Warbird Information Exchange

(CBS13) SACRAMENTO A very special C-47 is about to fly to a new Northern California home. The C-47 lived for decades at the Nut Tree Airport in Vacaville. Its new home will be a few miles away at Travis Air Museum.

Mechanics gingerly probed the innards of the 64-year-old C-47 looking for just the right place to lift her without breaking anything.

Tomorrow an Army National Guard Chinook helicopter will sling lift the historic airplane to its new home at the Travis Air Museum.

The aircraft weights a little over 17,000 pounds, a little less than nine tons, so when you lift it, you better bring some stout equipment.

The National Guard brought in cases of equipment including a drogue chute which will trail behind the C-47 to keep it steady. No-one wants to damage this historic war bird.

Watching the operation with a smile and a tear is 85-year-old Duncan Miller. It is his C-47 he's owned and flown her for decades.

He settled into the pilot's seat to talk about his gift.

“I felt that I needed, that it belonged in a permanent home because it's part of our history,” he says.

During World War II more than 10,000 C-47's were built. Crews love them for their strength and reliability.

On Wednesday, the C-47, serial number 42-92990, proudly takes her last flight, even if it isn't under her own power.

It would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to make the C-47 fly again, and it's too big to put on a truck. So a lift from a helicopter was the only answer. The National Guard plans that lift for between eleven and noon Wednesday.

Found it here:
http://cbs13.com/topstories/local_story_318190031.html

thanks for that link. An interesting video can be found on the link also.

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

and if you're ever at Nut Tree, stop by and see Duncan. He'll open up the hangars and chat for hours. I've known him sincd 1992 and he's one of the best people I've ever had the honor of knowing. Other items in his collection: BT-13 (the one at RNO Heritage Contest), Stintson Reliant (soon to be sold ), T-28, S-2 Tracker, Stearmans, Cub, PV-2......

Why do they need a helicopter to get perhaps the best plane in history into the air ? Has it been stripped? Good luck anyway.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

This C-47 hasn't flown since it arrived at the Nut Tree Airport, back in 1992. Here's a picture of the attempted lift:
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/052137.html

Update: Nov 15, 2006 1:40 pm US/Pacific

Attempt To Move WWII Plane Fails
(CBS13) FAIRFIELD An historic World War Two aircraft will stay grounded a little longer after an attempt to move it to the Travis Air Museum failed.

A C-47 cargo plane which flew on D-Day was supposed to be moved from its long-time home at the Nut Tree Airport to the Travis Air Museum today.

The 64-year-old C-47 isn't flight worthy anymore and it's too big for any truck, so crews attempted to use an Army National Guard helicopter to pick it up and transport it to its final home. But the flight was short lived.

After a delay to reconfigure the rigging being used to pick up the C-47, the first attempt to lift the big plane with the Chinook failed. The helicopter was able to pick the plane up off the ground and slowly turn it. But then the Chinook pilot gingerly set the C-47 back on the ground.

The attempted move has been cancelled for today while crews try to come up with an alternate plan to move the C-47.

85-year-old Duncan Miller has owned the plane for years and wants it to be in a museum for all to see. "I felt that it belonged in a permanent home since it is part of our history.," Duncan told CBS13.



(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Roger Cain
www.sfahistory.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Stearman/


We must limit politicians to two terms:
one in office and one in jail.