The Douglas AC-47 (Spooky") was the first aircraft in a series of fixed-wing gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. It was designed to provide more firepower than light and medium ground-attack aircraft in certain situations when ground forces called for close air support. The AC-47 was a precursor to the now-popular AC-130. The AC-47 was the first of its kind as no previously designed aircraft provided a gauge on how successful it would be. Spooky was equipped with 3 7.62 mm General Electric miniguns to fire through two rear window openings and the side cargo door, all on the left (pilot's) side of the aircraft. AC-47s proved popular with ground forces during the Vietnam War.

Aircraft Specs

• Crew: 7: pilot, copilot, navigator, flight engineer, loadmaster and 2 gunners
• Length: 64 ft 5 in (19.63 m)
• Wingspan: 95 ft 0 in (28.96 m)
• Height: 16 ft 11 in (5.16 m)
• Wing area: 987 sq ft (91.7 m²)
• Empty weight: 18,080 lb (8,201 kg)
• Gross weight: 33,000 lb (14,969 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,200 hp (890 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 230 mph (370 km/h, 200 kn)
• Cruise speed: 175 mph (282 km/h, 152 kn)
• Range: 2,175 mi (3,500 km, 1,890 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 24,450 ft (7,450 m)
• Wing loading: 33.4 lb/sq ft (163 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (0.25 kW/kg)