View Full Version : D Day C-47 that led the invasion
This plane carried the first paratroopers during the D-Day invasion, it led more than 800 C-47's that day. It was almost scrapped and found lying in a boneyard in Oshkosh Wisconsin. They hope to fly it to Europe for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5335891/D-Day-plane-fly-languishing-boneyard.html
I'd like to see them tour the USA with that plane; take it by some big drop zones and charge 100 bucks for a lift ticket as a fundraiser to offset the cost of the reconditioning.
/\ /\ /\ That's what they do with the old bombers, charge for a ride to help with main and upkeep. They come to some smaller airfields in NC occasionally...
When the World FreeFall Convention was still a thing, they would have 727's, B-17, B-24, and all sorts of other flying machines - lift tickets for specialty aircraft are always a lot more expensive but if an oddball shows up, skydivers will pay to jump out of it. A lift ticket for a B-17 jump back in 2005 time frame was just over 400 bucks
...too rich for my blood
An actual WW2 C-47 would have full loads jumping out of it all day long.
check that - "THE" C-47 from WW2
The Brown brothers supplied their DC/C 47 to the school house for Robin Sage for years.....I got to jump it 3 times (static line extensions)..
How many here got to jump that bird....
Very cool story here and what a great AC to save.
The Brown brothers supplied their DC/C 47 to the school house for Robin Sage for years.....I got to jump it 3 times (static line extensions)..
How many here got to jump that bird....
Very cool story here and what a great AC to save.
a bunch of jumps SL and Freefall from them
The Brown brothers supplied their DC/C 47 to the school house for Robin Sage for years.....I got to jump it 3 times (static line extensions)..
How many here got to jump that bird....
Very cool story here and what a great AC to save.
Haaa, R & D Brown...haven't heard of them for quite some time.
I think one of them, not to long ago flew for the forest service, and I think a CASA for hollywoods out at St Mere
Haaa, R & D Brown...haven't heard of them for quite some time.
I think one of them, not to long ago flew for the forest service, and I think a CASA for hollywoods out at St Mere
Do you remember the incident when the static line on the DC3 pulled out of the bulkhead during a jump? Metal fatigue.
The jumpers never knew it I understand as all deployed...the static line grommets/attachments kept the hooks from coming off....
Do you remember the incident when the static line on the DC3 pulled out of the bulkhead during a jump? Metal fatigue.
The jumpers never knew it I understand as all deployed...the static line grommets/attachments kept the hooks from coming off....
What timeframe was that?
This plane carried the first paratroopers during the D-Day invasion, it led more than 800 C-47's that day. It was almost scrapped and found lying in a boneyard in Oshkosh Wisconsin. They hope to fly it to Europe for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5335891/D-Day-plane-fly-languishing-boneyard.html
That is awesome.
I'm hoping to get to the 75th.
I attended and jumped once at the 70th from a D-Day veteran C47.
It was a real lifelong highlight, especially with a bunch of great fellas from 3rd Herd who had jumped into Iraq in 2003.
One of the things they tried at Normandy for the 70th was a cross channel jump with(I think) a 9 ship formation.
Unfortunately, DZ winds were way too high and they had to divert to Cherbourg airport(which is where the rest of the C47 jump pickups were conducted).
30 birds confirmed so for 2019:
http://www.daksovernormandy.com/aircraft/
I wonder where in AZ they found it originally? The airport I got my private license at, Ryan Field, had a DC-/C-47 boneyard and rebuilt and re-engined them. My instructor was their test pilot.
Do you remember the incident when the static line on the DC3 pulled out of the bulkhead during a jump? Metal fatigue.
The jumpers never knew it I understand as all deployed...the static line grommets/attachments kept the hooks from coming off....
Yeah, but vaguely
Yeah, but vaguely
If I remember it correctly it was a phase III infil and they never knew it. AC landed and the rest of the teams had to be trucked in.
they fixed the problem and used it again a few months later.
Had not thought of that in years.
What timeframe was that?
mid 90's....
112thSOLCA
02-02-2018, 11:24
Great story
However, correct me if I am wrong.
If the captions on the photos are correct and those are in fact paratroopers loading planes on June 6, 1944 (in the daylight)....
Wouldn't they be a little late to the show?
And I remember guys in my unit getting Honduran Jump Wings in the Mid 80s jumping out of C-47s (with extended static lines).
Great story
However, correct me if I am wrong.
If the captions on the photos are correct and those are in fact paratroopers loading planes on June 6, 1944 (in the daylight)....
Wouldn't they be a little late to the show?
They were probably taken on the 5th when Eisenhower visited:
Badger52
02-02-2018, 17:26
Awesome - thanks for posting cbtengr!