
The plane that led D-Day is flying back to Normandy - howard941
https://blogs.mprnews.org/newscut/2019/05/the-plane-that-led-d-day-is-flying-back-to-normandy/
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chriselles
I jumped into Normandy in 2014 at the 70th anniversary of D-Day out of a
DC3/C47 that had dropped paratroopers 70 years prior.

That was a really cool experience. We had 9 Dakotas at the 70th.

There are 34 Dakotas or “Daks” scheduled to drop paratroopers en masse in
Normandy in less than two weeks time for the 75th Anniversary.

Unfortunately I can’t make it this year as I’ll jumping out of CH47 Chinooks
at Leapfest for our NZ Team in Rhode Island later in July.

Can’t do it all.

The DC3/C47 is a really cool bird and the private effort to get them all
together for this from around the world has been a Herculean effort.

The crowd at the 70th was estimated between 250-300k people.

This year will be far more.

Very positive experience to have been a part of, looking forward to seeing the
photos/video.

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robbiemitchell
These planes flew south over the Hudson River at 1,000 feet last weekend,
circled the Statue of Liberty, then flew back up north before taking off for
Europe. Quite a sound.

Local news: [http://newjersey.news12.com/story/40497087/12-fighter-
planes...](http://newjersey.news12.com/story/40497087/12-fighter-planes-to-
fly-over-hudson-county)

~~~
AshleyGrant
The ignorance of journalists to aviation knows no bounds... Apparently, a C-47
is a fighter plane now...

~~~
toomanybeersies
It's the ignorance of journalists to any technical field.

Think about how ignorant you know journalists are on any technical subject you
have expertise in, then keep that in mind any time you read a new article
about a technical subject you have no knowledge in.

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Someone
The article doesn’t explain what makes this _the_ airplane that led the D-Day
invasion, and not _one of the_.

Luckily, the airplane has its own site
([https://thatsallbrother.org/](https://thatsallbrother.org/)), but even that
is fairly limited in its explanation:

 _”June 5, 1944:

Lead aircraft of the main airborne invasion on the eve of D-Day. Led over 800
aircraft dropping over 13,000 paratroopers behind enemy lines in Normandy.”_

[https://commemorativeairforce.org/aircraft/165](https://commemorativeairforce.org/aircraft/165),
similarly, is too succinct.

I would have hoped to find out how we know that (scans of logbook, etc, but
alas).

Based on what I found, what’s on those sites wouldn’t stay up on Wikipedia.
Anybody have better links?

~~~
bjornsteffanson
According to this article, the plane itself was found while researching Lt.
Col. John Donalson, who was credited with piloting the lead aircraft during
the invasion.

It also provides a reason why this plane was selected:

"Donalson's plane was in the lead partly because it was equipped with an early
form of radar that homed in on electronic beacons set up on the French coast
by a small group of paratroopers in "pathfinder" aircraft, Scales said. Some
mountings of that electronic system remain on the C-47's fuselage."

[https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/d-day-anniversary-
cere...](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/d-day-anniversary-ceremonies-
will-include-plane-rescued-boneyard-n1008181)

~~~
cheerlessbog
So it wasn't the first aircraft, the pathfinder ones were?

~~~
fouc
the pathfinder ones probably dropped the beacons before D-Day

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benmarks
I'm really excited to see these heading into Normandy! They will fly from the
UK and will have a massive parachuting contingent.

Program info at
[https://www.daksovernormandy.com/](https://www.daksovernormandy.com/)

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smacktoward
In terms of sheer aesthetic appeal, the DC-3/C-47 is at the top of my "most
beautiful airplanes ever" list. It's just such an elegant, clean design; like
the Platonic ideal of an aircraft.

On the other hand, my father had some occasion to spend time traveling various
places in C-47s during his time with the Air Force, and he describes it as a
bone-shaking experience. So maybe beauty isn't everything it's cracked up to
be :-D

~~~
xvf22
It has a long life ahead of it especially with the turboprop conversion
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basler_BT-67](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basler_BT-67)

~~~
jdsully
Why the turbo prop conversion? It looks like it gets worse fuel economy with
that. Is the higher power really worth the extra fuel?

