlines including Starways, BUA and BIA until joining Air Atlantique in 1981.

G-AMRA has spent her life with Air Atlantique and Classic Flight transporting all manner of different loads such as fresh fish, mail, car spares, oil rig equipment, aircraft engines and is configured once a year to drop one million poppies over the remembrance day commemorations at Coventry. She has also appeared in the Berlin Airlift 40th Anniversary flypast as well as appearing several times in numerous film and TV roles including Steven Spielbergs "Band of Brothers'" serialisation.

This tribute to G-AMRA was filmed on 31 May 2008 at Norwich International Airport using a Panasonic SDR-S7.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Douglas
• Dakota
• DC-3
• C-47
• G-AMRA
• Air
• Atlantique
• Classic
• Flight
• Norwich

[dickiehartt]

I recorded this in wide-screen format but on upload it's been squashed into 4:3 format - any ideas how I can get this back to wide-screen? I'm a newbie at this!

[icemachine79]

@cargy930 You beat me to the punch :)

[cargy930]

Just seen this old girl in the last episode of the BBC series "Survivors" (first aired today 23rd February 2010), so it's good to see she's still active and cared for.

[17james03]

Vintage aircraft who do this type of flights can be exempt of this EU legislation! The operators have simply to ask for exemption from their own country air authority (CAA). In other European countries no operator is forced to stop because of this legislation. It seems that even in Britain some operators already have been exempted.

[flymajj]

I know G-AMPY will carry on doing airshows, TV and promotional work, but what is the future for this aircraft, G-AMRA?

[ANDYT8]

Wonderful old plane and nice video and yet another example of how the EU is too big to be sensible - insisting on a non-pressurised piston engine plane that cant fly very high having passenger oxygen masks plus escape chutes when the doors are only 4ft from the ground... Stupidity!! Should have exemptions for such aircraft - yes apply it to big high flying jets but not these old birds.

Still I've just managed to book one of their Goodbye flights for next month - not many left.

Cheers...

[Frp398]

I live just by Norwich airport and remember seeing this landing while cleaning the car.

[glovemond1]

what a great video