The Douglas C-47 Skytrain, the militarized version of the DC-3, was first used to transport personnel and cargo during the Second World War. It remained in front-line service for decades to follow, and along with the slightly larger C-54 Skymaster played a crucial role during the Berlin Airlift from June 1948 to May 1949. Each Skytrain was able to carry about 3.5 tons of cargo.
Though the C-47 has been replaced by much larger and more advanced transport aircraft, the venerable aircraft will be aiding in hurricane recovery efforts in North Carolina.
The Chalk 40 Flying to N.C.
The Military Aviation Museum, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA, hosted a supply drive during last weekend’s Warbirds Over the Beach Air Show to aid communities hit by Hurricane Helene.
“We have seen impacts from the storm across the Mid-Atlantic, and our upcoming air show is no exception,” said museum director Keegan Chetwynd. “Many of the folks that help out and support this annual event are from the areas hardest hit by Helene. Hearing those stories had the Museum staff and our volunteers wondering – what can we do to help?”
Officials at the Military Aviation Museum coordinated with support teams in North Carolina and gathered much-needed bottled water, water purification tablets, diapers, baby food, toilet paper, first-aid supplies, blankets, socks and underwear, nonperishable food, and cleaning supplies. The museum further worked with The Liberty Foundation, a nonprofit flying museum in Douglas, GA, to arrange to have the foundation’s C-47 transport, named “Chalk 40,” loaded up with supplies and sent to North Carolina.
The Skytrain delivered supplies to impacted areas in southern Georgia before flying to the Virginia Beach airshow, and on Monday delivered more than 5,000 pounds of goods to the Lincoln County Airport in North Carolina.
The foundation’s C-47 had served with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War with the designation KG395, but after being acquired was repainted to resemble the original “Chalk 40” that took part in the U.S. airborne effort on D-Day, TheAviationist reported.
Another C-47 Also Flying Aid Missions
The C-47 42-24064 – named “Placid Lassie” – from the Tunison Foundation in Oxford, CT, also carried approximately 2,500 pounds of relief supplies to Rutherfordton, N.C. It was on its way to Toccoa, GA, for the “Currahee Military Weekend” and made the special trip along the way.
The aircraft is also a World War II “veteran,” having taken part in Operation Neptune during the larger D-Day operations, as well as Operations Market Garden, Repulse, and Varsity.
According to the Tunison Foundation, its C-47 Skytrain was built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long, CA, in July 1943. After the war, the aircraft served as a passenger aircraft with West Coast Airlines and later with a variety of cargo operators. It was restored by a private collector and is now maintained by the historic aviation foundation.
Huey Iroquois Also Flying Supplies
The Army Aviation Heritage Foundation of Hampton, GA, announced that it was flying food, water, and other essential supplies to remote communities, including Asheville, N.C., hit by Hurricane Helene. The group is employing its Huey Iroquois helicopters in the relief missions.
“We are taking all types of supplies either directly into the mountains and right to the victims or flying loads into remote distribution centers that are moving them on with trucks or other means. We’re still hauling water, water purification equipment, and generators mostly, but the more recent developments are loads of winter weather clothing. It’s October in the mountains and getting cold,” the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation announced on Facebook.
The group currently operates four UH-1 helicopters and all but one date to the Vietnam War.
It is unclear how long the various vintage aircraft will continue to fly aid missions, but with Hurricane Milton set to make landfall over Florida by this weekend, it is likely that relief missions will be needed for days and even weeks to come.
