Douglas C-47 Skytrain (1941-1946): In 1941 the DC-3 was selected as the standard transport aircraft for the U.S. Army Air Force. Designated C-47 Skytrain, the only major changes were a reinforced fuselage floor and the addition of a large cargo door. As a supply plane the C-47 could carry 6,000 pounds of cargo. As a troop transport it carried 28 soldiers. As a medical airlift plane it could accommodate 14 stretcher patients and three nurses. Every branch of the U.S. military and all the major allied powers flew it. The U.S. Navy version was the R4D. The British called it the Dakota, a clever acronym comprised of the letters DACoTA for Douglas Aircraft Co. Transport Aircraft. For all its official and unofficial names, it came to be known universally as the Gooney Bird. By the time production ended in 1946 more than 10,000 had been built. C-47s remained in service long after World War II. They played a critical role in the 1948 Berlin Airlift and saw action in the Korean and Vietnam wars.