One for the C-47/ DC3 historians

[Dan Johnson II]

My wife came home from an antique store run and gave me a photo she'd found and thought I might be interested in. It's of a C47 and after scanning it I was able to make out the tail registration NC63800. Photo is at the end of this post.

Some digging on the web turned up the following info. I'm wondering if any of the Gooney experts can fill in any of the blanks of either it's military history or who operated it in it's different guises, in particular the one in the photo?

There are photos on the web of it in 1963 with Champion Spark Plugs, and in its current paint. But there are lots of gaps.

Thanks

Dan

42-32827 (c/n 9053) To USAAF Feb 10, 1943 North Africa May 14, 1943 - 9th AF Mar 03, 1944
USA - Stored Jul 24, 1945 - RFC Jan 12, 1946.
To civil registry as:

NC63800

N1623

N1823 Champion Spark Plug Company 1963

N1820

CF-WCM (Millardair Feb 15, 1966 – Midwest Aviation, Winnipeg, MAN. Dec 19, 1966, cancelled Mar 22, 1974)

N90765

N47FJ. Current with Baron Aviation Services, Vichy, MO. since Sep 1979.(stored)

[a26invader]

Here is what the great Air Britain DC-3 book says on the subject:

D10Feb43 • 12 AF Oran 14May43 • 47 TCS HUSKY I (Jul43) • 9 AF 03Mar44 • San Bernardino 24Jul45 • RFC Walnut Ridge 12Jan46 • NC63800 Hiawatha A/ws Inc, Winona, MN, (1947) • N1623 The Texas Co, New York, NY • N1823 Champion Spark Plug Co, Toledo, OH, R06Oct52 • N1820 Rr 27Jul65 • CF-WCM Millardair Ltd, Malton, Ont, [V] R15Feb66 • Midwest Aviation Ltd, Winnipeg, Man, R19Dec66 • Canx 22Mar74 • N90795 Jerry L Harvey, New Orleans, LA B28Feb74 • Falcon Owning Co, Teterborough, NJ, B29May74 • N47FJ Rr10Oct74 • Great Planes Sales Inc, Tulsa, OK, B16Mar77 • E&L Lsg Co, Vichy, MO 1974, B08Apr77 • Baron Air Services Inc, Vichy, MO Lsd Sep79, B23Nov87 • Std Springfield, MO, from Jun87 • Op for Federal Express Nov87 • Std Rolla National, MO 1988 to Mar99.

[Dan Johnson II]

Thanks!

I'm in Minnesota. Guessing the photo was taken when it was part of Hiawatha A/ws, Winona, MN. Puts the date as 1947.

Funny how that works

[Mark Cook]

It's probably still sitting at Vichy.
There are several airframes sitting out with weeds up to their wings(the ones that still have wings...)
Mark

[Dan Johnson II]

Kinda makes me wish I had the money to save it from those weeds

[Mark Cook]

I've tried to approach Baron Aviation previously to see if we could purchase one of the airframes, but they never responded. I even stopped by once.
They do have a nice hangar with a shiny P51 in there, as well as a few other warbirds
As far as I know most of the airframes have not been airworthy for quite some time, so it would be quite costly to restore them.
It sounds like N47FJ has an interesting history though.
Mark

[gary1954]

Where zackley is Vinchy?

[Mark Nankivil]

If you use Google Earth, Vichy Missouri is at

38 07' 39.03" N 91 46' 10.84" W

Broadly speaking, Vichy is about 75 miles south and a bit east of Columbia, Missouri

Enjoy the Day! Mark

[gary1954]

Thanks for the look-down
It's over 500 miles for me, so no chance for now.

[GARY HILTON]

I was last by there a few weeks ago...as far as I could tell, there were 5 Gooney Birds at the airport...Been a couple of years back, but there was a very highly polished P-51 based there, and I remember seeing a Grumman Widgeon that was in superb shape there as well. At that time , there were a couple of traveling mechanics there doing the wind spar AD on some of the Goonies at the field.
I talked to the local sherriff that happened to be at the field, he told me that the DC-3's have been the target of vandals and thiefs...and so it goes

[Dan Johnson II]

Well my next goal is to track down anything I can on Hiawatha Air out of Winona Minnesota. I feel a roadtrip coming on

If nothing else I'd like to get the color scheme right for a model or profile of the bird in her 1947 colors.

What stories she could tell after all these years.

[RuudLeeuw]

This was posted by Nicolai Musante on Yahoo's DC-3 forum:
Storm Damaged DC-3/C-47 at Vichy, Missouri
http://www.krcgonline.com/news/content.aspx?id=82663
==
closer to the grave...?

[astixjr]

One of the guys I work with lives just down the road from Vichy. He was the one who alerted me to the damage done during the storm. I'll ask him to take a few photos this week and I'll post them if anyone's interested.

[RuudLeeuw]

Sure am...

[RuudLeeuw]

This is from Yahoo's DC-3 group:

It wasn't N47FJ in the tornado-damage movie. It was N486C c/n 6325.

It would be logical to assume though that several of the other four DC-3s
present at Rolla International Airport have also been damaged, because they were parked/stored close together.
Aad.
=================================

So why are there several DC-3s parked there? Did a company fail or was a museum closed or what?
Rudi