C-47

[flroales]

Hi All:
Its been quite a while since I posted here. I am a volunteer at the Indiana Military Museum here in Vincennes, IN. We have just taken delivery of a basket case 1943 C-47. Plans are to do a static D-day version.
The airframe is mostly there but missing the left stab and the right one was chopped off with an ax (Yep Ax) so we are looking for them, definitely need not be airworthy. Also I'm looking for a copy of the USAAF TO that shows the size and location of all markings, don't need the invasion stripe or color info already have that. Can anyone point me to an online TO or know where I might find a pair of stabs reasonable?
By the way another project we have is a GCM13B (TH76B) Mace missile.
Frank

[tulsaboy]

Frank- PM me with what you need. We might have some non-airworthy extras that might be available- we could probably work something out. Alternatively, have you called the folks at Basler in Wisconsin? They have a huge store of C-47/DC-3 parts, and might have a non-airworthy set of parts hanging around for you.

kevin

[flroales]

Kevin:
Thanks for the quick reply. haven't checked with Basler yet, we just got the fuse and wing center section last Friday, putting the wing outer panels on tomorrow weather permitting. I will get with the museum director and lead for this project then and get back to you.

Thanks
Frank

[The Inspector]

For accuracy's sake, when you apply the invasion stripes please don't lay them out with a micrometer and a laser, do 'em the way they were done late on the night of 6/5/44 by, hand and wavy and sloppy then post a sign answering the 'why'djadodat?' explaining they were applied with wallpaper brushes and brooms from verbal instructions passed on by a Sargeant.

[67N20]

Can you post some pictures?

[spookyboss]

Tell about your goon, serial number, history, where did you get it, etc.
Thanks,
Spookyboss

[flroales]

Here is the military history of our C-47


C-47D, s/n 43-16277
Manufactured by Douglas Aircraft, Long Beach CA and delivered to the USAAF on 20 Jul 1944.
Jul 1944 To 7th Ferrying Group (Air Transport Command), Great Falls AAF MT
Aug 1944 To 555th AAF Base Unit (ATC), Love Field, Dallas TX
Jul 1946 To 556th AAF Base Unit (ATC), Memphis MAP TN
Jan 1947 To 62nd AAF Base Unit (ATC), Macdill AAF FL
Feb 1948 To 5th Air Rescue Squadron (ATC), Macdill AFB FL
Mar 1948 To 9th Air Rescue Squadron (ATC), Selfridge AFB IL
Sep 1948 To 2151st Air Rescue Unit (Military Air Transport Service), Selfridge AFB
Oct 1949 To 6th Air Rescue Squadron (MATS), Westover AFB MA (to SC-47D)
Dec 1950 To Goose AB Labrador
Nov 1952 To 55th Air Rescue Squadron (MATS), Thule AB Greenland
Jan 1953 To 87th Air Rescue Squadron (MATS), Palm Beach AFB CA
Apr 1954 To 63rd Air Rescue Squadron (MATS), Norton AFB CA
Sep 1954 To 62nd Air Rescue Squadron (MATS), Stead AFB NV
May 1955 To 63rd Air Rescue Squadron (MATS), Norton AFB
Jul 1958 To 2750th Air Base Wing (Air Materiel Command), Wright-Patterson AFB OH
Oct 1960 Dropped from inventory by transfer to US Army

Still looking for history after 1960.

We acquired it in a trade from Indiana Air Search & Rescue Inc.

Now if you can tell me how to put up some pictures I'll try that

Frank

[The Inspector]

Have you tried contacting Ft. Rucker 's museum? If they don't have the records they should be able to point you to whoever does.
I see in Baugher's lists that it was an NC-47D with the Army missle command then went to civil registration-

[Pathfinder]

Ditto Inspectors comment about applying the stripes! (Not to pile on, but to correct Inspector's post:...stripes for D-Day began applying on evening of 3/4 June in anticipation of late night June 4 take-off for June 5 drops....weather postponement caused all the painted planes to sit on ramps across England for an additional 24 hours leading up to the now-famous June 6.

Here's a suggestion for the paint job. Your 277 was born as a C-47B on July 20, 1944--more than a month after D-Day. Most of her sisters off the line went to the CBI--but some wound up in Europe in time for VARSITY.

A quick look at Mike Ingrisano's VALOR WITHOUT ARMS shows 43-16263; 266; 269; 270; 273; 281 flying with 37th TCS of the 316th TCG on OPERATION VARSITY.

This would give you a nose code of W7, and you would carry half stripes as was done after Normandy. Your tail number would be very much "in the zone" as far as a fantasy operational bio might go.

[The Inspector]

Pathfinder-

[Pathfinder]

Thanks Inspector!

Several years ago I found Mike Ingrisano's Normandy plane--43-15510--to be the "Spooky" sitting out on display down at the Special Ops entrance at Hurlburt. The 316th happened to be having their reunion in Ft. Walton Beach that year! Mike went over and told the curators that it was his plane. They told him it was NOT! Mike took them out and showed them the bullet hole patches through the radio compartment sustained on D-Day. They saw---they believed. (Then they probably checked the data plate behind the copilots seat!)

[The Inspector]

"...our minds are made up, please donot attempt to confuse us with, of all things, true facts"
I like the idea of 'Operation Varsity' stripes a lot!!! It would be period correct and give some exposure to another important campaign in the retaking of Europe..

[flroales]

I'll bring up the "Operation Varsity" idea to the museum director but, he really has been saying all along "D-day markings" even if they are not actually correct on this airframe. If this is so we will however try and get them correct for a specific D-day C-47. Anyone have one in mind? Would possibly like nose art and tow or drop markings. This is a long term project and we are just getting Started.
Frank

[Rajay]

Another potential source of DC-3 / C-47 parts and/or technical references might be Dan Gryder at:

The DC-3 Network
147 Sky Harbor Way
Griffin-Spalding Co. Airport
Griffin, GA 30223
(678) 688-7069
e-mail: Contact@TheDC-3Network.com
Web: http://www.thedc-3network.com/

And best of luck with your new project. (Is there not any chance that it can be made airworthy once again?)

[Pathfinder]

I'll bring up the "Operation Varsity" idea to the museum director

Don't miss the subtle point that the "VARSITY markings would also back time to Holland and Southern France. It's just to put your tail number more or less in company with other planes that came off the line about the same day--and where and when they were operational.

Hey, if Ft. Campbell can display BRASS HAT as Taylor's Normandy plane for decades and get away with it you can pretty much do anything you want. The plane BRASS HAT physically carries the history of THREE different airplanes all on one fuselage.

BTW there are some killer photos of 277 online wearing Search and Rescue colors AND mounting skis for arctic ops.