jtramo wrote:
Meet DC-3A/C-53 41-20095....and Vintage Wings Inc. What started with years of talk of dreams for the future between pilot friends became plans that need to happen now when we meet this particular C-53. We are a grassroots group of younger warbird nuts, with many of the initial cadre from the Major and Regional airlines and one from ATC. Some are already well established in the warbird world and others have been trying to be!
We are still looking for detailed military records and wartime pictures for 41-20095 (help from the masters at WIX appreciated!) but the timeline places her in theater during Operation Torch and Operation Husky. At some point thereafter, when more dedicated C-47s became available, she was transferred to the Air Transport Command and was based in Cairo. Stories passed down by her owners indicate that she was used by Generals Jimmy Doolittle in Cairo and Douglas MacArthur as his personal aircraft for a two month period. We are currently looking for information to validate these claims and her service from 1942-45.
After WW2 ended, she was purchased by the Dutch Air Lines (that would become SAS?) and flown as the "Gorm Viking" until 1953. After her civilian airline service she came back to the US to become a Corporate aircraft with what looks like a Remmert Werner conversion. She had two or three owners until 1963 when she was purchased by the State Of Ohio to become "Buckeye One," the VIP transport of Ohios 4 time Governor Rhodes. He was a champion of aviation and used 41-20095 (now N34D) to dedicate new airports and give rides to kids in his "airport in every county" initiative. His Director of Aviation and pilot Norm Crabtree is credited with the quote "the airport runway is the most important main street in any town."
After her service with the State of Ohio she went to the USAF Museum in Dayton. Not getting the love she deserved, she was eventually sold and flown to her current nesting place. Our immediate goal is to ensure her future from the elements and from those who want to clip her wings (literally) for parts. Fundraising efforts are starting in days if not hours.
Our long term goals are a restoration to flight status in her 1942-43 Torch livery as an educational tool for the next generations. As a mobile museum, she will have a cabin full of displays designed to educate future generations on the importance of the DC-3 type aircraft in aviation history along with our particular aircraft's Forest Gump like life story.
Our group so far is mostly in their early to mid 30s and know what its like to be stuck on the fringe of a rather exclusive group of warbird operators. Our goal is to try to involve folks around our age and younger and connect with current vintage aircraft Gurus to ensure that the tribal knowledge of how to maintain and fly these aircraft transfers from generation to generation. We already have some wonderful and incredibly experienced advisors helping us get started. Many of us have been told for years that in order to volunteer on warbirds we must have warbird experience. We are trying to do away with that Catch 22. We are launching our website very soon, but we do have our facebook page set up for updates already. Ill try to keep our progress going here at WIX as well, as I can say these types of threads have always been my favorites.
Danish Air Lines, but they formed a partnership SAS, stands for Scandinavian Airlines System, Also Gorm Viking is not a Dutch name for an aircraft.
Also her registration was then SAS OY-DCE.
The first operator in Holland for C-47 and C-53 was KLM, after WW2.