~~~
AshleyGrant
A turboprop engine is going to be far more reliable than any reciprocating
engine.

~~~
briandear
Also it runs on Jet-A which is cheaper and more readily available worldwide.

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xvf22
Planesaves[0] is led by Mikey McBryan of Buffalo Airways[1]/ Ice pilots[2]
fame and is restoring a D-Day DC-3 in a very compressed time frame. You can
check out the YouTube channel[3] for updates. They aren't going to make
Normandy but it's interesting following along taking a plane from a wreck to
flying in a few months. He's doing a video a day which is impressive and helps
capture the process.

[0] [https://www.planesavers.com/](https://www.planesavers.com/)

[1] [https://www.buffaloairways.com/](https://www.buffaloairways.com/)

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Pilots_NWT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Pilots_NWT)

[3] [https://www.youtube.com/user/McMakk](https://www.youtube.com/user/McMakk)

~~~
taborj
Came to post this exact thing. It's very cool watching the process.

~~~
xvf22
Glad to see there are some people on here following along!

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Causality1
Seeing these restored and preserved planes in person is a visceral feeling
that absolutely cannot be replicated. I highly encourage anyone who gets the
chance to visit. There's something special about laying your hands on the cold
steel of something that was being shot at over France 75 years ago.

~~~
briandear
At Moffet Field right now in Mountain View, they have a Doolittle Raider
plane, also a B-17, a B-24, a P-51 and a P-40. Park right on the ramp next to
one of the Google Gulfstreams. Saw the P-51 flying the pattern when I was
coming home from work. Got to go inside those planes last weekend; extremely
cool. There’s also a 1963 P-3 at Moffett they had open last weekend so got to
see inside of that. I think they’ll have public tours of the planes this
weekend again.

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wmij
I was fortunate to see these planes from the D-Day Squadron fly out of OXC,
Oxford CT. this past weekend. There was a really big turnout at this small
airport in my backyard to support and have interest in the current mission.
Never forget history and the people who made it. Every tech innovation whether
aviation, software or textile is important. It was amazing to see so many
veterans also connecting to their past and honoring the present. More info
here [http://ddaysquadron.org/](http://ddaysquadron.org/) and here
[http://ddaysquadron.org/d-day-squadron-launch-
week/](http://ddaysquadron.org/d-day-squadron-launch-week/)

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spking
Anyone else going to see "The Cold Blue" tonight? In theaters one night only
(then streaming on HBO).

[https://taskandpurpose.com/wwii-documentary-the-cold-
blue](https://taskandpurpose.com/wwii-documentary-the-cold-blue)

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cyberferret
Magnificent aircraft. A local airline here used to have an airworthy example,
and I am so glad I managed to take my 10 year old son on a flight on it before
they retired it.

Loved sitting there and listening to the roar of the radials and watch the
pilots wrestle it through the air and marvelling that this thing was built
when my son's grandfather was the same age as him (10yo).

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hermitdev
Joining the flight, a restored "Miss Montana" departed from Missoula, MT
earlier this week.

[https://missoulian.com/news/local/miss-montana-bound-for-
nor...](https://missoulian.com/news/local/miss-montana-bound-for-
normandy/article_0a384958-5631-5350-87c9-2c2c34d3b506.html)

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Theodores
Glad to see the comments here do not genderify the plane as female. But the
article does. I don't mind people giving normal first names to
boats/planes/trains/cars/bikes and then using 'he' or 'she' but the idea that
all ships and planes are female and to be imagined that way is just wrong.

Next time I hear someone refer to their car or other vehicle as 'she' I am
going to humour them about it, enjoyably so and possibly pejoratively. There
are many options, 'oh, so your car/plane/boat ovulates then?' probably being
the most inconspicuous innuendo possible on HN.

There is also the class of individual that refers to vehicles as 'she'
instinctively but then fails to get the gender right when it comes to living
animals. You could introduce them to pet dog, e.g. 'Jake', for them to then
ask 'what breed is it?' as if they see the dog is pre-op or something.

Needless to say there are instances of male/female use in electronics, my
phone has a 'female' headphone socket and my charger is obviously 'male'. But
I would probably let my pedantry be put aside if working in an all male
engineering department when it comes to these things.

