Douglas R4D-8 / C-117D “Super Gooney Bird” — Original Airframe Engineering Drawings Archive

Douglas Aircraft Company · R4D-8 / C-117D Series · 11 Microfilm Reels · JPG Format

Why This Archive Matters

With zero airworthy R4D-8 / C-117D examples flying anywhere in the world, and flight-ready examples valued at $400,000 to $1,000,000 when they do come to market, original factory engineering drawings represent the only practical route to the full dimensional and structural data of this aircraft. Only 100 Super Gooney Birds were ever remanufactured by Douglas — all are now retired. For any serious restoration project, original factory blueprints are irreplaceable.

Warbird restoration and re-engineering depends entirely on access to original factory blueprints, loft drawings, and technical construction drawings. Because exact-fit components for the R4D-8 are no longer manufactured, restorers combine original engineering drawings with reverse engineering to accurately replicate historically airworthy parts.

The Aircraft

The Douglas R4D-8 — later redesignated the C-117D and nicknamed the Super Gooney Bird — was the ultimate evolutionary step of the legendary DC-3 / C-47 series. Developed from the commercial Douglas Super DC-3 (DC-3S), this heavily modernised variant addressed stricter Civil Aeronautics Administration regulations and single-engine safety standards that the original C-47 could no longer meet.

Rather than designing a new airframe, Douglas remanufactured 98 existing Navy R4D airframes to the new Super standard — a remarkable engineering achievement that transformed a 1930s design into a competitive 1950s transport. The result was an aircraft whose performance metrics rivalled early four-engine transports of the era.

Aerodynamic & Structural Redesign

Douglas fundamentally altered the original C-47 airframe to push top speeds and comply with modern performance baselines:

• Wing Geometry: Outer wing panels heavily redesigned with flush riveting and a 15.5° forward sweep along the trailing edge, optimising the centre of lift relative to the extended fuselage
• Empennage: Classic rounded tail abandoned in favour of a significantly larger squared-off vertical stabiliser and higher-aspect-ratio horizontal tailplane to maximise control authority against the increased engine torque
• Fuselage Extension: A 3 ft 3 in structural extension spliced in forward of the main wing spar, adjusting forward weight limits and increasing interior volume
• Drag Reduction: Fully enclosed main landing gear doors and flush nacelle fairings eliminated the parasitic drag inherent to the partially exposed wheel wells of standard DC-3s

Engine Technical Notes

• Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-1820-80 Cyclone 9-cylinder single-row air-cooled radial
• Power Rating: 1,475 bhp per engine at takeoff — a major leap from the 1,200 hp of the legacy C-47
• Propellers: 4-blade constant-speed fully feathering Hamilton Standard assemblies
• Supercharging: 2-speed internal mechanical supercharger, optimised for critical altitudes of 10,000–12,000 ft

Handling & Stability

The US Navy conducted comprehensive handling evaluations, later archived in C-117D NATOPS Flight Manuals:

• Longitudinal Stability: Fuselage extension shifted the CG envelope forward, guaranteeing natural pitch restoration
• Single-Engine Control (Vmc): Expanded rudder and vertical stabiliser directly compensated for asymmetric thrust — single-engine handling significantly better than standard C-47
• Dynamic Modes: High-aspect-ratio squared tail surfaces suppressed Dutch Roll tendencies during turbulent low-level military operations

Performance Data

• Maximum Cruise Speed: 250 mph (220 knots)
• Maximum Top Speed: 270 mph at 5,900 ft
• Maximum Takeoff Weight: 31,000 lbs (up from 26,000 lbs on standard DC-3)
• Rate of Climb: ~1,300 fpm at sea level
• Service Ceiling: 22,500 ft
• Maximum Ferry Range: 3,042 miles

Engineering Bulletins & Special Variants

• Wing Reinforcement: Heavy structural reinforcement of main wing attach-angle zones to bear higher gross takeoff weights
• LC-117D Antarctic Conversion: Oil coolers deleted to prevent fluid freezing · wheel-ski landing systems · nose-mounted weather radar · JATO solid rocket pod hardpoints
• Cockpit Overhaul: Modernised high-pressure hydraulic instruments · integrated airstair passenger door

Surviving Examples

All R4D-8 / C-117D aircraft are retired. Zero examples are currently airworthy. Known preserved static displays include:

• Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona — BuNo 50826, restored and on display
• Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum, San Diego, California

When flight-ready examples do appear on the market, they command $400,000 to $700,000, with meticulously restored examples reaching $1,000,000. Original remanufacture cost by Douglas was $250,000–$300,000. Operating costs run 200–250 gallons of aviation fuel per hour. The extreme rarity and cost of surviving airframes makes original factory engineering drawings an irreplaceable resource for any restoration or licensed reproduction project.

The Archive — What This Collection Contains

This is a primary-source engineering archive drawn directly from Douglas Aircraft Company’s original manufacturing drawings, converted first to microfilm and now to high-resolution electronic format.

• 16,000+ engineering drawing sheets
• 11 microfilm reels
• Format: JPG (high-resolution)

Note: This set of drawings is not exhaustive of all documents ever produced for the R4D-8 series. Additional drawings will be added to this Living Collection over time.

⚠️ Regulatory Notice: Under FAA 14 CFR § 43.13 and EASA Part-M, any mechanic performing maintenance on an active aircraft must use current, manufacturer-approved revision-controlled data. This archival document does not satisfy that requirement.

This is an archival, static-copy edition fixed at its original publication date. Intended for historical reference, restoration support, re-engineering, and educational use. Not approved for active airworthiness maintenance under FAA 14 CFR § 43.13, EASA Part-M, or equivalent international regulations. Operators of active aircraft must use current, revision-controlled publications from the Type Certificate holder or an authorised distributor.

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